Best Community Colleges St Louis Mo to get into 2023

Best Community Colleges St Louis Mo: Are you looking for the top-rated community colleges within or near St Louis Missouri?

Do you want to enroll in a community college in St Louis but don’t know what options are available for you?

Are you confused about the available community colleges in St Louis Mo?

One way to fast-track your education in universities is to go through a community college.

In the United States, community colleges are primarily public institutions providing tertiary education in a different way.

Community colleges offer continuing education that focuses on certificates, diplomas, and associate degrees. 

Graduation from a community college will lead to a transfer to a liberal arts college or university for two to three years to get a bachelor’s degree. 

In every state in the USA, there are community colleges situated even in their counties.

Here in this guide, we have discussed all you need to know about community colleges and what differentiates them from a university.

Also, we show your top-rated community colleges in St Louis Mo and a piece of brief information that will help you decide which college is ideal for you

We have also let you know what the cost of going to community colleges is for international students as well as residents of St Louis Mo.

All you needed to know about this concept as well as other questions that may bug your mind have been answered.

Are you ready to find out what the community colleges in St Louis Mo are?

Welcome Aboard Scholar!!!

ALSO READ: 21+ Schools Offering Work Study Programs in USA 2023

What Is A Community College?

Community colleges are often referred to as junior colleges or commuter schools.

They are schools that provide a two-year affordable postsecondary education as a path to getting a higher four-year degree.

Usually, it also refers to a higher educational institution that provides workforce education and college transfer academic programs. 

Beyond that one of the reasons why community colleges are called community colleges is that they are accessible to anyone.

Also, they serve as an access point to a traditional university for students who plan on continuing their education.

Most community colleges have an “open enrollment” for students who have graduated from high school. 

In Community colleges, there are a variety of degrees or certificate courses that prepare both domestic and international students for their first entry-level job.

Community colleges offer traditional academic classes like math and history that will transfer to a four-year college or university.

Beyond that, they also offer community programs like resume and swim classes.

Students who cannot afford or gain admission to university at the moment, can enroll in a community college and prepare for university studies.

And thankfully community colleges exist in St Louis Missouri.

Is There A Difference Between Community Colleges And Universities?

Yes, a lot of differences exist between community colleges and universities.

Here are some of the differentiating factors between community colleges and universities;

#1. Degree Programs Take Two Years To Complete

Community college degrees take two years to complete whereas those of a university take four years to complete. 

What this means is that students in community colleges only do general education requirements and then transfer to a university to complete their degree.

Completing the two-year program at community colleges makes you ready to enter university at the junior level.

#2. Community Colleges Are Small In Size

Universities are much larger than community colleges.

Community colleges are small, which means you have a lower chance to meet a large number of students and a small group community as well.

Sometimes you have to be the one to pioneer a group in community colleges.

#3. Dormitories Are Not Always Available In Community Colleges

At universities, students live in residence halls, also known as dormitories.

Dorms can be an epicenter of activity and provide students with a chance to learn and interact with each other daily.

In comparison, dorms are not always available at community colleges. 

The majority of students who go to community colleges live elsewhere and commute to campus to take classes or participate in various activities. 

Usually, residency is in off-campus housing in the area where community colleges are situated.

#4. Financing Your Education Can Be Through Scholarships And Grants

When financing your education, most international students will pay for college using a mix of savings, loans, scholarships, and grants.

The same applies to community colleges although some offer tuition-free courses such as the community colleges in St Louis Missouri.

ALSO READ: What is a Community College? | Types of Degree you can get

Does St Louis Missouri Have Community Colleges?

St Louis is one of the locations in Missouri ideal for education at all levels and has a list of academic options.

Students who go through higher education in Missouri end up gainfully employed.

In 2012, over 16,000 residents earned four-year degrees from Universities in St Louis. 

About 7,000 students earned a two-year college degree and over 5,000 earned training certificates.

This invariably says that St Louis Missouri has a lot of academic options for students of academic levels.

Talking about community colleges in St Louis Missouri, we see that St. Louis Community Colleges serve over 24,000 students in 100 academic programs.

Private, non-profit vocational schools such as Ranken Technical College offer courses such as Architectural and Industrial Technology.

The duration of programs in St Louis Community Colleges in Missouri spans between 2 and 4 years.

Community colleges in the city welcome schools from all walks of life, this makes the colleges a little diverse.

Saint Louis community colleges have a diversity score of 0.25, which is lower than the national average of 0.71 (view national diversity statistics).

Minority enrollment is 94% of the student body (majority Black), and the student: teacher ratio is 26:1.

How Many Community Colleges Are In St Louis Missouri?

Before now, there were 12 community colleges in the city.

However, following the 2022 academic year report, we see that there are just 5 community colleges in St Louis that are within the city not near its outskirts.

What Is The Cost Of Studying In Community Colleges in St Louis?

For Missouri public community colleges, the average annual tuition cost is approximately $4,978 for in-state students and about $6,468 for out-of-state students in 2022.

However, private community colleges in Missouri have an average yearly tuition of $14,270 per year.

In St Louis Missouri, the cost of a community college on the average for residents of St. Louis, St. Louis County, and portions of Franklin and Jefferson Counties is $122/per credit.

However, out-of-district tuition costs about $171/per credit hour and out-of-state students pay about $233/per credit hour.

What this means is that community colleges in St Louis cost $3,825 for Missouri residents and $5,295 for out-of-state students.

How Long Is A Community College in St Louis Missouri?

Generally, community colleges take 2 years to complete.

However, some courses take 36 months but none are up to 4 years.

How Many Students Do Community Colleges in St Louis Missouri Have?

The 5 community colleges in St Louis currently have a total enrollment of 20,992 students in Saint Louis, Missouri.

ALSO READ: 57+ Best cheerleading colleges in 2022| How To Get Admitted

17 Best Community Colleges St Louis MO to get into 2023

Now we know the basics of community colleges, let’s explore the list of community colleges in St Louis Mo.

 #1. Ranken Technical College

• Acceptance Rate: 92%
• Tuition Cost: $14,664
• Contact: (314) 371-0236
• Student Teacher ratio: 9:1
• School Type: Private not-for-profit
• Average Graduate Earnings: $48,800
• Student Population: 1,799 students (Full-Time Students 1,339, Part-Time Students 460)
• Location: 4431 Finney Ave Saint Louis, MO 63113

Ranken Technical College is a private non-profit community college in St Louis.

The technical college is one of the community colleges in St Louis Missouri that offers a degree for higher learning courses.

With a high level of comprehensive education and training in a variety of technical fields, Ranken Technical College prepares her students to be job ready upon graduation.

Ranken’s state-of-the-art equipment and facilities and campus are continually updated to provide students exposure to cutting-edge technology. 

Through day and evening school programs, Ranken students are trained to enter over 100 professional fields

Also, the programs and courses offered at Ranken Technical College are open to full-time and part-time students.

Currently, 1,799 students, about 74% of students in Ranken Technical College, are full-time.

Also, Ranken Technical College ranks among the top 20% of community colleges in Missouri in various categories.

Degrees offered in Ranken Technical College are two bachelor’s programs, two-year associate degree programs, and one-and two-year certificate programs in a variety of technical fields which takes 2 years or less than 4 years to complete.

Ranken Technical College welcomes students from all walks of life.

In its records, the school has American Indian/Alaskan, Asian, Hispanic, Blacks, White, and other unknown races.

Also, keep in mind that expert skills and working knowledge of new technologies help Ranken graduates get ahead faster. 

#2. St Louis College of Health Careers-St Louis

• Acceptance Rate: 100%
• Tuition Cost: $14,664
• Contact: (314) 652-0300
• Student Teacher ratio: 7:1
• School Type: Private not-for-profit
• Average Graduate Earnings: $25,300
• Student Population: 194 students (Full-Time Students 157, Part-Time Students 37)
• Location: 909 South Taylor Avenue Saint Louis, MO 63110

St. Louis College of Health Careers (SLCHC) is one of the community colleges in St Louis Missouri focused on the ever-changing needs of the health care sector.

Beyond academics, St. Louis College of Health Careers also fosters full economic independence. 

St. Louis College of Health Careers 

St. Louis College of Health Careers develops and refines programs based on current healthcare trends by providing a supportive flexible learning environment, the opportunity for career training, and the development of self-sufficient graduates.

Also, the community college prepares students to become competent members of the health care community through various clinical experiences offered within medical facilities in the St. Louis area.

Furthermore, St Louis College of Health Careers is among the top 20% of community colleges in Missouri.

Degrees offered in St Louis College of Health Careers are 9 in number which takes 2 years or less than 4 years to complete.

St Louis College of Health Careers-St Louis welcomes students from all walks of life.

In its records, the school has American Indian/Alaskan, Asian, Hispanic, Blacks, White, and other unknown races.

#3. Saint Louis Community College-Florissant Valley

• Acceptance Rate: 100%
• Tuition Cost: $3,690 (in-state), $4,740 (Out Of State)
• Contact: (314) 513-4200
• Student Teacher ratio: 35:1
• School Type: Public
• Average Graduate Earnings: $32,400
• Student Population: 7,438 students (Full-Time Students 3,177, Part-Time Students 4,261)
• Location: 3400 Pershall Rd Saint Louis, MO 63135

The Florissant Valley campus is one of the best community colleges in St Louis Missouri.

Basically, the school is highly rated because of its excellence in teaching engineering and technology, teacher education, general education, art program, chemical technology program, and child care program with Child Development.

Saint Louis Community College-Florissant Valley is home to the only two-year biotechnology program in St Louis and ranks among the top 20% of community colleges in Missouri.

Also, St. Louis Community College has three campuses: Florissant Valley, Forest Park, and Meramec.

The programs offered at St. Louis Community College include freshman, sophomore, college transfer, career and developmental programs, and non-credit continuing education courses. 

In its records, the school has American Indian/Alaskan, Asian, Hispanic, Blacks, White, and other unknown races.

However, the majority are Black and Hispanic.

ALSO READ: 21+ Dental Hygienist Programs Near Me (Schools And Colleges) 2022-2023

#4. Saint Louis Community College-Meramec

• Acceptance Rate: 100%
• Tuition Cost: $3,690 (in-state), $4,740 (Out Of State)
• Contact: (314) 984-7500
• Student Teacher ratio: 35:1
• School Type: Public
• Average Graduate Earnings: $32,400
• Student Population: 11,439 students (Full-Time Students 5,728, Part-Time Students 5,711)
• Location: 11333 Big Bend Blvd Saint Louis, MO 63122

Saint Louis Community College-Meramec is one of the few community colleges in St Louis Missouri.

Meramec is the largest single community college campus in Missouri with 13,000 college-credit students and more than 10,000 adult education students per semester.

The Meramec community college is best known for its programs such as horticulture, occupational therapy assistant, and physical therapist assistant programs.

Also, there are architectural technology, interior design, and information reporting technology programs at Meramec community college.

Saint Louis Community College-Meramec is home to the Center for Visual Technology, a set of state-of-the-art instruction labs in the latest Macintosh computer workstations, operating systems, and software available.

In the top 20% of community colleges in Missouri, Saint Louis Community College-Meramec tops the list.

St. Louis Community College has three campuses, Florissant Valley, Forest Park, and Meramec. 

Each campus serves a population of 400,000 to 600,000.

In its records, the school has American Indian/Alaskan, Asian, Hispanic, Blacks, White, and other unknown races.

However, the majority are Black and Hispanic. 

#5. Stevens-The Institute Of Business & Arts

• Acceptance Rate: 100%
• Tuition Cost: $14,580
• Contact: (314) 984-7500
• Student Teacher ratio: 9:1
• School Type: Private for-profit
• Average Graduate Earnings: $27,000
• Student Population: 122 students (Full-Time Students 68, Part-Time Students 54)
• Location: 1521 Washington Avenue Saint Louis, MO 63103

Stevens – The Institute of Business & Arts is one of the few community colleges in St Louis Missouri.

At Stevens – The Institute of Business & Arts, students learn in small class sizes giving room for individual attention from expert instructors. 

Hence one of the reasons Stevens – The Institute of Business & Arts makes it to the top 20% of community colleges in Missouri.

Stevens Institute of Business & Arts (SIBA) offers a wide variety of programs such as a BSc in Interior Design, Business Administration, Paralegal Studies, and Retail Management / Fashion Merchandising which lasts for 36 months.

Also, there are 18 months of Associate degrees in Tourism and Hospitality Management, Interior Design, Business Administration, Paralegal Studies, and Retail Management/Fashion Merchandising. 

In its records, Stevens – The Institute of Business & Arts has American Indian/Alaskan, Asian, Hispanic, Blacks, White, and other unknown races.

However, the majority are Blacks.

What Are The Community Colleges Near St Louis Missouri?

As we have mentioned earlier, there are few Community Colleges in St Louis as a city.

Some students also go to community colleges near St Louis.

Some of the community colleges near St Louis Missouri include;

• Midwest Institute
• St. Charles Community College
• SWIC Southwestern Illinois College
• Lewis and Clark Community College Benjamin Godfrey 

ALSO READ: 21+ Easiest Dental Schools to Get Into In United States 2022

Frequently Asked Questions About Community Colleges In St Louis Missouri

How Many Community Colleges Are In St Louis?

Before now there were 12 community colleges in St Louis Missouri however in 2022, St. Louis just has 5 community colleges.

So out of 18 community colleges in Missouri, 5 are in St Louis although an extra 4 are also near St Louis but not within the city.

Are Community Colleges Free in Missouri?

Through the  A+ scholarship program, students can go to the community colleges and technical schools in Missouri for free for two years.

So yes, you can attend community colleges free in Missouri.

But this rule and A+ applies to 23 states in the United States of America.

What is St Louis Community College Known For?

St Louis Community College is Missouri’s No. 1 community college.

It has a large number of students across its 4 campuses and two educational centers.

Is St Louis Community College a 4-year college?

Yes, St Louis Community College is a public 4-year institution in Missouri.

Now you know what the best community colleges are in St Louis Missouri and what it will take you to enroll in any of the colleges.

Carefully follow our guide to make a choice of community colleges near St Louis Mo just in case the ones within the counties do not suit your academic needs.

Feel free also to explore our website for other academic-related content that will help your academic journey.

We wish you, good luck Scholar!!!

References

• Community college
• Colleges in St. Louis
• Missouri Community Colleges By Tuition Cost
• Best Saint Louis Community Colleges (2022)

Recommendations: