7 Fascinating Facts: Postsecondary education and training
by Center on Transition Innovations
Available formats: PDF
1 Reasons for enrolling: Postsecondary education and training lead to increased employability and job opportunities. You can also earn higher wages, network and make connections with others, explore subjects of interest in greater depth than in high school, grow as an individual, become more self -reliant and independent, and meet new people.
2 Community colleges: Typically, community colleges are two-year nonresidential institutions that offer various degree and certificate programs. They often have smaller class sizes, lower student-teacher ratios, lower tuition rates and more flexible scheduling than most four-year colleges.
3 Admission requirements for community colleges: To qualify for admission to a community college, you must have a high school diploma or its equivalent, or be 18 years of age or older and be able to benefit from a program of study at a Virginia community college.
4 Four-year colleges and universities: Typically, four-year colleges and universities are residential. This means that housing is usually offered, and the majority of the students move to the city or town in which the college is located while attending school. Depending on the college, students may earn bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral or research degrees.
5 Entrance requirements for four-year colleges: Colleges set their own entrance requirements that may vary. Most four-year colleges require the coursework associated with the advanced studies diploma, although some colleges do accept standard diplomas and the General Education Diploma (GED).
6 Additional postsecondary training options: Students can get additional education and training after high school through workforce development programs, the Wilson Workforce and Rehabilitation Center, the U.S. military, the Job Corps and apprenticeship programs.
7 Virginia Career Readiness Certificate: The Virginia Career Readiness Certificate is a simple, low-cost tool to document an individual’s workplace skills.