Community colleges have been the savior for international students, especially those that couldn’t get huge scholarships. Their low tuition fees in the United States when compared to a 4-year university has made it a brilliant alternative, plus they also provide financial aid to even reduce student fees further.
New York has some of the best affordable community colleges both for domestic and international students. There are also several affordable community colleges in Texas and even California for foreign students that you can still check out, perhaps, you will love them more.
It’s worth noting that a community college is not a University, the major difference between the both is that community college mostly takes 2 years and an associate degree is mostly their highest degree. Whereas, a university mostly takes 4 years to complete, and you can get a bachelor’s degree from it.
What most students who go to community colleges and want to progress to university to complete their remaining two years to receive a bachelor’s degree do is start planning on time. Most community colleges, including those in NY have universities they partner with to easily help interested students make this transition.
Let’s get started with these very affordable community colleges in NY.
Cheapest Community Colleges in New York for International Students
Please note that the provided costs are an estimate for the 2024-2025 year and may vary from a student to student basis. For example, books and supplies cost may vary based on courses taken.
1. Herkimer County Community College
Lots of international students troop down to this community college due to its excellence in providing quality education and the affordability of their fees. They don’t just provide quality education, they also spice it up with sports, clubs & organizations, etc.
| Residents of NYS | $2,558 per semester |
| Out of State Tuition | $2,558 per semester |
| International Students | $2,558 per semester |
| NYS Resident w/o Certificate | $4,000 per semester |
2. BMCC (Borough of Manhattan Community College)
Beside the fact that BMCC provides affordable fees for both domestic and international students, they also allow you to apply for different kinds of scholarships, including scholarships and awards administered by BMCC.
A lot of factors determine the tuition fees of students in BMCC, but here is their average tuition fee, making them the most affordable community college in NY for foreigners by a small margin;
| Residents of NYC | $2,400 per semester |
| Out-of-State Residents | $320.00 per credit |
| International Students | $320.00 per credit |
3. Dutchess Community College
Due to how affordable DCC is and their provision of financial assistance to their students, more than 65% of their students graduate with no student-loan debt. Their scholarships can cover up to full tuition.
| Residents of NYS | $2,500 per semester |
| Non-residents and International Students | $5,000 per semester |
4. Monroe Community College
The annual tuition at Monroe Community College is a fraction of the cost of a private college (sometimes as little as one-tenth of the total cost elsewhere). But this doesn’t reduce the quality of education you’ll get, they will prepare you for the same careers and provide the same opportunities for success.
| Residents of NYS | $2,525 per semester |
| Non-residents and International Students | $5,050 per semester |
| NYS Residents (Part-time Students) | $210 per credit hour |
| Non-residents & International Students (Part-time) | $420 per credit hour |
5. SUNY Schenectady County Community College
The Schenectady County Community college accepts international students for the fall and spring semesters, to participate in a wide variety of courses.
| Residents of NYS with a Valid Residency Certificate | $2,412 per semester |
| NYS Resident w/o Certificate of residency | $3,618 per semester |
| Non-residents and International Students | $4,690 per semester |
6. Genesee Community College
Genesee Community College is one of the colleges that welcomes students from lots of countries. Currently, there are many students from 23 different countries studying in this school, and I believe one of the reasons is because of their very affordable fees.
The tuition fee an international student will pay is the same as what a NYC resident will pay. However, a NYS resident that failed to provide a valid certificate of residence will be charged double tuition.
| Residents of NYS | $2,625 per semester |
| International Students | $2,625 per semester |
| NYS Resident w/o Certificate | $5,250 |
7. Jefferson Community College
This is another university that accepts international students from diverse countries, and they also provide affordable tuition to their students. There are a lot of factors that determine the tuition and fees of different students, that’s one of the reasons they provided their “net price calculator,” for proper fee estimation.
Here is a table for general tuition for both citizens and international students.
| Residents of NYC | $5,304 Per Academic year |
| International Students | $5,304 Per Academic Year |
8. SUNY Broome Community College
SUNY Broome Community College acknowledges the importance of international students on their campus. Also, NYS residents without valid residency certificates will pay almost double.
| Residents of NYS with residency certificates | $2,832/Semester |
| NYS Residents without residency certificates | $5,664/Semester |
| Out-of-State Residents & International Students | $5,664/Semester |
| For United States Veterans, and their eligible Spouses, and eligible Dependents | $2,832/Semester |
9. Tompkins Cortland Community College
This is one of the few community colleges that is willing to support you in whichever way it can so that you can finish your degree successfully. One of the ways they do this is to provide affordable Child Care while you attend classes, they also provide Health and Wellness Services for when you need support for your well-being.
Their tuition is also very affordable, but there is a lot of difference between the fee of a NYS resident and an international student.
| Residents of NYC | $2,785 per semester |
| International Students | $5,727.50 per semester |
10. Niagara County Community College
This is one of the cheapest community colleges in New York for international students that provide more than 50 programs of study plus on-campus housing. The college also provides small class size, amazing transfer opportunities, and above all, affordable tuition.
| Residents of NYS | $2,568 per semester |
| Non-residents and International Students | $5,136 per semester |
| NYS Residents (Part-time) | $214 per credit hour/per semester |
| Non-NYS residents and International Students | $428 per credit hour/per semester |
11. Finger Lakes Community College
This is another community college whose highest degree is an associate degree, and they provide lots of associate degree programs.
| Residents of NYS | $5,112 |
| Non-residents and International Students | $6,144 |
12. Erie Community College
The SUNY Erie Community College is one of the most affordable community colleges in New York for international students that provides more than 80 associate degrees, certificate, joint, and online programs in the most in-demand areas including Business, Engineering, Advanced Manufacturing, Health Sciences, STEM, Hospitality and more.
| Residents of NYS with a Valid Residency Certificate | $5,200 per academic year |
| NYS Residents w/o a Certificate of residency | $10,400 per academic year |
| Non-residents and International Students | $10,400 per academic year |
13. Jamestown Community College
Jamestown Community College is one of the cheapest community colleges in New York for international students that provides students with nationally recognized education through JCC’s membership in the State University of New York, the largest system of public higher education in the United States.
| Residents of NYS with a Valid Residency Certificate | $5,440 per academic year |
| Non-residents and International Students | $10,880 per academic year |
14. SUNY Westchester Community College
This is one of the county’s largest educational institutions, and it is also one of the cheapest community colleges in New York. They have 4 schools which include;
- School of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
- School of Business and Professional Careers
- School of Health Careers, Technology and Applied Learning
- School of Mathematics, Science and Engineering
| Residents of NYC | $2,490 per semester |
| International Students | $5,885 per semester |
15. Fulton-Montgomery Community College
The Fulton-Montgomery Community College has a long history of international students, over 100 international students join this college each year. And, they have a lovely way they treat each student.
| NYS Resident with Valid Residency Certificate | NYS Resident w/o Certificate of Residency |
| NYS Resident w/o Certificate of residency | $10,752 per academic year |
| Non-residents and International Students | $5,976 per academic year |
16. CUNY Queensborough Community College
This is one of the most affordable community colleges in New York for international students who still maintain excellence in their academics.
| Residents of NYS | $2,400 per semester |
| NYS Resident w/o Certificate of residency | $320.00 per credit |
| International Students | $320.00 per credit |
17. Cayuga Community College
The Cayuga Community College is one of the cheapest community colleges in New York that offers different degree programs in; health sciences, media arts, culinary, art, accounting, education, criminal justice, geographic information systems, liberal arts, and many more.
| Residents of NYC | $5,922 |
| International Students | $6,292 |
Conclusion
There are lots of community colleges in New York, and most of them are very affordable, especially when compared with Universities in the United States. As you can see, most of the degrees in these community colleges are associate degrees, so if you want to focus on a bachelor’s degree, I would advise you to focus on universities.
What is the Average Cost of Community College Cost in NYC?
The average cost of community college in NYC is $4,800
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