Business is booming at these colleges.

Are they getting ready to elbow the big boys out of the way?  Community colleges have been seeing a huge increase in enrollment in recent years. Often, it’s  double the rate of what four-year colleges have seen.

And in difficult economic times like these, the surge of students may be even more pronounced since both the tuition and competition are lower at community colleges.

Now it’s starting to look like some four-year institutions will experience pressure from an unexpected place – community colleges that offer associate’s and bachelor’s degrees.

This is currently the situation in 17 states: Arkansas, Georgia, Florida, Hawaii, Indiana, Louisiana, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Washington and West Virginia.

Still, it’s not all clear sailing for community colleges, and the reason for that is the “F” word: funding.

Community colleges rely on their states and localities for funding – which means they’ll almost certainly take a hit because of budget cuts currently sweeping the country.

Even federal money that’s earmarked for education in the economic recovery package will do little to help. Why? Four-year colleges receive 70% more federal support than community colleges.

So should four-year schools be worried – or not?

Let us know what you think in the comments section below.

Tags: community college, funding, tuition