CHARLOTTE (AP) -- Community colleges are becoming increasingly popular for students who eventually plan to go to a four-year school.
The number of students who transferred from state community colleges to campuses in the University of North Carolina system increased by more than 34 percent between 2000 and 2005.
Private colleges and universities report a nearly 40 percent increase during that period.
Even with the grades to get into a senior university, many students prefer to save money by attending a community college for their first two years.
In Charlotte, annual tuition at Central Piedmont Community College is just over $1,400 a year. It's nearly four grand a year at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
Overall enrollment at North Carolina community colleges grew about six percent during the past five years. (Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
