It's a lot easier to get into a community college than a four-year university. And it generally costs a lot less in tuition, too.
But how often do students continue and graduate with their bachelor's degree?
A recent report from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center looked at the path some half million students took since 2009.
Nationally, more than 60 percent of students who earned their associates degree at a community college went on to enroll at a university.
Of those, just over 40 percent earned a bachelor's within six years.
Texas fared slightly better than the national average. Forty-six percent of students in Texas who earned their associate's later finished their bachelor's in six years.
The report found that students who were 20 years old or younger had the most success in continuing their education. For students older than twenty four, it seemed harder. Only about a third of them got a bachelor's after community college.