Community colleges in the United States mainly recruit students with average academic performance and provide two-year primary higher education, which is equivalent to junior college in China. However, unlike China's junior college, American community college students can directly transfer to the top 20 four-year undergraduate universities in the United States through their own efforts, and get the undergraduate diploma directly after graduation, which is no different from other famous universities.

In China, most junior college courses focus on students' employment, and there are few research-oriented or comprehensive courses or disciplines. One reason why students go to junior college is that their scores in college entrance examination are not high enough, and another reason is that junior college education focuses on skills and studies some practical courses for employment.

American community colleges offer not only vocational courses, but also transfer courses. Transfer courses are specially designed for students who want to continue to apply for four-year universities. Students can take basic courses in the first two years of community colleges (freshmen and sophomores), and the credits they have taken are recognized by four-year universities.