Junior college The term junior college refers to different educational institutions in different countries . India . In India , most states provide schooling through 12th grade . Maharashtra , Odisha , Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka however , have a system of junior colleges where , after taking the 10th grade board exams ( see SSLC , SSC ) , students have to apply to junior colleges to complete their 11th and 12th grades . Junior colleges are also referred to as Pre - University Colleges ( PUC ) . Junior colleges are frequently co - located with degree colleges . Some of the famous junior colleges of Mumbai include St . Xavier ' s College , Kishinchand Chelaram College , Jai Hind College , Bhavan ' s College , Ruparel College and Ramnarain Ruia College . Some of the famous junior colleges of Bangalore include Christ Junior College , St . Joseph ' s College , Vijaya College and Sri Bhagawan Mahaveer Jain College . United States . In the United States , a junior college is a two - year post - secondary school whose main purpose is to provide academic , vocational and professional education . The highest certificate offered by such schools is usually an associate ' s degree , although junior college students may continue their education at a university or college , transferring some or all of the credit earned at the junior college toward the degree requirements of the four - year school . The term " junior college " has historically referred to all non - bachelor ' s degree granting post - secondary schools , but over the last few decades many public junior colleges , which typically aim to serve a local community , have replaced " junior " with " community " in their names . This may give the impression that a " junior college " must be a private school , but only a small percentage of two - year institutions are private . The first " successful and persistent " junior college in the United States was the Auburndale Female Seminary founded by Edward Lasell ( now called Lasell College ) , which offered a two - year college education as early as 1852 ( in 1989 , however , it began offering four - year bachelor ' s degree s and no longer offers any two - year degrees ) . Cultural connotations . Junior colleges in the United States have long had to contend with a reputation for low academic standards . The concept can be traced back 100 years to the original public junior college , Joliet Junior College , which was set up in a high school as the equivalent of thirteenth and fourteenth grades in order to prepare qualified students for the final two years of college . To some extent , this is inherent in the junior college mission of providing practical education to students who for various reasons fall outside the typical profile of a four - year college student ( for example , someone who has graduated from high school and spent several years working in a relatively unskilled job ) . Over the years , such colleges developed a reputation as schools of last resort . According to federal statistics , 42 % of public community college freshmen take remedial courses . However this does not necessarily affect their future transfer prospects : a junior college graduate with good grades can generally transfer to a four - year school and go on to obtain a full bachelor ' s degree ; and there is a growing movement of students who are attending junior colleges to save significant sums of money in the first two years of a four year education . Athletics . Certain junior colleges also serve as incubators for college athletes , particularly in basketball and football ; in sports parlance , they are often referred to as " Jucos " . A talented player who would not meet the academic standards of a major college program may be able to play for two years in junior college , establishing an academic record in the process , and then transfer to a major college . This process has occasionally resulted in scandals , often involving the academics of the student athletes . Military junior college . In the United States , a military junior college is a military - style junior college that allows cadets to become commissioned officer s in the armed forces reserve in two years , instead of the usual four . The students must still go on to complete a bachelor ' s degree before serving as regular officers on active duty . There are currently five military junior college s : Singapore . In Singapore , a Junior College ( JC ) is equivalent to a sixth form college in the United Kingdom . After the GCE ' O ' level examinations in Secondary 4 or 5 , students may apply for admission to either a JC or a polytechnic . The two years spent there culminate in a GCE ' A ' level certificate which is the most common qualification used for university admission . In the past , secondary schools offered both ' O ' and ' A ' Levels and students in classes studying for the ' A ' Levels were known as the " Pre - University " class . During the 1980s and 1990s , the government began the process of transferring all ' A ' Level courses to centralised junior colleges . At present students finish their ' O ' Levels at a secondary school and must take the ' A ' Levels at a junior college or through an external provider .