The most widely accepted classification system of institutions of higher education, the Carnegie system, does not provide any sub-groupings for the category of two-year institutions. This lack of precision has inhibited the understanding of the diversity among and between community colleges, their missions, functions, curricula, students, and faculty. Based on research and site visits at 92 colleges between 1986 and 1993, 14 distinct types of community colleges can be identified based on geographic location, special populations served, type of governance, and public or private control. These sub-categories of two-year institutions include: (1) rural, typically identified as single campus institutions in rural areas with comprehensive offerings; (2) suburban, tending toward liberal arts and transfer curricula; (3) urban/inner city emphasizing vocational offerings leading to immediate employment; (4) metropolitan area district, including those with centralized and decentralized governance; (5) colleges adjacent to a residential university; (6) a mix of the above categories; (7) Hispanic-serving institutions; (8) historically-Black two-year colleges; (9) tribally-controlled community colleges; (10) colleges devoted only to transfer and general education; (11) exclusively technical colleges; (12) private non-profit, including sectarian and non-sectarian; (13) private proprietary; and (14) community colleges directly administered by four-year institutions. (Contains 40 references.) (KP)