A junior college is a type of post-secondary institution that offers vocational and academic training that is designed to prepare students for either skilled trades and technical occupations or support roles in professions such as engineering, accountancy, business administration, nursing, medicine, architecture, and criminology. Often times, those types of colleges offer two-year associate's degrees that are intended for students that want to later transfer to a college for a four-year bachelor's degree to finish their undergraduate education, pending adequate grades. Students typically attend those types of colleges for one to three years, which is also dependent on the country.

In Pakistan, after the completion of Secondary School Certificate, students who want to further pursue their education, the mst apply for the junior college, which is also called as intermediate college. They can choose either of the three groups out of science, arts (or humanities) or commerce. They attend the college for 2 years. Some colleges also offer higher education like undergraduate and graduate degrees like GCUL, FCCU, MAOC etc.

In Bangladesh, after completing the tenth-grade board exam (Secondary School Certificate), students attend two years of junior college, named intermediate college. After passing the SSC exam, students can apply for their desired colleges, where they study in three groups, namely Science, Humanities and Commerce, for two years. After that, students sit for Higher Secondary Certificate at the end of their second year in intermediate College.

In India, junior colleges are higher secondary educational institutions that offer higher secondary education (Class 11th-12th), similar to Senior Secondary Schools or High Schools. However, unlike schools in India, which typically provide education from Nursery through Class 12th, these institutions are solely focused on higher secondary education (Class 11th-12th). While the majority of national and state boards in India offer continuous schooling from Nursery to Class 12th, some state boards, such as those in Telangana, Maharashtra, Odisha, Assam, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, and Uttar Pradesh, have a system where students must apply to junior colleges after completing Class 10th board exams (SSLC/ SSC) to continue their education in Class 11th and 12th. In these states, junior colleges are commonly referred to as Pre-University Colleges (PUC), Intermediate Colleges, or Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) institutions. Additionally, junior colleges are often co-located with Degree Colleges or Secondary Schools.

In Japan after World War II, junior colleges (短期大学) typically provide two-year courses of study but may also provide a three-year course of study. Students who complete the course of study at a junior college are entitled to an associate degree or diploma. In Japan before World War II, there were three years of national junior colleges (旧制高校).

In the Netherlands, junior college is equivalent to MBO (middle-level vocational education). The MBO lasts one to four years, depending on the level. There are 4 levels offered to students:

At all levels, MBO offers 2 possible pathways: a school-based education, where training within a company takes between 20 and 59% of the curriculum, or an apprenticeship education, where this training represents more than 60% of the study time. Both paths lead to the same certification. Students in MBO are mostly between 16 and 35. Students of the "apprenticeship" path are overall older (25+). After MBO (4 years), pupils can enroll in HBO (higher professional education) or enter the job market.

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 in a JC culminate in a GCE 'A' level certificate, which is the most common qualification used for university admission.