Community Colleges in Bay Area

Do you want a technical education to prepare you for a certain job, or do you want to attend a community college and explore further education options? At San Francisco’s top community colleges, you can do both. Read our post to discover more about obtaining a quality higher education at a reasonable cost.

You can also choose from some of San Francisco’s best online community colleges to complete your degree entirely online or in part. Attending a community college in San Francisco through online or on-campus coursework will prepare you for an entry-level career or academic program at a four-year institution.

What Is the Biggest Community College in Bay Area?

The biggest community college in San Francisco is City College of San Francisco. This urban institution serves over 60,000 students annually through on-campus and distance learning programs. This public university with a diverse student body provides over 250 degree and certificate programs to students across eight sites and an online learning platform.

List of Community Colleges in Bay Area

The best community colleges in San Francisco provide a wide range of academic programs taught by committed teachers, in which students learn about their chosen subject and develop critical thinking abilities.

Part-time and full-time students can take a variety of courses that will help them prepare for a profession or transfer to four-year institutions or universities. Read on for more information on each of our top five schools.

1. Diablo Valley College

The college provides over 46 entirely online programs as well as additional hybrid education options. Students can acquire a certificate or degree from online courses in business, computer information systems, computer science, geography, and computer networking technologies.

2. Santa Rosa Junior College

Santa Rosa Junior College provides online and hybrid courses in a wide range of disciplines, including associate degree and transfer associate degree programs. Distance learning students can get online tutoring and counseling services.

3. De Anza College

De Anza College is one of the best community colleges for transfer since it offers numerous transfer associate degree programs and has a high transfer rate. The transfer center assists students in continuing their education at universities such as Arizona State University, University of California Berkeley, San Jose State University, and the University of California Santa Barbara.

4. Western Valley College

West Valley College has a well-established Transfer Center, which helps students enroll in transfer associate degree programs. After completing their transfer requirements, students may transfer to any of the nine University of California campuses, California State University campuses, or any private institution.

5. College of San Mateo

College of San Mateo provides certificates of specialization in a variety of business topics, including marketing, entrepreneurship, and business information. You can also obtain an Associate in Science and transfer your credits to a four-year degree program.

6. Skyline College

Skyline College’s Bachelor of Science in Respiratory Care program allows associate degree holders to complete their undergraduate degree without transferring to a university. Graduates can pursue licensure as Respiratory Care Practitioners.

7. Solano Community College

The Biotechnology Department at Solano Community College provides a Bachelor’s Degree in Biomanufacturing. It needs 120 credit hours and a minimum GPA of 2.5, with a focus on professional development.

8. Foothill College

Foothill College, near San Jose, provides a Bachelor’s Degree in Dental Hygiene. This degree is intended for students who are already licensed dental hygienists.

Best Community College Programs in San Francisco

Many San Francisco community college credits transfer easily to bachelor’s degree programs at major universities.

The best community college programs in San Francisco educate students for four-year degrees or technical careers. The following section discusses some of the greatest programs available at the best San Francisco community colleges.

• Computer Information Systems

Most of San Francisco’s community colleges offer computer information systems programs. You can obtain a certificate of achievement, an associate degree, or transfer associate degrees. These programs typically include specialties in areas such as web design, database administration, and project management.

• Business Administration

You can study business administration at any of San Francisco’s finest community colleges. Colleges provide professional certificates, associate degrees, and transfer programs in this subject. Business-related degrees teach students about marketing, management, and finance.

• Network Administration

Network administration programs are known by various titles, including computer networking, computer science, and computer network administration. These programs are often intended for students seeking an entry-level IT career following completion. They can also prepare you for popular four-year college programs that will help you advance your career in technology.

Best community colleges in Bay Area for transfer

1. Las Positas College

Las Positas College is located 40 miles southeast of San Francisco. They provide both day and evening classes, with a focus on preparing students for admission to California institutions. As a result, it is understandable that they have the highest transfer rate to Stanford and Berkeley of all of our top colleges. 21.30% of applicants from this school are successful in transferring across.

Their tuition is somewhat in the middle of the pack on our ranking, but it still represents a significant savings over a year at Stanford or Berkeley. As a result, we believe Las Positas College is the finest Bay Area community college for transferring over.

2. Ohlone College

Ohlone College is located in the southern San Francisco Bay. This school has 16,000 students spread across two campuses: one in Fremont and one in Newark. Ohlone College is another excellent possibility due to its high transfer success rate at a reasonable cost.

They focus in health, technology, and environmental studies but also provide a wide range of courses. In 2014, 960 Ohlone graduates transferred to full-fledged university programs, with the majority remaining in California.

3. Mission College

If you want to minimize your student debt, Mission College is an excellent choice. The average tuition is $6,000 a year, thanks to the school’s commitment to financial help. While Mission College’s transfer success rate is lower than that of other Bay Area schools, a respectable 17.60% of students successfully transfer to their preferred university.

Every spring semester, Mission College presents the Bay Area’s largest college expo to assist students in transferring to institutions. This is an excellent opportunity to meet representatives from over 180 other colleges and institutions, as well as to impress admission directors at a prestigious university.

4. Evergreen Valley College

Evergreen Valley College is set across a 175-acre campus in eastern San Jose. The school is constantly growing and has recently established a new library, labs and classrooms for biotechnology and nursing, a student activity center, and a center for the Performing Arts. This gives the Evergreen Valley Campus the sense of a huge university at a community college cost.

5. City College of San Francisco

The City College of San Francisco is California’s largest community college, with approximately 90,000 students. The institution operates 11 sites around the Bay Area.

With such a huge student population, City College alumni have attended all of California’s major colleges. The number of campuses is useful because it makes it simpler to choose one close; however, depending on the courses you choose, you may need to travel between places.

6. Foothill College

Foothill College is regarded as one of the greatest community institutions not only in the Bay Area but throughout California. They are based in Los Altos Hills but also provide classes online. They were actually the first community college in California to provide online courses.

With a strong focus to academics, Foothill has one of the highest transfer success rates. However, they are deducted some points because they are the most costly school on our ranking.

7. San Jose City College

San Jose City College is located in downtown San Jose, at the center of Silicon Valley. Understandably, the school prioritizes technology studies and is an excellent choice for those seeking to network in the Bay Area. SJCC is also regarded as one of the top colleges for assisting Latino students.

Aside from that, SJCC takes its athletics seriously, with numerous of its alumni moving on to the Olympics. Students can use the school’s cutting-edge sporting facilities to stay in shape while preparing to transfer to a university.

8. Skyline College

Skyline College is another affordable option, with an average annual tuition of $7,729. They are situated in San Bruno, approximately south of San Francisco. Their transfer success percentage is slightly lower than other colleges on our list, so expect to work a little harder to succeed. However, at its price, Skyline College turns out to be a tremendous bargain.

9. Laney College

Laney College is one of Oakland’s major community colleges, with more over 18,000 students. They are located in downtown Oakland, making it an attractive option for students who wish to be in the city. Historic Chinatown is just a few blocks away.

Laney’s academic specialties include journalism, mathematics, culinary arts, machine technology, and ethnic studies.

Conclusion

The best community colleges in Bay Area provide a wide range of academic programs taught by committed teachers, in which students learn about their chosen subject and develop critical thinking abilities. Part-time and full-time students can take a variety of courses that will help them prepare for a profession or transfer to four-year institutions or universities.