28 Bay Area Community Colleges to choose from

Iver Thorndal

Choosing a community college has a nonzero impact that is worth considering, and I'm here to show you the 28 community colleges in the Bay area so you can make the choice that's best for you.

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Why is Community College Imporant?

Community college is more than just a "no other options" path. You may be in a complicated situation where you aren't able to pursue an education in a traditional 4-year institution. Below are a couple of reasons why community college might be a good choice.

1. Money, money, and money. College is EXPENSIVE nowadays and a typical working class person needs to save as much money as possible. If you go to your local community college, you can skip on housing costs by staying with your parents. Most of the time, you won't even have to pay tuition. At the end of the day, you can still transfer into a 4-year college to finish up your bachelor's degree. Spending two years at a community college essentially cuts in half the amount you would spend on college total.
2. Let's say you have a difficult situation. You might have a job, kids, or other dependents: you're a busy person. Not everyone is going to have a loose-enough schedule to commit to school full-time. Community college offers people with other commitments the flexibility to still pursue higher education with night classes and asynchronous coursework.

Colleges

Below is the list of all community colleges in the San Francisco Bay Area. Click on any of the titles to learn more about the college.

Group #1 Group #2 Group #3 Group #4 Group #5 Group #6 Group #7
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Berkeley City College

Berkeley City College is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, an institutional accrediting body re cognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

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Cabrillo College

Cabrillo is a community hub for art, culture, business, and lifelong personal exploration. People from across the county come here to engage their minds and enrich their spirits by taking extension classes, catching live performances, wandering through The Cabrillo Gall ery, or pursuing their entrepreneurial dreams.

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Cañada College

For more than 50 years, Cañada College has provided enriching and life-changing educational opportunities for the residents of San Mateo County. With the support and guidance from award-winning faculty and staff, residents can pursue certificates and degrees for career training or to serve as a transfer gateway to four-year colleges and universities.

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Chabot College

Founded in 1961, Chabot College offers educational programs and experiences for students to succeed in their education, progress in the workplace, and engage in the civic and cultural life of the community.

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City College of San Francisco

City College of San Francisco is an urban community college serving more than 60,000 students annually at several centers and sites throughout San Francisco. We offer an affordable opportunity to earn associate degrees, prepare for transfer, and pursue career and technical education.

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College of Alameda

Whether you plan to earn an associate degree, transfer to a four-year university, train for a new career, or learn new skills, College of Alameda is here to help you succeed. Classes are offered in-person, online, and HyFlex (combination of on line and in-person) formats giving you greater flexibility in how and when you s chedule your classes.

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College of Marin

We are dedicated to academic excellence and encourage innovation. We foster intellectual inquiry by encouraging critical thinking, inform ation literacy and technical competence. We continually evaluate the effectiveness of our programs.

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College of San Mateo

Every organization has a particular culture. At CSM our culture is one that does not seek fanfare. We are a nose- to-the-grindstone kind of organization. When there is work to be done, we roll up our sleeves and we get to work. Our work, our fight, is to create a campus culture that is antiracist and equity-advancing.

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Contra Costa College

Contra Costa College is a public community college serving the diverse communities of West Contra Costa County and all others seeking a quality education.

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De Anza College

De Anza College is always at or near the top in transfers to four-year universities. We offer programs, degrees and certificates to fit your needs, and plenty of campus activities to enhance your college experience. We welcome and support a diverse student body, with student services that will help you succeed!

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Diablo Valley College

Diablo Valley College is one of three publicly supported two-year community colleges in the Contra Costa Community College District. The larger of DVC’s two campuses is located off Interstate 680 in Pleasant Hill, and the newer San Ramon Campus serves the south county in Dougherty Valley. DVC serves more than 28,000 students each term with a wide variety of program options.

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Evergreen Valley College

Evergreen Valley College offers state-of-the-art learning and student services spaces that promote student‘s success, satisfaction, and preparation for a globalized world.

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Foothill College

Foothill serves northern Santa Clara County, educating more than 13,000 students at our main Los Altos Hills and Sunnyvale Center campuses, online and at many community and industry sites each quarter (based on Fall 2021 student headcount of 13,837 (-15% change from prior year) and 2020-2021 annual 11,217 FTES (-3% change from prior year).

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Gavilan College

At Gavilan College you can prepare to transfer to a university, get training in a skilled career, build your academic skills, or attain needed classes for career advancement. Gavilan offers a more community-oriented and personalized experience than you might find at a larger school

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Hartnell College

Hartnell College is one of the oldest institutions of higher education in California. Founded in 1920 as Salinas Junior College, the school was renamed Hartnell College in 1948, and the Hartnell Community College District was established the following year.

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Laney College

Laney College has preserved and continuously updated a remarkable set of career and technical (CTE) programs. These programs include traditional trade areas like Electrical Technology (state certified), Welding, Industrial Maintenance, Machining, and Carpentry. Design.

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Las Positas College

Las Positas College currently enrolls nearly 8,500 day and evening students. The College offers curriculum for students seeking career preparation, transfer to a four-year college or university, or personal enrichment. The College provides university transfer classes, retraining classes

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Los Medanos College

Los Medanos College provides our community with equitable access to educational opportunities and support services that empower students to achieve their academic and career goals in a diverse and inclusive learning environment.

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Merritt College

Merritt College puts students first. Through our rich educational programs, we foster a culture of equity and inclusion that empowers students to achieve their greatest potential and make meaningful contributions to their respective communities and our global society.

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Mission College

Mission College serves the diverse educational needs of our student population by providing equitable access and support towards completing associate degrees and certificates aligned with transfer and career pathways to meet educational and personal goals.

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Monterey Peninsula College

Monterey Peninsula College is actively committed to student access and success and to fostering an equitable, inclusive, respectful, and supportive community by providing excellent academic programs and student services that respond to the needs of our richly diverse region.

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Napa Valley College

Napa Valley College prepares students for evolving roles in a diverse, dynamic, and interdependent world. The college is an accredited open-access, degree- and certificate-granting institution that is committed to student achievement through high-quality programs and services that are continuously evaluated and improved.

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Ohlone College

Ohlone College offers high quality educational and career pathways and personal enrichment courses to serve the diverse needs of all students and the community. Ohlone provides excellent instruction and support services, awards associate degrees and certificates, and promotes university transfer in an inclusive, equitable, and multicultural environment where student learning and achievement are paramount.

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San José City College

The mission of San Jose City College is to provide student-centered and culturally responsive curriculum and services for career pathways, university transfer, and life-long learning. We strive to accomplish this by promoting an inclusive, multicultural learning community that values social justice, along with excellence in teaching and learning.​

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Santa Rosa Junior College

Santa Rosa Junior College transforms the lives of our culturally rich student body, employees, and community by cultivating a welcoming and antiracist environment, centered on social responsibility and cultural awareness.

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Skyline College

Skyline College inspires a global and diverse community of learners to achieve intellectual, cultural, social, economic and personal fulfillment. Education is the foundation of our democratic society, and Skyline is committed to empowering and transforming a global community of learners.

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Solano College

Solano Community College’s mission is to educate a culturally and academically diverse student population drawn from our local communities and beyond. We are committed to student learning and achievement and to helping our students achieve their educational, professional, and personal goals.

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West Valley College

West Valley College is a community of learners open to those seeking advanced educational opportunities. Our faculty, staff, and students have a passionate commitment to learning, fueled by the spirit of inquiry. The College embraces innovation and change characterized by trust, confidence, and accountability.