Cecil College

Carnegie Foundation Classification

Associate's — Public Suburban-serving Single Campus

General Characteristics

Highest offering	Associate's degree
Calendar System	Semester
Years of college work required	N/A
Variable Tuition

Special Learning Opportunities

Distance Learning
ROTC — Army / Navy / Air Force	— / /
Study Abroad
Weekend College
Teacher Certification

Cecil College Introduction

Located in the northeastern corner of the state of Maryland and just a half a mile from the I-95 corridor, Cecil College is one of many community colleges in the state, forming part of the Maryland Association of Community Colleges. It is a public two-year institution of post-secondary education that has been in operation since 1968 to meet the needs of the surrounding Cecil County and broader communities.

The school recently, in 2007, voted to have its name changed from Cecil Community College to merely Cecil College, considering that the change would have a positive impact on students and the institution itself.

Cecil College Academics

Cecil College offers a variety of certificate programs, associate degree programs, and non-credit as well as professional training courses. Cecil College receives its accreditation from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education and complies with Maryland’s Higher Education Commission standards.

The school has a particularly good reputation in the field of nursing, with additional accreditation from the Maryland State Board of Nursing as well as from the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission.

Specifically, the school’s offering of academic programs fall within the following categories: Arts, Business Administration, Business & Commerce Technology, Business Start-Up, Computer Information Systems, Education, Engineering, Equine Studies, Fire Science Technology, General Interest, General Studies, Health Care, Law Enforcement Technology, Math & Sciences, Professional Development, Transportation & Logistics, Visual Communications, Vocational, and Workforce Training.

Cecil College has credit arrangements with many other Maryland state schools and higher education institutions throughout the country so that students can transfer after completing two years of study at Cecil and continue on to receive a higher degree than the school can offer.

Cecil College Admissions

Cecil College’s admissions procedure is non-selective, as is normal for community and junior colleges. The only applicants that need to present a GED or a high school diploma are those that intend to acquire academic credits through their studies. Such applicants will also need to submit their SAT or ACT scores as well as their complete academic transcripts (including college experience, if applicable), and furthermore will have to complete an academic assessment test if they have not partaken of the SAT or ACT exams. In these cases, assessment is focused on the areas of reading, math, and English proficiency.

Non-credit seeking students are not obliged to submit an application form to enter, and the minimum age for non-credit seeking students is 16 unless stated otherwise by a given course program.

Separately, Cecil College’s Accelerated Degree Programs do in fact apply a selective admissions policy which is not only based on academic assessment but also on availability of space, resources, etc, as well as a person’s previous workplace history.

Cecil College Financial Aid

Cecil College is a participating institution in the federal government’s Title IV financial assistance programs. Other than specific scholarships and grants, students should apply for general financial aid (in the form of unsubsidized, partially subsidized or fully subsidized loans, depending on qualification) via the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which can be completed online and should be submitted for priority consideration no later than early March for consideration for a fall semester.

Cecil College Students

The student body at Cecil College is highly diverse and the school has consistently ranked as among the fastest growing (in terms of student population) throughout the state’s community college system. Although the school does not offer on-campus housing, there are several other on-campus amenities such as a bookstore, a cultural center, a gymnasium, art gallery, library, memorial theater, and student help center.

There is a vibrant mix of student organizations operating on- and off-campus which includes: the Alpha Alpha Theta fraternity, an art club, the cheerleading squad, the Student Government body, and a Minority Action Union, among a few other active groups.

Cecil College Athletics

Cecil College’s athletics teams (collectively known as The Seahawks) form part of Maryland’s Junior College Conference, and the school competes in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NCJAA). The school has three men’s sports teams (in baseball, soccer and basketball) and five women’s teams (in volleyball, basketball, softball, tennis and soccer).

Cecil College attracts a good number of athletes due to the availability of athlete financial aid at the institution.