Foothill College (FC) Introduction and Academics

Introduction

Regarded as one of the most successful community colleges in the United States, Foothill College is located in Los Altos Hills, California. It was established on January 15, 1957 by its founding Superintended/President, Calvin C. Flint and founding Board of Trustees. The college is part of the Foothill-De Anza Community College District and became the first community college in California to offer online courses. Today, the institute offers over 500 online credit courses to students in the Bay Area and throughout the world.

Videos

Information Summary

See the entire top 2,000 colleges and universities list
Overall Score (about)	Insufficient Data
Total Cost On-Campus Attendance	$3,078
Admission Success rate	N/A
Student Ratio Students-to-Faculty	24 : 1
Retention (full-time / part-time)	N/A / N/A
Enrollment Total (all students)	14,732

Academics

The institute offers a perfect platform for students to complete their first two years of college. The transfer program prepares students to get admission to the university of their choice. Students can enroll to earn a two-year professional or technical program leading to an Associate in Arts (AA) or Associate in Science (AS) Degree. Students are provided with an option of over 75 associate degree programs and more than 100 certificate programs. It also offers several specialized programs that require less than two years.

The college is composed of several academic divisions which include Adaptive Learning; Biological & Health Sciences; Business & Social Sciences (BSS); Computers, Technology & Information Systems (CTIS); Counseling & Matriculation; Fine Arts & Communication; Language Arts; Learning Resource Center & Library; Non Credit Division; Physical Education & Human Performance; and Physical Sciences, Mathematics & Engineering.

Online Degrees

More than 500 online college credit courses are offered. Students can earn online degrees and certificates such as AA in Anthropology, AA in Art History, AS in Computer Software Development, Oracle Database Administration, and Oracle Database Developer. The college presents a diverse selection of online classes every quarter.

The school is committed to the success of online learning students. It offers a wide range of services to help applicants choose an academic program, proceed through that program, and become involved with the campus activities. Those who cannot come to the campus for counseling, can get help from the online advising forums.

Most Popular Fields of Study

Gallery

Admissions

Each year, the college enrolls more than 18,000 students in its full-time and part-time programs. Students seeking admission must fill out the free online application, available on the school’s website. After this is completed, applicants will be provided with a counseling appointment online. A counseling appointment helps students take the right career decision and meet the college counselors personally. Applicants need to take the math, chemistry and English/ ESL placement tests. Students whose native language is not English must opt for ESL.

Financial Aid

Students seeking financial aid must complete their online Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Financial aid is offered to needy and deserving students to help them bear the education costs. Financial aid is provided in the form of grants, scholarships, student employment, loans, and a BOG fee waiver.

Loans are the type of financial assistance that needs to be repaid by the students. Some types of loans available are Federal Direct Loan, Federal Direct Plus, and Federal Perkins Loans.

Grants offered to the students include Federal Pell Grant, Academic Competitiveness Grant (ACG), Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG), Cal Grants, and Chafee Grant.

Federal Work Study (FWS) offers job assistance to the students who are interested in working part-time. Students can earn a part of the educational expenses through the employment programs.

Scholarships offered include the Angel Sierra Memorial Scholarship, APAN Scholarship, California Native Plant Society (CNPS) Scholarship, California Retired Teachers Association – Hilde J. Leopold Memorial Scholarship, Doorway to Success Scholarship, International Scholarship, Judson Allen Memorial Photo Scholarship, Recycled Computers for Students Scholarship, and the Recycled Computers for Students Scholarship.

Student Financial Aid Details

Ranks 5946th for the average student loan amount.
Secrets to getting the best scholarships and financial aid in California.

Students

Students here enjoy a diverse and vibrant campus life. There are more than 200 chartered campus clubs and organizations that aim to enrich the academic experience of the students. These organizations mostly focus on student interests in multicultural diversity, career options, crafts, politics, sports, recreation, service and social events. You can either join an existing club or start a new one. Some of the popular on-campus student clubs are Anthropology Club, Drama and Film Society, E.S.L. (English as a Second Language), Foothill American Red Cross, J.I.F.F. (Jews, Israelis and Friends at Foothill), M.S.A. (Muslim Student Association), and Spanish Language & Culture.

As an enrolled student, you will be a part of the Associated Students of Foothill College, also referred to as ASFC. The Campus Council manages the affairs of the AFSC, which is the official name of the student government.

The Office of Student Activities organizes the college events and manages the resource center. It also supervises service and leadership development programs. Members work in coordination with student government (ASFC), faculty, campus staff, academic divisions and other community organizations to present cultural events. It also helps students, campus clubs, and other organizations plans events.

Media and Publications:

KFJC 89.7 FM is the free radio station of the campus. It is licensed to the Trustees of the Foothill-De Anza Community College District; and used as a teaching laboratory for the Fine Arts and Communications Department.

Students can explore a diverse range of publications in a synergistic magazine format. Foothill Fusion is the monthly newsletter and Loop Magazine provides interesting news, updates and information about the college.

Campus Facilities:

The campus is home to several different food services and dining areas such as Fresh & Natural, located in the campus center, and KJ’s Café a la Carte Espresso Bar, located in the East Wing. There are also multiple vending machines situated around the college. Fitness enthusiasts can join health programs at the on-campus fitness center, where classes include Badminton, Cardio Kickboxing, Deep-Water Running, Pilates, Indoor Cycling-Spin, TAG (Thighs, Abs, & Glutes), Weight Training, Walk for Fitness, and Yoga.

Students can even join the Foothill Dance Company to take dance classes in different types of genres such as ballet, ballroom & social dance, jazz, modern dance, and movement for actors. Several on-campus learning resources are available such as the Library, Media Center, Travel Careers Computer Lab, Tutorial Center, Writing Center, Middlefield Campus Computer Lab, NASA Ames Internship Program, Golf Instruction Complex, Dental Health Clinic, and Language & Academic Skills Lab.

Student Enrollment Demographics

Student Graduation Demographics

Athletics

The school sponsors both men’s and women’s teams to take part in varsity sports such as basketball, football, golf, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, volleyball, and water polo. The college’s sports teams are nicknamed the Owls. Foothill College is a member of the NorCal Football Conference and Coast Conference of the California Community College Commission on Athletics.

Sports facilities include an Olympic-size swimming pool, softball/soccer field, Robert C. Smithwick theater, football stadium and an all-weather track.

Intramural Sports:

The Intramural Recreation Program offers an excellent opportunity for students to have fun and meet new people while taking part in the recreational activities on the campus. Students can enjoy various activities such as playing arcade games or air hockey, shooting pool, playing checkers or chess, and watching movies on the giant screen TV.

The college also organizes competitive leagues in recreational sports such as flag football, basketball, volleyball, and softball. The Intramural Program also hosts special activities and one day tournaments such as the College Bowl, Foothill Fun Run, and Sports Trivia Tournament. Special trips and outings to places and events like Disneyland and A’s Giants baseball games are also organized by the school.

Traditions

Students, faculty, and staff celebrate the cultural diversity of the campus community throughout the year, observing all heritage month festivities from January through June. Some of the highlights of these traditional celebrations include art exhibits, literature events, guest speakers, panel discussions, live entertainment, theatre performances, film screenings, and hot-topic workshops. These events are organized by students and funded by the student government (ASFC).

Some of the popular heritage months celebrated are Jewish Heritage Month in January; Black History Month in February; Women’s History Month in March; Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Month in April; Latino Heritage Month in May; and Gay/Lesbian Heritage Month in June.

Alumni

Students here have earned reputations in diverse professional fields. Some of the notable alumni of the college are:

Chris Robinson, pop music video director
Steve Sampson, American soccer player
Jon Nakamatsu, Japanese-American pianist
Debbi Fields, founder of Mrs. Fields
Adrienne Barbeau, an actress who appeared in the TV series Maude
Gene Block, Chancellor of the University of California Los Angeles

Additional School Information

The Krause Center for Innovation (KCI) is housed on the campus. Their mission is to design and implement innovative professional development and training, with a focus on technology integration and STEM, to maintain the diverse workforce required in the knowledge economy. The important programs offered by KCI are Making Education Relevant and Interactive, and FAME (Faculty Academy for Mathematics Excellence).

Accreditation

Accreditation is provided by the Accrediting Commission for Community & Junior Colleges of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. This organization is recognized by the Council on Higher Education Accreditation and the U.S. Department of Education. Programs in the school are also accredited by other bodies such as the American Dental Association Commission on Dental Accreditation, American Medical Association Council on Medical Education, American Veterinary Medical Association, and the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs.

Foothill College