Los Angeles City College (LACC) Academics and Admissions

Academics

Located in the heart of East Hollywood, Los Angeles City College offers students an exciting, cosmopolitan community college experience.

Like many community colleges LACC is serving a community that is older and more in need of job skills they can quickly acquire to adapt to a swiftly changing labor market. LACC bridges the balance of serving these students and performing the traditional role of a community college by offering a smart selection of career and academic programs.

The college offers associates degrees in 59 majors, including degrees in theatre, nursing, information technology and more. The college also offers a number of career certificates, which allow students to quickly complete courses that make them more employable. This is particularly helpful for workers displaced by layoffs, as it helps them to more quickly re-enter the work force. Some career certificates include health, criminal justice and other programs.

In addition to traditional classroom courses, the college also offers a strong online course program, which allows students to take many courses online from their homes. This is beneficial to working students or students facing long commutes.

Los Angeles City College’s most popular majors include accounting, business, computer science, office administration, and child development. The college also works closely with local high schools to provide afternoon classes through its City Prep Academy.

The college’s cinema and television program is particularly well-regarded. The star power of the program’s alumni, plus the deep connections the faculty hold with the industry make it a great program for anyone considering a career in film or television.

The college recently partnered with investment titan Goldman Sachs in the company’s 10,000 Small Businesses initiative to help spur business development and job creation in the Los Angeles area. This initiative is aimed at helping small business owners obtain further education and business advice to help them help their businesses grow.

The city college is providing business owners with scholarships to fund their participation in the initiative, which will provide them with growth plans tailored to their business, teach them business fundamentals, make use of business advisory services, and more. Economic development is one of the core missions of the college, and the recent recession has proven the need for such programs as workers must be more competitive than ever to survive in today’s workplace.

Los Angeles City College is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. The ACCJC provides accreditation for chools in California, Hawaii, Guam, American Samoa, and for American or international schools in the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of Palau, the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands, the Pacific Basin, and East Asia, and parts of the Pacific and East Asia.

Most Popular Fields of Study

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Information Summary

Ranks 217th in California and 2467th overall. See the entire top 2,000 colleges and universities list
Overall Score (about)	57.3
Total Cost On-Campus Attendance	$3,137
Admission Success rate	N/A
Student Ratio Students-to-Faculty	19 : 1
Retention (full-time / part-time)	64% / 35%
Enrollment Total (all students)	13,909

Admissions

The summer admission deadline for new students is June 9. The fall admission deadline is Aug. 24.

The college has a fairly liberal admissions policy. Practically anyone with a high school diploma is eligible to attend Los Angeles City College. Students with GEDs are also eligible, students with no formal diploma or credential will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. International students must score at least a 450 on the TOEFL examination and provide proof of legal status.

Some programs may have additional admissions requirements. For example, the nursing program requires at least 12 units at LACC or their equivalent with a C-average or better before admission. To find out whether the program you wish to enroll in has special requirements, contact the college’s admissions office. As of April 2011, the collge did not charge an application fee.

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Financial Aid

Students applying to Los Angeles City College are eligible for federal grants and student loans. There are also a number of grants and scholarships offered by the state of California, the university and other organizations that students may be eligible for.

The college operates a FASTWEB database that can help students find scholarships that they may be eligible for. Even students with weak academic records are encouraged to look into scholarship opportunities, as many of the scholarships offered at LACC are related to special status or membership or particpation in certain groups or activities.

The university’s office of financial aid also stands ready to help students find other grants and scholarships they may be eligible for.

Student Financial Aid Details

Ranks 5055th for the average student loan amount.
Secrets to getting the best scholarships and financial aid in California.

Students

Los Angeles City College offers a great learning experience for students, allowing them to meet and attend classes with a diverse group of their peers.

The college is situated in a unique part of Los Angeles, where Korean, Latin American and Armenian neighborhoods meet. Because of this cultural influence, and the cosmopolitan nature of LA, students will likely hear several languages spoken on campus and will likely be able to make friends with folks from many backgrounds.

Of the college’s more than 20,000 students, about 40 percent were Latino, 24 percent were white, 11 percent were African-American, 22 percent were Asian American and the remainder identified as other racial groups.

As mentioned before, students attending the school are likely to hear other languages being spoken. English is the first language of only about half of the students, with many having Spanish, Armenian or Korean as their first language.

Also, females make up the majority of the student body, with males making up a little more than 40 percent of LACC students. In keeping with recent trends in community colleges, the majority of Los Angeles City College students are above the traditional college age, with most being in their mid-20s to early 30s.

A plurality of LACC students take day classes, but a sizable contingent take advantage of the college’s evening class program.

The college recently finished construction on a new student union building. This three-story, 65,000 square foot facility hosts the college bookstore, student computer labs, cafeteria, student life offices and more. Because of the convenient services offered by the facility, it’s become a popular on-campus hangout. Also, the new facility is an LEED gold-certified building, making it a leader in environmental sustainability.

Like most community colleges, LACC does not offer on-campus housing. However, there are a variety of affordable apartments near the college.

The college offers a number of activities for students, covering a diverse range of interests, including a Korean Bible study club, an entertainment intellectual property club, an animal helpers club and more. There are no Greek letter fraternities or sororities at the Los Angeles City College.

Student Enrollment Demographics

Athletics

Hard times have taken their toll on Los Angeles City College’s athletic programs. As of 2009, the college suspended all of its athletic programs except for women’s volleyball. With California’s ongoing budget problems, it is unlikely that this situation will change in the near future.

Prior to the budget cuts the college fielded teams in men’s and women’s basketball, women’s volleyball, badminton, baseball, women’s track and field and women’s cross country.

Before the cuts, the college had a strong men’s basketball program, which led its conference in percentage of wins. Coincidentally, the team had been disbanded before during another time of economic crisis.

Los Angeles City College’s athletic teams are nicknamed the Cubs. Colors are royal blue and gold. Teams play in the South Coastal Conference.

Traditions

Los Angeles City College’s location and longstanding connection to the local entertainment industry has led to great success for students going into television or film. Many of the colleges alumni have gone on to successful careers in the film industry, making the link between Hollywood and LACC a tradition that’s borne fruit for students.

The college itself has actually been used in a number of films, television shows and commercials. The diversity of architecture on campus allows directors to capture a variety of eras at the college, making it an easy place to shoot. Also, the campus’ proximity to the heart of Hollywood also helps it snag film projects. If you attend LACC, chances are that you may end up being an extra in a television show, commercial or film, or even be asked to play a larger role

The college also has a tradition of adapting to the economic needs of the region and helping to provide quality work force development programs that help employers find skilled employees and employees find good paying jobs. Students who attend LACC can be sure that they’ll receive relevant training in an in-demand career field.

Alumni

Los Angles City College has a long list of famous alumni. Some standouts include:

Alan Arkin, actor

Morgan Freeman, actor

Ron Karenga, the founder of Kwanzaa

Lawrence Klein, Nobel prize-winning economist

Gene Roddenberry, television developer

Congresswoman Dianne E. Watson

Dallas Cowboy Don Bishop

Additional School Information

The college was originally a farm owned by a man named Dennis Sullivan. It was the orignal site of the University of California, Los Angeles, but when UCLA moved in 1929, the Los Angeles Board of Education purchased the site, which later became a junior college, opening with 54 teacher and 1,300 students.

Bibliography

Gonsher, Debra A., and Joshua Halberstam. The community college guide: the essential reference from application to graduation. Dallas, Tex.: BenBella Books, 2009. Print.

The Insider’s guide to the colleges Students on Campus Tell You What You Really Want to Know. New York: St. Martin’s Griffin, 1970. Print.

http://www.lacitycollege.edu/index.html

Los Angeles City College