Orange Coast College: Fees, Reviews, Rankings, Courses & Contact info

Overview
Finances
Eligibility
Department and Faculty
Campus and facilities

Overview

About Orange Coast College

Orange Coast College (OCC) is one of the United States鈥� leading transfer schools, providing thousands of international students with the opportunity to progress onto studies at their ideal university or private college 鈥� both in California, and across the country.

The college is notable for the exceptional quality of its facilities and the modern technology that students can benefit from during their studies. Students can choose from more than 135 programs, including academic and career-focused study options. Combined with affordable tuition rates, great links to transfer institutions and dedicated English language programs, it鈥檚 no surprise why many international students choose Orange Coast for their overseas studies.

Based in the city of Costa Mesa, studying at OCC offers all the best parts of living in Southern California. Just minutes away from a host of stunning beaches, as well as Disneyland Resort, students have all kinds of fantastic activities on their doorstep inbetween their studies.

More than 1,300 international students call Orange Coast College home, and together prepare for their future success while enjoying excellent value for money.

OCC is a leading educational institution in many ways, including:

Being the first community college in the U.S. to win four National Championships in Speech and Debate in a row
Being the first community college to qualify for the ESPN eSports National Collegiate Championship finals
Being the only community college in California boasting a School of Sailing and Seamanship
Maintaining the oldest collegiate recycling centre in the country, which is the only such facility in the world to have a triple gold certification

What's new

New chemistry building at Orange Coast College

Construction is underway on a contemporary new chemistry building on the OCC campus, allowing new students and staff alike to prepare for an exciting future at the college.

The two-story building will offer over 43,000 square feet of study, laboratory and classroom space. With nine laboratories in total, fit for larger group sizes, as well as well-equipped individual workstations, it offers a gold standard in training and teaching potential.

The building will also be home to various meeting spaces, faculty offices and lecture halls, so students can attend class, work in the lab and interact with their tutors all in one place.

With a 60% larger laboratory capacity than its predecessor when complete, it represents an expansion of the college鈥檚 success in preparing students for success at the college itself, as well as in various transfer degrees across the country.

Finances

How much will it cost?

Average tuition fees per year

US$12,936 Undergraduate Fees are for indicative purposes, for details

Living costs

US$20,334 Living costs

US$9,804 To live on campus

Scholarships & funding

Orange Coast College places a high priority on offering excellent financial assistance to its students, helping to ensure that they can meet their potential and get the most out of their studies. In fact, the college awarded over USD 600,000 in scholarships to its students in 2019 alone.

Students can browse the full range of scholarship opportunities on the college鈥檚 website.

The college works to provide scholarships to students across all disciplines and subjects 鈥� note, however, that scholarships are for current students only. Applicants should also be aware of the deadline for any scholarship they are interested in, and make sure they comply with the eligibility criteria of that award.

Any continuing students should ensure that, before they apply, they:

Are returning their studies after the end of the current academic year
Have completed at least 12 units of study with letter grades at the college by the end of the current academic year
Hold a cumulative GPA with a minimum of 3.0 (some scholarships may have higher GPA requirements)
Have completed at least 6 units of study in the most recent semester, with a minimum GPA semester GPA of 3.0

Any transfer students should ensure that, before they apply, they:

Are transferring to a four-year university or college at the end of the academic year, or to a course not offered by OCC resulting in a degree or certificate.
Have completed at least 42 units of study by the end of the last academic year, with 24 or more of those having been completed at OCC
Hold a cumulative GPA with a minimum of 3.5 (some scholarships may have higher GPA requirements)
Have completed at least 6 units of study in the most recent semester, with a minimum GPA semester GPA of 3.5
Have not applied for OCC scholarships as a transfer student in the past

Eligibility

Entry requirements

Prospective students will need to meet the entry requirements for their chosen course before they can enrol at Orange Coast College.

Academic requirements

Applicants will need to submit their academic transcripts in order to provide evidence of:

English proficiency
Their completion of high school (if entering the college while under 18 years of age)

Students can submit their academic transcripts during the admissions application process. Relevant transcripts may include ones from college or university, high school or secondary school transcripts, or transcripts from an ESL program.

English language requirements

Applicants will need to meet a minimum proficiency in the English language, if they are not native speakers, before they can enrol on an academic course at OCC.

If an applicant does not yet meet the minimum English language proficiency level for their desired course, the college also offers intensive English language programs via the OCC International Education Centre. Completing an intensive English program provides students with a TOEFL waiver that will make them eligible to apply for further academic study at the college.

English language proficiency test results that Orange Coast College accepts, dated within the last two years, are as follows:

Duolingo Test for English - 90

TOEFL - Internet-Based 61 or Paper Based 500 (TOEFL code: 4584)

IELTS - 5.5

Eiken - 2A (if the score is a 2, a minimum raw score of 2150)

iTEP - 3.5

PTE (Pearsons Test for English) Academic - 45

Michigan English Test (MET) - B2

Cambridge English Language Assessment - B2

GTEC CBT 鈥� 1051

It鈥檚 also possible to submit standardized admissions tests as evidence of English language proficiency. They include:

SAT - 480 Evidence-based Reading and Writing

ACT - 18 Writing

Department and Faculty

Teaching quality

Orange Coast College achieves academic excellence by bringing together all the essential ingredients: university level teaching and qualified academics, robust and wide-ranging student support, relevant academic services and research opportunities, and a curriculum specifically designed to support successful transition into a bachelor鈥檚 degree course at a chosen university.

Classes are on offer across a variety of subjects, with many delivered by researchers, industry professionals and successful professors at four-year universities. Students will be able to learn and train at the cutting edge of their field, and benefit from personalised interactions with teaching staff.

Students can enjoy a range of teaching methods to suit their learning style and objectives, and many of the classes and laboratory activities are directly transferable to universities like California State University and the Universities of California.

Orange Coast College succeeds by focusing on helping students achieve their career objectives and life goals by contributing to their growth academically and personally, and by instilling a lifetime thirst for knowledge.

Department structure

Students at Orange Coast College are able to select from over 130 courses. These lead to a variety of certificates and associate degrees, and most importantly, successful transfer to four-year universities.

The college encourages students to explore their interests and move towards their career goals with a huge range of programs in areas including, but not limited to:

Orange Coast College offers its study options through a number of academic divisions, which are as follows:

Campus and facilities

Facilities

Orange Coast College鈥檚 campus is spread over 164 acres in Costa Mesa, located just a short distance from the beautiful beaches of Southern California. The college offers students access to contemporary facilities and cutting edge-technology, allowing students to train at the forefront of their field and prepare for successful study in a range of prestigious four-year universities.

As well as discipline specific buildings, equipped with exceptional lecture halls, laboratories and study spaces, there is a range of facilities that all OCC students will be able to benefit from.

In the Computing Center, OCC students can access computers, printing services, wireless networking, and other digital resources and tools, including PCs, scanners, printers and copiers, textbooks and more.

Orange Coast prides itself on the quality of its sporting facilities, and has recently concluded a round of significant refurbishments to bring an even higher standard of college level sports to students. Improvements include a brand new 49,000 square foot fitness complex, in addition to a contemporary aquatics pavilion, new tennis courts, and enhanced gym facilities.

Orange Coast College is also the only community college in the Southern California region which offers students housing on campus, with over 800 beds available in furnished apartments. There is also a wide range of off-campus housing options available through partner providers.