In Ventura, California, a community college was established in the mid-1920s. This college, known as Ventura College, was originally housed in the building formerly occupied by the Ventura Middle School. However, the original building structure was destroyed in a fire in 1950s. The destruction of its building began a series of relocations which resulted in the college eventually purchasing the land for its current location.
| Overall Score (about) | 61.1 |
| Total Cost On-Campus Attendance | $3,179 |
| Admission Success rate | N/A |
| Student Ratio Students-to-Faculty | 25 : 1 |
| Retention (full-time / part-time) | 74% / 42% |
| Enrollment Total (all students) | 13,312 |
Ventura College is a two-year community college that offers associate’s degrees in a wide variety of liberal arts subject areas as well as career certification courses. Students who choose to pursue an associate’s degree can either transfer their associate’s degree to a four-year institute and begin pursuing a bachelor’s degree or enter the workforce directly with only an associate’s degree.
Many students choose to transfer to a four-year educational institution after graduation from Ventura College. This is made simple by the educational structure of Ventura College’s associate’s degree programs. All of the courses offered at Ventura College are easily transferable and are offered at most state schools and private four-year colleges in the United States.
Students who choose not to pursue a bachelor’s degree after graduating from Ventura College will still find themselves well-equipped to enter the competitive job scene. Students at Ventura College learn practical skills and knowledge that help them pursue a specific career. Degrees such as accounting, business management, criminal justice, and health services are all popular associate’s degree choices for Ventura College students.
Many students cannot afford to attend school for two years in order to pursue an associate’s degree. For these students, a career certification program is a viable option. These certification programs can often be completed in as little as two semesters. Students who pursue a career certificate will receive the specific knowledge to perform well in jobs such as automotive maintenance and retail management.
Ventura College has one of the most unique financial assistance programs in the nation. This program is called the Ventura College Promise. The Ventura College Promise is a grant program, and this program is larger than any other grant program in the United States. The Ventura College Foundation provides the funds for this program. Any student who graduates from high school in Ventura County is eligible to receive three complementary semesters at Ventura College. Provided that they begin attending Ventura College during the semester immediately succeeding their high school graduation, students can attend Ventura at no charge with no limit on the number of credit hours in which a student is enrolled.
Furthermore, the student cannot be deprived of this grant once it is awarded regardless of academic performance or grade point average. The grant is typically awarded to students with a total family income of less than ninety thousand dollars; however, all students in the Ventura School District are encouraged to apply for this incredible grant.
The vast majority of students who attend Ventura College have graduated from a local Ventura School District high school or are otherwise residents of the local area. Students in the Ventura School District can receive information about applying to Ventura College in their high school Guidance Office or Advancement Office.
Students can fill out applications in one of several ways. Many of the high schools in the Ventura School District have applications to Ventura College that can be filled out and sent in from the high school. High schools also have information about Ventura College’s Promise grant program. Students are encouraged to apply for this program immediately after they are accepted to Ventura College.
Students may also choose to apply online at Ventura College’s official website. Students who apply online are generally not required to pay a processing fee. Those who choose to mail their applications in or fax them to the Office of Admissions may be required to pay a fee. Students must provide either an official high school transcript or an equivalency test such as the GED. In some cases, students may not be required to graduate from high school to be admitted to Ventura College. These cases, however, are the exception.
Because most of the student body at Ventura College consists of residents of Ventura County, the student atmosphere on campus is very congenial and familiar. Students often know their fellow classmates from high school or previous encounters throughout the community. As such, student involvement in on campus activities is very popular and very common.
Students are encouraged to get involved with on campus clubs and organizations. Student government and student publications are two of the most popular types of student involvement at Ventura College. Academic organizations such as study groups, science clubs, academic advancement or honors clubs, and debate teams are also very popular at Ventura College. There are also several ethnic clubs on campus that represent the large ethnic diversity of Ventura College.
Social activism groups have gained recent popularity on campus. The Planet Preservation club is an ecological and environmental movement that is gaining increased representation by Ventura College students. This organization calls for the abolition of fossil fuel consumption as well as many other “green” agendas that are dedicated to preserving the natural ecosystems of this planet. Other social interest and social activist groups are also gaining popularity. Students at Ventura College often band together to raise awareness for current issues facing the college or the community. The American Red Cross also hosts several blood drives on the campus for students and faculty to donate blood to needy Americans.
The Ventura College Pirates are the varsity team members that compete at Ventura College. Ventura College has participated in varsity sports events in the Southern California Community College Athletics conference since its inception. On average, five hundred student athletes compete on varsity Ventura College teams each year.
Notable accomplishments of the Ventura College Pirates are the state championships one over the past several decades for both men’s and women’s basketball teams. In fact, all of the sports teams have won conference championships at some point in the school’s history. The men’s tennis and the men’s diving teams both won championship awards in the year 2010.
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