OVERVIEW

Austin Community College is a regional community college in the United States. It is one of the fastest-growing community colleges in the country, and also the second largest higher learning institution in Central Texas as well. It has now an enrollment of 45,100 credit students, 15,000 non-credit students, and about 4,500 faculty and staff.

The college was founded in 1973 in the city of Austin, Texas with 177 faculty and staff and 1,726 students. Till now, it has eight campuses and twelve centers in and around Austin in the state of Texas, serving as a primary gateway to higher education and training for residents in eight Central Texas counties.

Austin Community College offers degrees in certificate and associates programs. Its service area covers 7,000 square miles, which include Travis, Caldwell, Blanco, Hays, Bastrop, Gillespie counties and a portion of Gonzales County.

The mission of Austin Community College is:

The ACC District promotes student success and improves communities by providing affordable access to higher education and workforce training in its eight-county service area. Community colleges have a diverse, four-part mission: general education and academic transfer, workforce education, foundation programs to get students college-ready, and lifelong learning (Continuing Education).

ACCREDITATION

The college is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award certificates and associate degrees.

ACADEMICS

The college offers 10 programs as options for its students:

1. Associate Degrees & Certificates
2. Transfer Planning
3. High School & Pre-College Programs
4. Special Programs/Enriched Learning
5. International Studies
6. Development Education
7. ESOL/ESL
8. Continuing Education
9. Adult Education
10. Teaching Career Education

Austin Community College has its Master Plan, which is its long-term strategy to expand programs and services to meet dramatic enrollment increases mandated by the state’s Closing the Gaps initiative. It includes the development of campus-level plans, the construction and expansion of new campuses, the growth of existing facilities, etc.

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

The application is required to be done online, with a rolling deadline for both freshmen and transfer students. The college is not so selective, but high school transcripts are required for admission.

COSTS AND FINANCIAL AID

The tuition and fees vary between credit classes and Continuing Education classes. For full-time students, the tuition is USD 1635 for area residents, USD 5895 for state residents, and USD 9015 for nonresidents.

Various financial aids, including grants, scholarships, loans and work study are available for full-time students at Austin Community College. In the 2011-2012 academic year, the average need-based gift aid is USD 2851, and the need-based loan is UAD 1787 on average.