OVERVIEW

Santa Monica College is a two-year junior community college in the United States. With more than 30,000 students, it is ranked No 1 among all the junior colleges in California, with transfer courses offered in fields such as business administration, health services, fine arts, computer science, engineering, and liberal arts.

The college was established in 1929 as Santa Monica Junior College, a two-year community college, Santa Monica College has been the leader of all 110 community colleges in the US in transferring students to the University of California, such as UCLA, Loyola Marymount University, and University of Southern California. The campus is located in Santa Monica, California.

The college offers career certificates, and associate degrees in over 90 areas of study. It has the largest international student population among all the junior colleges in US, with about 3,000 international students from over 100 countries.

The mission of Santa Monica College is:

Santa Monica College provides a safe and inclusive learning environment that encourages personal and intellectual exploration, and challenges and supports students in achieving their educational goals. Students learn to contribute to the global community as they develop an understanding of their relationship to diverse social, cultural, political, economic, technological, and natural environments. The College recognizes the critical importance of each individual’s contribution to the achievement of this mission. Santa Monica College provides open and affordable access to high quality associate degree and certificate of achievement programs and participates in partnerships with other colleges and universities to facilitate access to baccalaureate and higher degrees. The College’s programs and services assist students in the development of skills needed to succeed in college, prepare students for careers and transfer, and nurture a lifetime commitment to learning.

ACCREDITATION

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

ACADEMICS

The college comprises 26 academic departments, from computer science and information systems, to earth science, and theatre arts.

Santa Monica College ranks first among all the junior colleges in California in transferring students to universities including the University of California, University of Southern California, Loyola Marymount University, and so on.

The college is also the home of KCRW, a leading public radio station with about 450,000 listeners in the Los Angeles and Orange County area. KCRW is the broadcast home of Harry Shearer’s Le Show and Morning Becomes Eclectic.

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Santa Monica admits applicants with various backgrounds and prospects, including high school students to continue their education, international students to begin their education in the US, or returning students to pick up their study. For the applicants, high school transcripts are required.

COSTS AND FINANCIAL AID

For full-time students, the tuition and fees vary according to different course load. The tuition is USD 6,660 for nonresident full-time students. And the required fees is USD 780 for full-time students, USD 26 per unit for part-time students.

Various need-based financial aids are offered at Santa Monica, including grants, loans and work study. To Apply for financial aids, students need to complete and send the FAFSA, and submit official academic transcripts to the Financial Aid Office.