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Welcome to OCC
Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, California is a stone's throw away from the beach, and holds the title of being one of the nation's largest community colleges, welcoming over 25,000 students from around the world each term.
The College works to ensure that all students benefit from its range of careers services, which include internship opportunities, help with writing a CV, and interview tips. There is also a virtual career centre for students to access online – useful for those wishing to know what pathway to take, and the steps needed in order to reach their dream job.
There are 135 academic and career programmes at Orange Coast College, in the seven academic areas of Business and Computing, Consumer and Health Sciences, Kinesiology and Athletics, Literature and Languages, Mathematics and Sciences, Social and Behaviour Sciences, Technology and Visual and Performing Arts.
Along with state-of-the-art learning facilities, the institution boasts a number of restaurants and cafes across the campus, including a training restaurant offering students a gourmet dining experience served by their classmates.
The College offers services including healthcare, counselling and support for disabled students. Financial aid is also offered, with a range of scholarships available in all seven of the academic departments.
Costa Mesa is an idyllic place to study. Along with sandy beaches, the city boasts everything from cinemas and theatres, to restaurants and nightclubs. There is also the famous Pacific Amphitheatre, which has hosted the likes of Madonna and Kelly Clarkson.
All students are members of the Associated Students of Orange Coast College, which is led by a student government and representatives. The organisation encourages all students to get involved in its many activities and clubs, which include Film, Architecture and Business, along with plenty of volunteering opportunities.
Orange Coast College is committed to keeping up with the times and being a vibrant, dynamic and constantly evolving centre of living and learning. There’s always some new exciting development at OCC for students to look forward to.
The newly-planned OCC Planetarium is intended to serve as a premiere science centre in Orange County, offering access to state-of-the-art technology that no other local facility has, such as a Foucault pendulum, which demonstrates the rotation of the earth, and an immersion theatre.
The planetarium can be used by professors as a very powerful visualisation tool for many subjects, including marine biology, graphic design, chemistry and much more.
A new food pantry - the Pirates' Cove - was opened on January 22, 2018.
Pirates' Cove offers students more fresh food options and a workspace intended to help them connect with representatives from community programmes.
The Pirates' Cove will be located in the Journalism building, on the northwest side of campus. Plans are on to have the pantry fully operational within the next few months.
There are a whole host of reasons as to why Orange Coast College is a sought-after option for international students from all over the world. Some of them are:
Completion of the lower division courses at Orange Coast College gives students the opportunity to save more than 50 per cent in tuition and fees, prior to transferring to any four-year course at university.
OCC offers short-term English language courses to help international students, especially those whose first language is not English, acquire the required proficiency to undertake further study.
OCC offers a wide range of programmes and services supporting international students, most of which are overseen by the Global Engagement Center.
OCC consistently tops the list of colleges for the number of transfer students to University of California - including UCLA, UC Berkeley, and the California State University. OCC’s international students have also been offered admissions and scholarships to other top universities, including Columbia University, Cornell University, Carnegie Mellon University, Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech), John Hopkins University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), New York University (NYU), University of Toronto, and many more.
OCC’s campus is located in the city of Costa Mesa near the coastline of Orange County (OC), one of the safest and most desirable communities in Southern California. OCC is minutes from the Disneyland Resort, South Coast Plaza, and popular beaches such as Huntington, Newport, and Laguna.
More about reasons to choose OCC...
Academics at Orange Coast College (OCC) is all about encouraging students to recognise and pursue their passion, and inspiring a life-long desire for knowledge. The academic community at OCC is just one of the many ways the college works to contribute to the lives of its students, in addition to society as a whole.
Students of OCC are taught by experienced instructors with varied teaching methods. Credits earned in various lectures and labs are often transferable to other institutions like the Universities of California and California State Colleges and Universities. OCC also offers online classes, honours classes, and more than 50 programmes which lead to certificates of achievement, and the Associate in Arts degree in certain cases.
Programmes span the entire academic spectrum, covering a variety of fields so that students develop positive attitudes while acquiring the required experience and skills in their chosen field to equip themselves for new career opportunities, and professional and personal growth.
The flexible nature of academic divisions at OCC allows not only for a variety of interests to be catered to, but also a variety of lifestyles. For instance, a student at OCC may decide to work towards a certificate of completion and continue his or her higher education at a transfer institution.
OCC offers a wide range of courses through the following Divisions:
OCC is a comprehensive community college offering more than 130 associate degree and certificate programmes covering land, air and sea. The most popular programmes for international students are Architecture, Business Administration, Computer Science, Culinary Arts, Engineering, Fashion, Film, Theatre, and Travel/Tourism. Orange Coast College is home to the largest community college marine science programme in the U.S. and a School of Sailing and Seamanship in Newport Harbour. Orange Coast College's curriculum is also designed for seamless transfer to 4-year universities which includes California State University ADT (Associate Degree for transfer) and University of California TAG (Transfer Admissions Guarantee).
International students at OCC who are non-native speakers of English can attend English classes through the International Education Centre (IEC)’s intensive Academic English programme. IEC’s Intensive English courses are specifically designed for students who plan to transfer to a U.S. college or university. Classes are held in the Fall, Spring and Summer semesters, and are focused on helping students master the academic and English skills necessary to succeed in a U.S. university.
Thanks to IEC@OCC’s close connections with community colleges, students receive a head start when it comes to understanding the often-complicated postsecondary education of the United States. Community college advisors often visit the school and advise students on general education requirements, choosing the right major, and completing online orientations.
Life as a student at IEC@OCC is never boring. IEC encourages student participation in community events outside of the classroom, such as helping the Red Cross, or participating in events like Relay for Life. Additionally, IEC organizes many activities for students to explore what beautiful Orange County has to offer.
Students who have not met the English proficiency requirement to enrol in OCC’s degree programmes, may be granted conditional acceptance by enrolling in IEC@OCC. Students over 18 years of age can apply by submitting an IEC@OCC application and the OCC International Student application. Those who are selected will receive a “Letter of Conditional Admission” and will be fully admitted once proof of English language proficiency is submitted, which can also be met by completing the highest level of English at IEC – Advanced B.
Learn more about IEC’s activities…
International students attending college for the first time must submit copies of their high school or secondary school transcripts. Those who have attended a college or university or ESL programme must submit copies of their academic transcripts from their respective schools.
If the transcripts or academic records are in languages other than English, they must be translated and attested by a certified translation or credential evaluation service.
All international applicants must be able to produce documents to demonstrate their capability to support themselves financially. OCC accepts the following documents:
International students must submit proof of proficiency in English to be eligible for a place at Orange Coast College. The most commonly accepted test scores are:
Other acceptable qualifications include the Pearsons Test for English (PTE), or the completion of GCE O-Level or IGCSE English as a First Language with "C" mark or better.
More about entry requirements...
Student Spotlight
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