Welcome
West Los Angeles College is an accredited California Community College offering paths to university transfer, career education and courses for professional and personal growth. It occupies 70 park-like acres overlooking Culver City, Marina Del Rey and Greater West Los Angeles. On a clear day you can see the Pacific Ocean from the highest points on campus,
Over the course of a year, West will serve between 16,000 to 19,000 students between our on-ground, online, and full-time and part-time students. But the college still retains the small, warm college feel as we have no more than about 5,000 students on campus at any one time.
Our Dental Hygiene program is a national model and is one of only two California community college programs authorized to offer a Bachelor's degree. The campus boasts state of the art childcare and learning services to help students succeed in their studies. Our athletic fields have been host to Olympic events (the hammer throw, and track and field event at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games).
All students at West have the opportunity for success. The College awards more than 1,000 degrees and certificates annually in 39 different fields. Each year, West sends more than 300 transfer students to four year colleges and many West Associate degree and Certificate program graduates begin professional employment immediately after graduation in consumer education, engineering and industrial technologies, law and health.
Our students have gone on to the greatest of successes. More than 60% of our Associate Degree graduates each year transfer to four year colleges. Several of our former students are now faculty or staff members at West. Our athletes have gone on to professional sports, including NFL Hall of Fame inductees Warren Moon and Isaac Bruce.
West creates success through its innovative programs. The college offers traditional transfer and associate degrees through its academic programs as well as certificate and special programs. Each semester, the college offers nearly 1,000 classes in 12 different academic disciplines. The College also offers 24 Associate Degrees for Transfer, 41 Associate Degrees, 16 different Certificates of Completion, and 25 different Skill Certificates. Additional programs are available through Westside Extension which offers community classes in fitness, hobbies, personal and professional interests, certifications and classes for children and youth.
West's students reflect the diversity of our service area. We are a Hispanic Serving Institution with 43% of our students identifying as Hispanic, 24% as African American and 33% being Asian, White, multi-ethnic or declined to say. (2017-2018) Approximately 20% of West students are first generation college students. Over 60% are women and just over half of our students are under age 25. About 20% are age 25 to 29.
West is divided into four administrative groups: Academic Affairs, Administrative Services, Student Services and the Office of the President. Each of these groups represents the major operations of the College. The campus is governed through collegiate consultation and shared governance agreements as well as by educational codes and standards. The College is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.
