Three Community Colleges in Portland, Oregon and the Surrounding Area

Portland, Oregon has one major community college with multiple campuses, and there are several more community colleges in the surrounding area. Included in this article are summaries of the programs and prices for local community college education.

School Profile: PCC, or Portland Community College
Website: http://www.pcc.edu

Portland Community College, abbreviated PCC, has a very extensive range of programs to prepare a student for careers and for further degrees.

The school offers Associate of Science, Associate of Applied Science, Associate of General Studies, Associate of Arts with Oregon Transfer, and Associate of Science with Oregon Transfer/Business degrees.

Programs include health professions programs such as nursing and pre-nursing, gerontology, opthalmic medical technology, veterinary technology, medical assisting, health information management, dental assisting and dental hygiene, and more. Portland Community College also has a wide range of general offerings in sciences and math, foreign languages, IT, teaching, psychology and social sciences, music and writing and arts. The school also offers programs suitable for people looking to make their career in electrical trades, building construction technology, auto collision repair, and similar trades, and other career programs, teaching everything from journalism to paralegal studies to interior design. Many continuing education courses geared towards adults already in a career are available as well.

The above is by no means a complete list, and prospective students may want to visit the programs list on the website, which also gives detail on individual programs, here.

Tuition:At the time of this writing, April 2009, tuition is charged at a rate of $70 per credit to residents and $198 per credit to non-residents. PCC accepts students from Oregon and from states bordering Oregon as residents: so students from Washington, California, Idaho and Nevada are also eligible for the lower rate. There are additional small fees per credit for technology and student activities, adding to about $6 per credit, plus fees of $20-30 per course for online courses and lab courses. Financial aid is available through the federal program; students are advised to complete a FAFSA and send it in early.

Locations:
Portland Community College has three major campuses and five additional locations. The Cascade Campus is located at 705 N. Killingsworth St, Portland, OR 97217; the Rock Creek campus is located near Hillsboro, at 17705 NW Springville Rd, Portland, OR 97229; and the Sylvania campus is located near Lake Oswego and Tigard, at 12000 SW 49th Ave, Portland, OR 97219. See their website for a list of extended locations.

School Profile: Mount Hood Community College, or MHCC
Website: http://www.mhcc.edu

Mount Hood Community College boasts many career programs. The school offers degrees and certificates in business management, accounting, various medical and office assistant and billing training, office and retail management, practical nursing, metals and welding, environmental science, computer science, cosmetology and other trades. Compared to the wide-ranging educational base of PCC, the focus is strongly centered on professional certificates and degrees. More information on their programs can be found here.

Tuition: At the time of this writing, tuition to MHCC is $68.60 per credit for residents of Oregon and all bordering states, adding up to $75.10 including fees. For non-resident students, tuition is $209.00 per credit hour, adding up to $215.50 including fees. Financial aid is available through the federal program; students are advised to complete a FAFSA and send it in early. Scholarships are also available to some students.

Locations: Mount Hood Community College has three campuses: the Gresham campus, located at 26000 S.E. Stark St, Gresham, Oregon 97030; the Maywood campus, at 10100 N.E. Prescott, Portland, Oregon 97220; and the Bruning Center for Allied Health Education, at 1484 N.W. Civic Dr, Gresham, Oregon 97030.

School Profile: Clark College
Website: http://www.clark.edu

Clark College is a somewhat smaller school located in Vancouver, WA (Vancouver is a suburb of Portland, across the Columbia River; it's not to be confused with Vancouver, British Columbia, which is in Canada.) It offers programs including: business, accounting, nursing, paralegal, pharmacy technician, construction technology, engineering, library science, meteorology, economics, education, dental hygeine, and academic sciences and arts (chemistry, biology, geology, astronomy, physics; sociology, anthropology, psychology; music, theatre, art) and some certification courses such as CNA and EMT. The website displays a full list of programs.

Tuition: The tuition schedule for Clark College is somewhat more complicated than for the Oregon-located community colleges. In general, it's about $81 a credit for Washington residents and residents of neighboring Oregon counties; people who live in the area but have not lived there long, including refugees, may qualify for a waiver enabling them to pay approximately $96 per unit; veterans qualify for reduced tuition amounting to about $44 per credit, and ineligible non-residents will pay about $253 per credit. Financial aid is available through the federal program; students are advised to complete a FAFSA and send it in early.

Location: Clark College is located at 1933 Fort Vancouver Way, Vancouver, WA, 98663.