Orange Coast College's 164-acre campus is located in Costa Mesa, just minutes from Southern California's beautiful beaches. OCC offers state-of-the-art facilities equipped with the latest technology and is home to the first community college to have on-campus student housing in Southern California with The Harbour. The College offers more than 135 academic and career programs, including one of the nation's largest and most acclaimed public nautical programs, which is located at the College's Waterfront Campus in Newport Beach. Nearly half of the students are enrolled in one of OCC's Career and Technical Education programs, with an average annual enrollment of 23,740 students.
OCC consistently ranks as one of the top colleges in the state – and the top college in Orange County - for the number of students it transfers to the University of California and California State University systems. Additionally, many OCC students go on to transfer to private colleges and universities within California and across the nation.
Part of the Coast Community College District, OCC offers fall, winter, spring, and summer classes and is fully accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.
#1
Community College in OC for Combined UC and CSU Transfers
1st
Community College in SoCal to Offer Student Housing
135+
Academic and Career Programs
28
Associate Degrees for Transfer
Office of the President
Angelica L. Suarez, Ph.D.
Dr. Angelica Loera Suarez began her tenure as the 11th president of Orange Coast College (OCC) in July 2019. Dr. Suarez has been an educational leader for more than 20 years and oversees Orange County's largest community college and a leader in transfer to four-year universities across the state. Before accepting the presidency at OCC, she served as the Vice President for Student Affairs for the Southwestern Community College District (SWCCD). Prior to SWCCD, she served as Academic Dean at Wilbert Wright Community College. Dr. Suarez has held faculty positions in counseling at Wright College and Southwestern College.
Established in 1947
Founded in 1947, with classes beginning in 1948, OCC has grown into one of the nation's largest — and finest — community colleges. Orange Coast College was formed after local voters passed a measure in the January 1947 election to establish a new junior college on a 243-acre site and part of the 1,300-acre deactivated Santa Ana Army Air Base.
Coast Tales and Stories
A retirement gift for founding president Basil H. Peterson, "Tumbleweeds to Roses details the entire Orange Coast College history from inception to 1963.
Our Mission
Orange Coast College serves the educational needs of a diverse local and global community. The College empowers students to achieve their goals by providing high quality, culturally responsive, and innovative programs and services through pathways leading to degrees, transfers, certificates, foundational skills, workforce development, and lifelong learning. The College promotes student development, learning, and equitable outcomes by fostering a respectful, inclusive, caring, and participatory campus climate of student engagement and academic inquiry.
