The mission of California community colleges is to provide students with the knowledge and background necessary to compete in today’s economy. Our faculty, staff and administrators are working tirelessly to help students and their families get the resources, tools and support they need to get through this crisis.

Community colleges are primarily holding classes online this fall, which means high school students can get a jumpstart on their higher education goals and A-G requirements through our dual enrollment program. Dual enrollment courses are free to most high school students beginning their junior year, although criteria may vary by college. This is an opportunity for students to save time and money on their path to a degree or certificate.

In fact, it’s not too late for high school students to sign-up for dual enrollment courses this fall! There are late start classes available at your local community college and financial aid is offered year-round to help cover tuition, books and supplies. Please encourage your juniors and seniors to enroll today for fall 2020 classes. There’s still time to get some great courses but it’s running out quickly.

Use this helpful locator tool (and share it with your students and their families) to get directly connected to your local community college for more details.

In addition, your local community college offers a variety of other opportunities and support services for students. Here is a link to download our new digital brochure that highlights college programs and provides links to financial aid and enrollment applications.

Download Brochure

We hope you find these resources helpful as you discuss college options with your students. Please feel free to share the information with other counselors, staff and faculty so they can use it in their college discussions, as well.

We know there are also a lot of questions about how California colleges are being impacted due to COVID-19, so we’ve created a website for students and their families to find information, links to apply for financial aid and applications to enroll in a local community college. Please visit the Student Resources area of StayEnrolled.com.

Community colleges offer affordable, wide-ranging degree and certificate programs, career training pathways, guaranteed transfer to four-year universities and year-round financial aid options, which make attending a community college a smart choice in this challenging moment.

We will be back in touch in coming weeks to share important information about the opening date for the 2021-22 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and other timely information.