Attending a community college is an excellent way for students to continue their education and either obtain an Associate’s degree or attend approximately 2 years and transfer to a college or university.  Community colleges also offer many certificate programs that train students for different jobs/trades.  There are 116 Community Colleges in California.  The only requirement to attend is to be 18 years old or have a high school diploma.  A majority of the students at Inderkum that choose to attend Community College after high school attend one of four local colleges under the Los Rios Community College District.  California residents who complete the FAFSA and enroll in 12 units for Fall and Spring semesters qualify for FREE TUITION  under the Los Rios Promise Program.  

The CSU system consists of 23 campuses throughout the state. To be eligible for CSUs you must complete "a-g" courses and meet CSU eligibility requirements with a minimum College Weighted GPA of a 2.5.  At a CSU, you can earn a bachelor's degree in a wide variety of majors.  CSU's also offer master's degrees and some doctoral degrees. Campuses range in size from just under 1,000 to 40,000 students. 

The UC system consists of 9 campuses throughout the state. To be eligible for CSUs you must complete "a-g" courses and meet UC eligibility requirements with a minimum College Weighted GPA of a 3.0.  At a UC, you can earn a bachelor's, master's and doctoral degree in a wide variety of majors.  Campuses range in size from 20,000 to 30,000 students.  UC Merced is the newest UC Campus.   

Private colleges and universities are all over the country.  They are generally more expensive than the public school systems, but can offer financial aid (institutional grants and scholarships).  They also have their own independent admissions requirements that may differ from CSUs and UCs.  You can use the Common Application to apply to multiple institutions with a single application.  Currently, more than 700 colleges and universities accept the Common App.  Check out the list of campuses on The Common App.  To explore private colleges and universities in California, visit Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities. 

The Higher Education Act of 1965 defines an HBCU as: “…any historically black college or university that was established prior to 1964, whose principal mission was, and is, the education of black Americans, and that is accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency...”  HBCUs offer all students, regardless of race, an opportunity to develop their skills and talents. These institutions train young people who go on to serve domestically and internationally in the professions as entrepreneurs and in the public and private sectors. Click on the image to the right for the Common Black Application to the 65 HBCUs.