Welcome to Pasadena City College, home of the Lancers!

Dear Future Lancer:

Welcome to Pasadena City College! I am delighted that you have stopped by to learn more about our institution. Countless numbers of students have come before you, and whether you just graduated high school or you haven’t set foot in a classroom in years, we know you’re going to like what you see.

PCC is unlike any other community college. Our campus and buildings are often compared to those of four-year universities, and our faculty are of the same caliber as those at some of our country’s finest institutions. But with the open access and mix of courses found throughout the California community college system, PCC is truly a unique space.

We have more than 100 years of history, but our story is just getting started. We are consistently ranked at the top of the nation’s community colleges – in fact, we’ve been named one of the top ten community colleges in the U.S. for six years in a row. For decades, students have come to our college to launch themselves into the four-year college or university of their choosing, and our Pathways, Honors, and transfer offices are just three programs that make these individual achievements possible on a grand scale.

What’s more, our career technical education programs help people find high-paying jobs right here in our community, and our noncredit programs are designed to give folks free access to the incomparable value of an education. We really have something for everyone!

Students here walk the same halls as some of the most distinguished people in our society. Jackie Robinson (Class of 1939) broke Major League Baseball’s color barrier, and Octavia Butler (Class of 1968) redefined science fiction from a Black/African American perspective. Esther Nishio (Honorary Class of 2008) was the first Japanese student to come back to college following her internment during World War II, and Jaime Escalante (Class of 1971) taught Latinx students in Los Angeles how to love mathematics. Their stories inspire future graduates to follow in their footsteps.

I hope you enjoy reading this catalogue as much as we enjoyed putting it together. You can also visit our website, www.pasadena.edu, to seek out even more information about our programs and services.

Thank you again for getting to know us. Please know that my door is always open, and I look forward to learning about your story and your hopes and dreams for your future. Your success is our success, and I can’t wait to see what shape that takes.

Onward Lancers!

Sincerely,

Erika Endrijonas, Ph.D.
Superintendent/President