Education: Best OC College/University

1. UC Irvine

Irvine; 949-824-5011; uci.edu

Orange County’s only University of California system campus, UC Irvine enrolls more than 37,000 students and had more than 133,000 applicants for the fall 2021 term.

Applications to UCI have increased by approximately 60% over the last seven years, and the school remains the top choice for in-state, firstgeneration college students. Additionally, the campus has been federally designated as a Hispanic-serving institution, as well as an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-serving institution.

UCI is expanding its presence with the building of a 144-bed hospital on its North Campus at Jamboree Road and Birch Street, an addition that will be home to an emergency department and clinical programs including oncology, neurology, orthopedics and digestive health.

The January 2021 announcement comes alongside plans already in motion for the UCI Health Center for Advanced Care at that location. The new UCI Medical Center IrvineNewport campus will also house the Center for Children’s Health, research and clinical trials, urgent care and specialty disciplines.

Across campus, the University of California, Irvine Susan & Henry Samueli College of Health Sciences (on the corner of Bison and California avenues) will feature new buildings for the Susan Samueli Integrative Health Institute and the Sue & Bill Gross School of Nursing. This area will be complemented with the addition of a 150-seat auditorium, a Zen Garden and a wellness walk.

JEFF GRITCHEN, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Students return to campus after a few weeks of online learning due to a COVID-19 surge at UCI in Irvine on January 31.

— Jenelyn Russo

2. Chapman University

One University Drive, Orange; 714-997-6815; chapman.edu

Located in historic Old Towne Orange, Chapman University is home to 10,000 students as well as some of the country’s top programs, including the Dodge College of Film and Media Arts and the Fowler School of Law.

This last application cycle yielded more than 14,000 applicants, the second highest in the school’s history, with approximately 19% of admitted students being first-generation college attendees and 40% identifying as persons of color. Additionally, Chapman has admitted students from all 50 states with over 100 countries represented and more than 750 students with dual citizenship.

In its third year, the university’s Fowler School of Engineering continues to see growth annually, with the application rate up 9 percent this year alone. Last fall, the Keck Center’s Swanson Family Hall of Engineering opened, a 31,000-square foot build-out that houses cutting edge technology learning spaces such as a Signals and Cyber Lab and a Circuits and Structures Lab.

The only community college on the list, Orange Coast College sees about 22,000 students enroll each semester in more than 135 academic and career programs, including a highly acclaimed public nautical program.

OCC holds the top spot in Orange County for the number of students it transfers to the University of California and California State University systems and was the first community college in Southern California to offer student housing.

With funding provided by Measure M, OCC has been active in upgrading or replacing many of the campus’ aging buildings. At the start of the 2021 fall semester, a new 107,000-square foot Language Arts and Social Sciences Building opened, housing indoor labs for psychology, economics, English, world languages and communications.

Additionally, students now have a new place to meet, study and socialize on campus in OCC’s new 41,000-square foot student union, which is home to Associated Students, as well as scholarship and outreach programs.

3. Orange Coast College

2701 Fairview Road, Costa Mesa; 714-432-5772; orangecoastcollege.edu