| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Type | Public two-year community college in the California Community Colleges system; campus-based, with online, hybrid and correspondence courses |
| Campuses | 1, in Susanville, California |
| Credentials | Associate degrees (career and transfer) and certificates: Certificates of Achievement, Certificates of Accomplishment and noncredit Certificates of Completion |
| Accreditation | ACCJC, no current sanction; focused site visit set for March 2027 |
| Federal aid | Yes (FAFSA and Cal Grant) |
| 2026-27 cost | $46 per unit for California residents; $69 under WUE; $438 for nonresidents taking more than 6 units |
| Students | 2,038 in 2024-25, 484 of them full-time (IPEDS) |
| Founded | 1925; current campus opened in 1971 |
| Facts checked | October 2026 |
Lassen Community College: a small public college in Susanville
Lassen Community College is the only college of the Lassen Community College District and one of the 116 public colleges in the California Community Colleges system. Classes began on 4 May 1925 as the junior-college department of Lassen Union High School District; the district was formed in March 1965, and the current campus on Highway 139 in Susanville opened in September 1971.
The college enrolled 2,038 students in 2024-25, 484 of them full-time, according to federal IPEDS data. Its published licensing results come from nursing: every first-time NCLEX-PN tester from the one-year vocational nursing program passed in 2023, 2024 and 2025, though classes were small (5 to 9 testers), and a registered nursing degree took its first students in January 2024.
Career programs at Lassen
The college’s programs page lists 23 career-technical associate degrees, 16 Associate Degrees for Transfer, 19 career Certificates of Achievement and 11 Certificates of Accomplishment. The table shows the programs that lead to a job or licence exam.
| Program | Credential | Length / starts | Delivery | Prepares for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vocational Nursing | Certificate of Achievement (64 units, including 20 prerequisite units) or A.S. (73 units) | One year, August to late July; applications 1 April to 1 May | In person | NCLEX-PN (LVN licence) |
| Registered Nursing | A.S. in Registered Nursing; A.S. RN Advanced Placement for licensed LVNs | Generic route applications in odd years (1 August to 1 September; first class started January 2024); Advanced Placement applications in even years (1 February to 1 March) | In person | NCLEX-RN |
| Welding Technology | Certificate of Accomplishment (12 units); Certificates of Achievement (23 and 44 units); A.S. (60 units) | A.S. within two years, per the college | In person | AWS plate and pipe qualifications |
| Automotive Technology | Noncredit Certificate of Completion (102 hours); Certificates of Accomplishment (12 units each); Certificates of Achievement (17 and 23 units); A.S. (60 units) | A.S. within two years, per the college | In person | Mechanic, parts, service-writer and fleet-repair jobs (college’s list) |
| Fire Technology | Certificates of Achievement: Basic Wildland Firefighter (19.5 units), Fire Technology (30 units), Cal Fire Academy; A.S. | – | In person | Wildland and CAL FIRE academy coursework |
| Computer Information Systems | Certificate of Achievement, Computer Support Specialist (16 units); A.S. (60 units); noncredit IT Support Professional (150 hours) | – | Fully online | CompTIA A+ and Security+ |
| Administration of Justice | Certificates of Achievement: Administration of Justice (27 units), Law Enforcement (21.5), Corrections (16.5); A.A.; A.S.-T | – | Classroom, online or hybrid | PC 832 arrest and firearms courses; correctional officer core courses |
| Medical Assisting | Certificate of Achievement; Clinical and Administrative Certificates of Accomplishment | – | Susanville campus | No certification exam named |
Business Administration 2.0 is a transfer degree for students moving on to a university; the only job-focused business award is a 15-unit Small Business Management certificate. Allied Health is also a transfer and prerequisite pathway, not a job credential.
What the main programs cover
Vocational Nursing
The Vocational Nursing program runs for one year, starting each August and ending in late July, in a lecture and lab format. Students apply between 1 April and 1 May after finishing prerequisites that include English 1, Math 60, anatomy and physiology, nutrition, medical terminology, psychology and American Heart Association CPR. Those 20 prerequisite units and 44 core units make up the 64-unit Certificate of Achievement; the 73-unit A.S. adds the rest of a degree. The program is approved by the state’s Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians, and graduates sit the NCLEX-PN.
Registered Nursing
The registered nursing program is approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing and admitted its first cohort on 16 January 2024; the college expects about 30 students to earn the degree every two years. Generic applicants apply between 1 August and 1 September in odd-numbered years and need a TEAS composite score of at least 62%, a 2.5 GPA and prerequisites in microbiology, anatomy, physiology, English and statistics. California-licensed LVNs with IV certification can apply to the Advanced Placement route between 1 February and 1 March in even-numbered years.
Welding Technology
Welding Technology is built around American Welding Society qualifications in plate and pipe welding, and the course outcomes refer to AWS D1.1. Students can stop after the 12-unit Certificate of Accomplishment, take the one-year or two-year Certificate of Achievement, or finish the 60-unit A.S., which the college says can be completed within two years. The program page says work-experience internships may be available. It lists no programmatic accreditation.
Automotive Technology
The 60-unit Automotive Technology A.S. combines 39 units of core automotive courses, 3 elective units and 18 units of general education. Shorter options are Certificates of Achievement in Engine Repair and Advanced Mechanics, Certificates of Accomplishment in Basic Mechanics and Electrical, and a noncredit Certificate of Completion in Automotive Chassis and Maintenance made of two courses, AT-150 and AT-151. The college names mechanic, parts, service-writer, service-manager and fleet-repair jobs as goals and says the program is ASE Education Foundation accredited; it does not name the ASE exams covered.
Fire Technology
Fire Technology leans toward wildland and CAL FIRE work. Courses include Basic Firefighter Training (FS 61), a Volunteer Firefighter Academy (FS 98.21) and the CAL FIRE academy modules 1A Structural (6 units), 1B Hazardous Materials/WMD (1 unit) and 1C Wildland (3 units). Emergency medical responder (EMT-21) and EMT Basic (EMT-60, 8.5 units) courses count as electives, but there is no EMT award. The program page does not say which state fire certifications the courses lead to.
Computer Information Systems
All Computer Information Systems classes are taught online. The Computer Support Specialist Certificate of Achievement is five courses, CIS-50, 60, 70, 80 and 90, and prepares students for the CompTIA A+ and Security+ exams, with help-desk and IT support jobs as the goal. The A.S. in CIS has 25 core units within its 60. A separate noncredit IT Support Professional Certificate of Completion takes 150 hours and comes with a Google-recognized Credly badge.
2026-27 fees and how students pay
California sets the enrollment fee for all its community colleges, and Lassen’s Board of Trustees sets nonresident tuition. The rates below run from Fall 2026 to Summer 2027, per the college’s tuition and fees page.
| 2026-27, per unit | Rate | Who it applies to |
|---|---|---|
| California resident enrollment fee | $46 | California residents |
| Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) | $69 | Residents of WICHE states in associate-degree programs taking 12 or more units, by application |
| Nonresident, more than 6 units | $438 | Includes the $46 enrollment fee |
| Nonresident, 1 to 6 units | $242 | Includes the $46 enrollment fee |
On top of these, a mandatory health fee of $1.25 per unit, up to $15 a semester, applies; the $3 student activity fee and $2 student representation fee are optional, and some courses carry materials fees. A California resident taking 15 units pays $690 in enrollment fees plus the $15 health fee each semester.
The WUE rate is for students in associate-degree programs, including transfer degrees, not certificates. Students need 12 months’ residency in a WICHE state, must take 12 or more units each fall and spring, keep a 2.0 GPA and complete 67% of their units, and can hold the rate for at most two academic years; dropping below 12 units loses it for good. The college’s WUE page says the 2026-27 application closed on 15 June 2026.
The college takes federal student aid and Cal Grants, and eligible California residents can have the enrollment fee waived through the California College Promise Grant. Niche puts the average net price at $12,406 a year. For nursing, the Board of Registered Nursing’s list of approved schools (July 2026) gives the RN program’s total cost as $5,899.
Open admission, with selective nursing programs
Lassen has open admission, but its two nursing programs have their own application windows and requirements: Vocational Nursing takes applications every year from 1 April to 1 May, the generic RN route every other year (odd years, 1 August to 1 September) with a TEAS score of at least 62% and a 2.5 GPA, and the RN Advanced Placement route in even years for licensed LVNs.
The college runs on semesters (fall, spring and summer) and offers late-start classes. Courses are taught in person, online, hybrid and by correspondence; Computer Information Systems is fully online and Administration of Justice can be taken in a classroom, online or hybrid.
Accreditation and results
Lassen is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) and is under no current sanction. The commission placed the college on Warning in June 2020 and continued the Warning in January 2022, then reaffirmed its accreditation in January 2023 after finding it had corrected the deficiencies, according to the ACCJC action letters. The commission accepted its Midterm Report in June 2024. The college submitted its next self-evaluation report in summer 2026, and a focused site visit is set for March 2027.
| Measure | Result | Period and source |
|---|---|---|
| Vocational Nursing, first-time NCLEX-PN pass rate | 100% in 2023 (9 testers), 2024 (9) and 2025 (5); 90% in 2022 (10) | Calendar years, Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians table updated 13 February 2026 |
| Registered Nursing, first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate | None published yet | First class started January 2024; Lassen is not yet on the Board of Registered Nursing’s pass-rate table (latest year 2024-25) |
| Completion rate (degree, certificate or transfer-prepared within 3 years) | 31.25% | First-time, full-time students who started in fall 2021, Student Right-to-Know 2025 posting |
| Transfer rate (transferred before completing) | 14.29% | Same cohort and source |
The 2023-2025 vocational nursing results rest on very small classes of 5 to 9 testers a year. We found no job-placement rates on the program pages we checked.
Before you enroll
- The registered nursing program is new: its first class started in January 2024, and no NCLEX-RN pass rate has been published yet. Generic applicants can apply only in odd-numbered years.
- Gunsmithing is no longer offered to new students: the Board of Trustees voted 6-1 in November 2025 to discontinue it, as the Sierra Daily News reported.
- Administration of Justice is not a police academy. It offers the PC 832 arrest and firearms courses and correctional officer, juvenile corrections and probation officer core courses, but we found no POST Basic police academy.
- The $69 WUE rate is only for associate-degree students taking 12 or more units, is awarded by application on a first-come basis, and is lost for good if a student drops below 12 units.
- Fire Technology’s courses focus on wildland and CAL FIRE training. Ask the college which state fire certifications they lead to, because the program page does not say.
One campus in Susanville
All programs are taught at the Highway 139 campus, 478-200 Hwy 139, Susanville, CA 96130, or online. Through its Rising Scholars program the college also teaches incarcerated students, mostly by mailed correspondence packets, but those sites are not campuses.
Residence hall and work experience
Lassen has an on-campus residence hall with two-, three- and four-person rooms; four-student suites share a bathroom, and residents share a community kitchen. The automotive, welding, fire and health occupations pages say work-experience internships may be available, and the nursing programs include clinical rotations.
What students say
On Niche, Lassen Community College is rated 3.76 out of 5 from 99 reviews, with an overall grade of C+ (checked October 2026). Reviewers praise supportive, friendly staff and counselors, helpful faculty and small classes, and a well-equipped Learning Center on a quiet, scenic campus. Complaints include required classes that clash or are not offered every semester, online courses with little interaction, and a wish for more specialized programs such as radiology or veterinary training. The reviews cover the whole college, and we could not tell whether they were invited by the school or posted in bursts.
Facts checked October 2026.
Programs & Courses
Nursing and Health
- Vocational Nursing (A.S. or Certificate of Achievement, LVN)
- Registered Nursing (A.S., RN)
- Registered Nursing Advanced Placement (A.S., LVN to RN)
- Medical Assisting (Certificate of Achievement; Clinical and Administrative Certificates of Accomplishment)
- Allied Health (A.A. University Studies emphasis, transfer)
Skilled Trades
- Welding Technology (A.S. and certificates)
- Automotive Technology (A.S. and certificates)
Public Safety
- Fire Technology (A.S.; Fire Technology, Basic Wildland Firefighter and Cal Fire Academy certificates)
- Administration of Justice (A.A., A.S.-T; Law Enforcement and Corrections certificates)
Business and Computing
- Computer Information Systems (A.S.; Computer Support Specialist certificate), online
- Business Administration 2.0 (A.S.-T, transfer)
- Small Business Management (Certificate of Achievement)
Other Programs
- Social Work and Human Services
- Agriculture
- Child Development
- Forestry
- Geographic Information Systems
Campus Locations
Susanville 478-200 Hwy 139, Susanville, CA 96130