| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Type | Public two-year college, the only college of the Long Beach Community College District (California Community Colleges); classes in person, online and hybrid |
| Locations | Two campuses in Long Beach, CA: the Liberal Arts Campus and the Trades, Technology, and Community Learning Campus (formerly Pacific Coast Campus) |
| Credentials | Associate degrees (AS, AA) and transfer degrees (AS-T, AA-T), Certificates of Achievement, shorter Certificates of Accomplishment and noncredit certificates of completion |
| Typical length | One-semester certificates (EMT) to two-year associate degrees; vocational nursing takes three semesters and radiologic technology five |
| Enrollment | 24,425 students in fall 2023 (IPEDS), 61% part-time |
| Accreditation | ACCJC; reaffirmed for seven years in 2022, next full review 2028-29 |
| Federal aid | Yes (OPEID 00121900) |
| 2026-27 fees | $46 per unit for California residents; $432 per unit for out-of-state students |
| Founded | 1927, as Long Beach Junior College |
| Housing | None on campus; student housing is planned for fall 2028 |
| Facts checked | 9 October 2026 |
Long Beach’s community college since 1927, with a separate trades campus
Long Beach City College opened in 1927 as Long Beach Junior College. After the 1933 earthquake classes met at Recreation Park until 1935, when the college moved to Carson Street, today’s Liberal Arts Campus. The Pacific Coast Highway site joined in 1949 and was renamed the Trades, Technology, and Community Learning Campus in fall 2024; it is where the electrical, welding, automotive and construction programs are based, and its new Building MM opened in February 2026. Health programs include registered and vocational nursing, radiologic technology, medical assisting and EMT. The college enrolled 24,425 students in fall 2023, most of them part-time, and California residents pay the statewide $46 per unit.
Career programs at the Liberal Arts and trades campuses
Long Beach City College awards associate degrees, state-approved Certificates of Achievement, shorter Certificates of Accomplishment and noncredit certificates of completion. The table lists the main career programs from the college’s program pages (checked October 2026); a dash means the source gave no figure. Where a program page does not say which campus it uses, the table leaves the campus blank.
| Program | Credential | Length and entry | Where | Accreditation or approval | Prepares for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing | AS (ADN); concurrent BSN option with CSU Long Beach or CSU Dominguez Hills | Four semesters of nursing after prerequisites; points-based admission | Liberal Arts Campus | ACEN; California BRN | NCLEX-RN |
| LVN to RN Career Ladder | AS; 30-unit Certificate of Achievement | For licensed vocational nurses | Liberal Arts Campus | ACEN; California BRN | NCLEX-RN |
| Vocational Nursing | AS; Certificate of Achievement | Three semesters, full-time weekday days; 30 seats twice a year | – | BVNPT | NCLEX-PN |
| Diagnostic Medical Imaging (Radiologic Technology) | AS; Certificate of Achievement | Five semesters; about 25 seats, spring start | Information meetings at the Liberal Arts Campus | CDPH Radiologic Health Branch; JRCERT status unconfirmed (college pages conflict) | ARRT radiography exam |
| Computed Tomography; MRI Technologist | Certificates of Accomplishment | No CT cohort in 2026; MRI in odd years | – | – | – |
| Medical Assisting | AS; Certificates of Achievement | One class a year; 40 seats | – | None named | Medical assistant certification exams |
| Emergency Medical Technician | Certificate of Accomplishment | One semester, 6 units, blended | – | – | NREMT; California EMT certification |
| Electrical Technology | Apprenticeship preparation certificate; AS and certificates in six specializations | – | Trades, Technology, and Community Learning Campus, buildings QQ and RR | DAS approved school #101 | California electrician certification exam |
| Welding Technology | AS; Certificates of Achievement; noncredit certificates | – | Trades, Technology, and Community Learning Campus | – | – |
| Construction Technology | AS; Certificates of Achievement; noncredit courses | – | Trades, Technology, and Community Learning Campus (carpentry in Building MM) | – | – |
| Automotive Technology | AS; Certificates of Achievement; Quick Service | – | Trades, Technology, and Community Learning Campus | – | ASE exams; NC3/Snap-on certifications |
| Advanced Manufacturing Technology | AS; three Certificates of Achievement | – | – | NIMS certification planned | – |
| Architectural Design | AS; Certificates of Achievement; noncredit software courses | – | Trades, Technology, and Community Learning Campus, Building MM | – | Design and drafting work |
| Culinary Arts; Baking and Pastry Arts | AS; Certificates of Achievement | – | – | – | – |
| Administrative Assistant, Office Support | Certificate of Achievement | – | – | – | – |
| Data Analytics; Database; SQL | AS; Certificate of Achievement; Certificates of Accomplishment | – | – | – | – |
| Web Development | AS; Certificates of Achievement | Online and evening hybrid | Online and hybrid | – | Two industry certifications (not named) |
| Community Health Worker | Certificate of Achievement | – | – | – | – |
| Educational Aide I and II | Certificates of Achievement | Fieldwork needs fingerprints and a TB test | – | – | Classroom aide work |
Building MM at the Trades, Technology, and Community Learning Campus opened in February 2026 as the home of architecture, carpentry, horticulture and HVAC. The college’s program pages do not yet list an HVAC credential. The 2026-27 catalog’s program index could not be read for this update, so unit totals are given only where a program page states them.
What the main programs cover
Registered nursing and LVN to RN
The registered nursing degree is four semesters of nursing coursework, taken after the prerequisites, at the Liberal Arts Campus with hospital clinical rotations. Seats go by a multi-criteria points system, and applicants must attend an information session first; the Fall 2027 cohort applies in a five-day window in February 2027. Licensed vocational nurses can join the career ladder instead, as a degree or a 30-unit option. Students who want a bachelor’s can add CSU coursework through concurrent enrollment with Long Beach or Dominguez Hills.
Vocational nursing
Vocational nursing is a fixed three-semester sequence for full-time students, with classes on weekdays during the day, so it is hard to combine with a daytime job. Each intake takes 30 students, and there are two a year; the November 2026 window is only four days long. Graduates sit the NCLEX-PN for a California LVN licence. The same department offers short Nursing Assistant and Home Health Aide certificates for students who want to start in patient care sooner.
Diagnostic medical imaging
Radiologic technology runs for five semesters and starts each spring with about 25 students. Entry requires the TEAS test, and applications for the next class are taken in October 2026. Students combine classroom work with clinical rotations at affiliated clinical sites within 30 miles of the Liberal Arts Campus. Graduates sit the ARRT registry exam. Students who want to add CT should note that the CT certificate has no 2026 cohort, with the next applications in 2028, and that MRI runs only in odd-numbered years.
Emergency medical technician
EMT training is a single semester: the EMT 251 lecture and EMT 251L lab must be taken together and both passed in the same term. Teaching is blended, with classroom sessions and online work. Before the first class students need an American Heart Association BLS card (the Military Training Network card is accepted from veterans and active-duty students), and they must clear a health exam, background check and drug test. Those who then pass the National Registry written exam are eligible for California EMT certification.
Electrical technology
All electrical and Cisco courses meet in buildings QQ and RR at the Trades, Technology, and Community Learning Campus. Students can start with the Electrical Apprenticeship Preparation certificate, aimed at entry into an apprenticeship, or pick one of six degree and certificate specializations, from general industrial electrician and automation to high-voltage testing, traffic signals, solar and network installation. Shorter options include a Network Cabling Specialist certificate and noncredit courses in electrical program preparation and IPC-620 wire harness assembly and inspection.
Medical assisting
Medical assisting covers both administrative and clinical work, and students can take the combined track or either the administrative or the clinical option alone. The program admits one class a year, with 40 places filled first come, first served, and the department’s page gives conflicting lengths and start terms, so confirm both. Graduates are eligible for the exams of all five medical assistant certifying organizations. The page does not say how many externship hours are required or who arranges the placement.
Fees for 2026-27
California community colleges charge one enrollment fee to every California resident, so there is no separate in-district rate. Long Beach City College lists these fees for 2026-27:
| Fee (2026-27) | Amount |
|---|---|
| California resident enrollment fee | $46 per unit (statewide rate; no separate in-district rate) |
| Out-of-state tuition | $356 tuition + $30 capital outlay fee + $46 enrollment fee = $432 per unit |
| Student health fee | $24 per fall or spring term; $17 in summer or winter |
| Student representation fee | $2 per fall or spring term |
| Parking | $30 per fall or spring term; $20 in summer or winter; $2 a day |
A California resident taking 30 units in a year pays about $1,432 in enrollment, health and representation fees; an out-of-state student pays about $12,960 for the same 30 units before those fees (our arithmetic from the published rates). The EMT page lists about $310 in extra costs for equipment, a background and records account, parking and insurance.
Long Beach City College takes federal financial aid (OPEID 00121900), and eligible California residents can have the enrollment fee waived through the California College Promise Grant. The federal College Navigator site puts the average net price for full-time first-year students receiving grant aid at $6,215 for 2022-23.
Admissions, starts and schedules
Long Beach City College is open admission. The health programs have their own applications and limited seats:
- Registered Nursing: multi-criteria points admission and a required information session; Fall 2027 cohort applications 8–12 February 2027.
- Vocational Nursing: 30 students twice a year; next application window 9–12 November 2026; full-time, weekday daytime.
- Diagnostic Medical Imaging: about 25 students each spring; applications 1–31 October 2026; TEAS required.
- Medical Assisting: 40 seats, first come, first served.
- EMT: American Heart Association BLS card, health exam, background check and drug test.
The college runs on semesters, with winter and summer intersessions. In 2024-25, 46% of enrollments were online, 43% in person and 12% hybrid, according to the college’s 2026 annual report. Web development courses are offered online and as evening hybrids, with one Saturday course.
Accreditation and results
Long Beach City College is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC). After its 2022 review the commission reaffirmed accreditation for seven years and asked for a follow-up report, which it accepted in June 2023. The next full review is scheduled for 2028-29. The ACCJC lists no sanction.
Program accreditation and approvals include ACEN and the California Board of Registered Nursing (registered nursing and LVN to RN), the BVNPT (vocational nursing) and the California Department of Public Health’s Radiologic Health Branch (radiologic technology). Electrical training runs under California Division of Apprenticeship Standards approved school number 101.
| Measure | Result | Cohort and source |
|---|---|---|
| NCLEX-RN (first-time) | 92.86% (56 testers) | 2024-25; California Board of Registered Nursing |
| NCLEX-PN (vocational nursing) | 100% (31 testers) | 2025; Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians |
| ARRT radiography, first attempt | 71% (17 of 24); five-year average 84% | 2025; program page |
| Radiography job placement within 12 months | 95% (21 of 22) | 2025 graduates; program page |
| Radiography completion | 96% (24 of 25) | 2025; program page |
| EMT (NREMT) and medical assisting exams | Not published | Program pages |
| Graduation within 150% of normal time | 27%; transfer-out rate 10% | Full-time, first-time students who started in fall 2020; IPEDS |
The state board figures come with tester counts and use July-to-June years for registered nursing. The IPEDS graduation rate counts only full-time, first-time students, and 61% of Long Beach City College students attend part-time, so the rate covers a minority of students.
Before you enroll
- The radiologic technology program’s page lists its JRCERT accreditation as an application in progress, while another college page names JRCERT as its accreditor, so we do not describe the program as JRCERT-accredited. It is approved by the California Department of Public Health’s Radiologic Health Branch. Its 2025 first-attempt ARRT pass rate, 71%, was the lowest of the last five years.
- Advanced imaging is limited: the Computed Tomography certificate has no 2026 cohort (next applications January to May 2028), and the MRI certificate runs only in odd-numbered years.
- Fire Science and Administration of Justice are course programs, not academies. The college runs no fire academy and no POST police academy, so students aiming to become firefighters or police officers will need an academy elsewhere.
- Medical assisting names no programmatic accreditor, and the 30-unit LVN to RN option may not qualify graduates for licensure outside California, according to the college.
- Open admission does not extend to the health programs. Registered nursing uses a points system, vocational nursing takes 30 students per intake, radiologic technology about 25 a year and medical assisting 40, each with its own application window.
Campus services and clinical placements
There is no on-campus housing yet; the college plans about 431 beds at the Liberal Arts Campus, with construction from fall 2026 and opening in fall 2028, according to a January 2026 news report. The Trades, Technology, and Community Learning Campus houses the LBCC Labor Center and the Port of Long Beach Maritime Center of Excellence for supply-chain training. A Student Parent Hub opened in 2025, and the Temple Family Charitable Foundation DSPS Center serves students with disabilities. The nursing and radiologic technology programs arrange clinical placements.
What students say on Niche
On Niche, Long Beach City College averages 3.78 out of 5 from 1,857 reviews, with an overall grade of A− (checked 9 October 2026). Reviewers most often praise supportive faculty and counselors, student resources such as tutoring, career and transfer help and food assistance, and the low cost and flexible schedules. The most common complaints are that the classes students want are hard to get, crowded parking and buildings under renovation, and a quiet campus social life. We could not see when the reviews were posted or whether the college invited them, so we can’t say whether they arrived in bursts.
Sources
Checked 9 October 2026: 2026-27 academic catalog · LBCC student fees · ACCJC action letters · California BRN NCLEX pass rates · Radiography program effectiveness data · College Navigator · Niche
Programs & Courses
Nursing and Health Sciences
- Registered Nursing (AS, ADN; concurrent BSN coursework with CSU Long Beach or CSU Dominguez Hills)
- LVN to RN Career Ladder (AS; 30-unit Certificate of Achievement)
- Vocational Nursing (AS, Certificate of Achievement)
- Nursing Assistant and Home Health Aide (Certificates of Accomplishment)
- Diagnostic Medical Imaging, Radiologic Technology (AS, Certificate of Achievement)
- Computed Tomography and MRI Technologist (Certificates of Accomplishment)
- Medical Assisting (AS; Combined, Administrative and Clinical Certificates of Achievement)
- Phlebotomy and Medical Insurance Billing (Certificates of Accomplishment)
- Public Health (AS-T); Community Health Worker and Health Education and Promotion (Certificates of Achievement)
Public Safety
- Emergency Medical Technician (Certificate of Accomplishment, 6 units)
- Fire Science (AS, Certificate of Achievement; no fire academy)
- Administration of Justice (AS-T, AA, Certificate of Achievement)
- Criminal Forensics (Certificate of Achievement)
- Transportation Security Administration Associate (Certificate of Accomplishment)
- Security Guard Training (noncredit)
Skilled trades (most at the Trades, Technology, and Community Learning Campus)
- Electrical Technology: Electrical Apprenticeship Preparation (Certificate of Achievement)
- Electrical Technology specializations (AS and Certificate of Achievement): General Industrial Electrician, Automation Technician, High Voltage Test Technician, Traffic Signal Technician, Solar Installation and Maintenance, Cisco Certified Network Installation Associate
- Network Cabling Specialist (Certificate of Accomplishment)
- Welding Technology (AS; Welding, GTAW and SMAW Certificates of Achievement; noncredit certificates)
- Metal Fabrication Technology
- Construction Technology (AS; Construction, Apprenticeship Readiness and Home Remodeling Certificates of Achievement; noncredit Forklift Fundamentals)
- Automotive Technology (AS; Certificates of Achievement in Automotive Technology, Engine and Transmission, Engine Performance and Maintenance Service; Quick Service)
- Advanced Transportation Technology
- Advanced Manufacturing Technology (AS, three Certificates of Achievement)
- Architectural Design (AS; Architectural Design, BIM Coordinator and Design Basics Certificates of Achievement; noncredit software courses)
- HVAC and Horticulture (Building MM)
Culinary Arts
- Culinary Arts (AS, Certificate of Achievement)
- Baking and Pastry Arts (AS; Baking and Pastry Arts and Advanced Certificates of Achievement)
Business
- Accounting (AA, Certificate of Achievement, Certificates of Accomplishment)
- Administrative Assistant, Office Support (Certificate of Achievement)
- Management and Marketing (AA, Certificates of Achievement)
- Business Administration 2.0 (AS-T)
- Hospitality Management (AS-T)
Computing and Digital Media
- Computer Science (AS, Certificate of Achievement; Android App Developer Certificate of Accomplishment)
- Information Technology Cybersecurity (AS, Certificate of Achievement); Cyber Security (Certificate of Achievement)
- Data Analytics (AS, Certificate of Achievement)
- Database Administrator Specialist and SQL Programmer Specialist (Certificates of Accomplishment)
- Web Development (AS; Full Stack, Front End and PHP Certificates of Achievement)
- Digital Media: Multimedia Interaction and Game Design (Certificate of Achievement)
Education and Transfer
- Educational Aide I and II (Certificates of Achievement)
- Elementary Teacher Education (AA-T)
- Engineering (AS)
- American Sign Language and Deaf Studies (AA)
Campus Locations
Long Beach, CA 4901 East Carson Street, Long Beach, CA 90808
Long Beach, CA 1305 East Pacific Coast Highway, Long Beach, CA 90806