| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Type | Public two-year community college area governed by an elected Board of Governors; campus, hybrid and online classes |
| Locations | Six campuses and centers teaching credit courses, all in the Omaha area of Nebraska (Omaha, Elkhorn, La Vista and Fremont), plus smaller community sites |
| Students | 18,251 credit students in the fall 2025 census, 29.7% full-time |
| Credentials | Career certificates, Certificates of Achievement, AAS degrees, AA and AS transfer degrees, and non-credit workforce courses; 112 programs on MCC’s index |
| Calendar | Quarters; all credits are quarter credit hours |
| Program length | From a 94-hour nurse aide course to four-year evening apprenticeship degrees |
| Tuition 2026-27 | $72 per quarter credit hour for Nebraska residents, $108 for non-residents, plus a $5 facility fee (MCC’s budget book; the tuition page lists it under non-residents) |
| Accreditation | Higher Learning Commission (Open Pathway) |
| Federal aid | Yes |
| Founded | 1974, from the merger of two technical community college areas; current name since 1992 |
| Facts checked | 8 October 2026 |
Omaha’s public community college, on quarter terms
Metropolitan Community College (MCC) is the public community college for Dodge, Douglas, Sarpy and Washington counties in eastern Nebraska. It formed in 1974, when the Legislature merged the Omaha and Eastern Nebraska technical community college areas, and took its current name in 1992. It is not connected with Metropolitan Community College in Kansas City. MCC teaches on quarter terms at three Omaha campuses and centers in Elkhorn, La Vista and Fremont. Its career training leans toward the trades and health: evening apprenticeship degrees in electrical and plumbing work, a 2022 automotive training center, CDL-A driving, and a nursing route that runs from practical nursing to the RN. Its first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate fell to 75.86% in 2025. A new Sarpy County Campus has been announced, with no opening date.
Career programs and where they are taught
MCC lists 112 programs, from non-credit workforce courses to two-year degrees. Its credentials are the Associate in Applied Science (AAS), AA and AS transfer degrees, the Certificate of Achievement and shorter career certificates. MCC’s program pages do not name a campus, so the Where column below comes from nursing board records, MCC releases from 2019 and 2022, a 2018 news report, campus pages and program registration links; older sources are marked. A dash means MCC does not say.
| Program | Credential | Length and cost | Where (best evidence) | Accreditation or approval | Prepares for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Practical Nursing | Certificate of Achievement | One year | South Omaha | Nebraska Board of Nursing approval; not ACEN-accredited | NCLEX-PN |
| Associate Degree Nursing | ADN | One year after practical nursing; 64 day and 40 evening seats | South Omaha | ACEN | NCLEX-RN |
| Certified Nursing Assistant | Credit course, 6.5 quarter credits | 94 hours | Fremont lab; other sites not stated | Meets Nebraska DHHS training requirements | – |
| Respiratory Therapy | AAS | Estimated cost $10,200 | South Omaha | CoARC | – |
| Emergency Medical Technician | Certificate of Achievement | Two quarters; day or evening | – | Nebraska State Board of EMS | – |
| Paramedicine | Certificate of Achievement; AAS | – | – | CAAHEP | National Registry paramedic |
| Medical Assisting | Certificate of Achievement; AAS | – | – | CAAHEP (MAERB) | Medical assistant credential exam |
| Electrical Apprenticeship | AAS | Four years, two evenings a week | Fort Omaha (2019 release) | – | Nebraska journeyman electrician exam, after four years’ experience |
| Plumbing Apprenticeship | AAS; certificates | Four years, evenings | Fort Omaha (2019 release) | – | City of Omaha journeyman plumbing licence, after four years’ work |
| HVAC/R | AAS; certificates | – | Fort Omaha (2019 release) | – | – |
| Construction and Building Science | Two AAS degrees; certificates | – | Fort Omaha | – | – |
| Welding Technology | AAS; certificates | – | South Omaha and Fort Omaha (2018–19 sources) | – | – |
| Precision Machine Technology | Two AAS degrees; certificate | – | South Omaha (2018–19 sources) | NIMS | NIMS credentials |
| Automotive Technology | AAS; certificates; T-TEN, MOPAR CAP, Subaru | – | South Omaha Automotive Training Center | ASE Education Foundation | – |
| Auto Collision Technology | AAS; certificates | 9 months (day), 2 years (night) or 15 months (paid shop track) | South Omaha Automotive Training Center | ASE Education Foundation | – |
| Diesel Technology | Two AAS degrees; certificate | – | Applied Technology Center (2019 release) | ASE Education Foundation | – |
| CDL-A Truck Driving | Credit certificate; non-credit course | Non-credit: 8 to 15 weeks, $5,351 | Applied Technology Center | – | CDL-A licence |
| Fire Science Technology | AAS; certificates | – | Applied Technology Center (2019 release) | – | – |
| Culinary Arts | Two AAS degrees; certificates | – | Fort Omaha | ACF (exemplary status) | – |
| Interior Design | AAS | – | Elkhorn Valley | No CIDA claim | – |
| Cybersecurity | AAS; certificate | – | – | NSA/DHS CAE-CD (two-year) | – |
Programmatic accreditations listed by MCC also cover the ABA-approved paralegal program, CAHIIM for Health Data and Information Management, and ACBSP for accounting and business. The program index also lists pharmacy technician, phlebotomy and EKG technician training and trade options including utility line, horticulture and powersports; we did not check each one’s credential.
What the main programs cover
Practical nursing, then the RN
MCC’s nursing is built as two one-year steps. Practical Nursing comes first, and students who finish it can sit the NCLEX-PN and work as LPNs. The Associate Degree Nursing program then takes a second year and leads to the NCLEX-RN. Applicants who studied practical nursing elsewhere need an LPN licence; MCC’s own graduates can instead show a nurse aide, CMA or LPN credential. The RN year has a daytime weekday cohort starting in fall and an evening and weekend cohort starting in summer, both at South Omaha.
Electrical and plumbing apprenticeship degrees
These are college degrees run on an apprenticeship timetable, not employer-indentured apprenticeships. Electrical students take two 11-week quarters a year for four years, meeting two evenings a week, and can start in fall or spring. Plumbing students attend evening classes three quarters a year for three years and two quarters in the last year. Neither requires a job in the trade, though MCC highly recommends apprentice work alongside the electrical classes. The electrical licence exam needs four years of verifiable experience, and the plumbing licence four years of on-the-job training.
Automotive and auto collision
Both programs share the Automotive Training Center at South Omaha. Automotive students can take the general degree or join a dealer-sponsored track such as Toyota T-TEN or MOPAR CAP, or the Subaru option. Collision students choose between an accelerated day lockstep that starts each fall and finishes in nine months, a night track that can start any quarter and takes two years, and a 15-month application-only Collision Engineering track that alternates classroom blocks with paid shop work.
CDL-A truck driving
MCC runs two versions of CDL-A training from the Applied Technology Center: a credit Certificate of Achievement and a non-credit course that trains on automatic-transmission trucks, so graduates’ licences carry the E restriction. Before the first class, students must be at least 18 and hold a driver’s licence and a commercial learner’s permit, pass a DOT physical, and pass a DOT drug screen, which for the credit certificate must be taken within 30 days of the start. Day and evening sections are offered.
EMT and paramedicine
EMT training is split over two quarters, EMT I and EMT II, each with three linked courses. Students attend lab one day a week, choose day or evening sections, and must complete at least 72 hours of clinical and field time and five patient contacts. Paramedicine is the next step: it is open only to people who already hold a Nebraska EMT licence and BLS CPR, and applicants take the HSRT-AD admission test. The certificate can be turned into an AAS with general education courses.
Respiratory therapy
Respiratory Therapy is an AAS taught at the South Omaha Campus, the same campus as MCC’s nursing programs. It is a selective program: applicants take the HSRT-AD entrance test before admission, and health students need BLS CPR before they start. The program is accredited by CoARC as program 200357. MCC’s program page sends readers to CoARC’s site for outcome data rather than listing exam results itself.
Tuition for 2026-27 and how students pay
MCC charges by the quarter credit hour. The rates below start with the Fall 2026 quarter; the resident rate rose from $71 in 2025-26. MCC’s 2026-27 budget lists tuition of $72 plus $5 in fees per quarter hour, and its capital budget books a facilities fee of $5 per credit hour. Residency is statewide: any Nebraska resident pays the resident rate.
| Student (from Fall 2026) | Tuition per quarter credit hour | Facility fee | 45 quarter hours (about a full-time year) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nebraska resident (one statewide rate; no separate in-district rate) | $72 | $5 | $3,465 |
| Non-resident, including F-1/F-2 international students | $108 | $5 | $5,085 |
| Age 62 and over | $36 resident / $54 non-resident | – | – |
| CollegeNow! (Nebraska high-school students) | Waived | Waived | Other course costs still apply |
The 45-hour column is our arithmetic, tuition plus the facility fee, before books and program costs. Some programs publish their own totals: MCC estimates $10,200 for Respiratory Therapy, and the non-credit CDL-A course costs $5,351. Health programs publish a separate estimated cost sheet. Niche, using federal data, shows an average net price of $5,664 a year.
MCC takes part in federal student aid. Workforce courses such as CDL-A and the code school can be paid for through Nebraska’s GAP Assistance Program, WIOA or Workforce Pell, and the code school pays a training stipend. MCC also runs an education office at Offutt Air Force Base for service members using Military Tuition Assistance; it is an advising office on the base, not a campus.
Admissions, quarters and evening classes
MCC has open admission, but several health programs choose their students. The RN year ranks applicants by points and caps the daytime class at 64 and the evening and weekend class at 40, with deadlines of 13 June and 13 March. Paramedicine and Respiratory Therapy require the HSRT-AD test, Practical Nursing points applicants to the TEAS, and health programs need BLS CPR before entry. CDL-A students need a DOT physical, a learner’s permit and a drug screen first.
Classes run in quarters. Evening study is common in the trades: both apprenticeship degrees meet in the evening, Auto Collision has a night track, and CDL-A and EMT run day and evening sections. MCC is a member of NC-SARA for online study, but its licensure programs are designed for Nebraska licences.
Accreditation and results
MCC is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and is on HLC’s Open Pathway. We found no sanction, probation or show-cause order. Programmatic accreditors include ACEN (Associate Degree Nursing), CoARC (Respiratory Therapy), CAAHEP (paramedicine and medical assisting), the ASE Education Foundation (automotive, collision and diesel), NIMS (precision machining) and the American Culinary Federation. Practical Nursing is approved by the Nebraska Board of Nursing but is not ACEN-accredited.
| Program | Result | Period and source |
|---|---|---|
| Associate Degree Nursing, NCLEX-RN first-time pass rate | 75.86% (66 of 87); Nebraska 90.39%, national 86.71% | 2025; earlier years 87.27% (2021), 84.06% (2022), 98.46% (2023), 90.16% (2024). Nebraska Board of Nursing data as republished by Mid-Plains Community College |
| Practical Nursing, NCLEX-PN first-time pass rate | 100% (61 of 61); Nebraska 94.77%, national 86.60% | 2025; 92.68% to 100% in 2021–2024. Same source |
| Paramedicine | National Registry pass rate 50%; retention 78%; job placement 43% | Pass rate 2024; no years given for retention and placement. MCC program page |
| Medical Assisting | Exam passage 80%, retention 90%, job placement 77.92% (77 graduates); 100% exam passage in 2024 (18 graduates) | Five-year cumulative figures, MCC program page |
| Respiratory Therapy, EMT, CDL and trades | Not published on the program pages | – |
The nursing figures are from the Nebraska Board of Nursing tables as summarized during our research in October 2026. We do not give a college-wide graduation rate, because the figures published on third-party sites disagree and we could not read the college’s own. In general news searches we found no lawsuit, settlement or regulatory action against MCC from 2023 to 2026; we did not check court dockets.
What is changing
- June 2022: the $32 million Automotive Training Center opened at South Omaha for automotive, auto collision and Toyota T-TEN.
- June 2025: MCC broke ground on a Sarpy County Campus in Papillion, near Highway 370 and 144th Street, on land bought in 2015. MCC says it has no set timeline for completion; diesel and logistics planning and a first-responder building are named as the first projects.
- 2025–26: the existing Sarpy Center in La Vista is being refocused on non-credit, lifelong-learning and high-school dual-enrollment courses.
- Fall 2026: resident tuition rose from $71 to $72 per quarter credit hour.
Before you enroll
- The RN degree is not a direct-entry program. Students must complete practical nursing first, and in 2025 only 75.86% of MCC’s first-time NCLEX-RN candidates passed, below the Nebraska and national averages; the practical nursing pass rate was 100% the same year.
- Practical Nursing is approved by the state board but not accredited by ACEN. Ask any BSN program you plan to move on to whether that matters.
- Paramedicine publishes a 50% National Registry pass rate for 2024 and 43% job placement. Ask the program for its latest figures.
- The electrical and plumbing apprenticeship degrees do not require an employer, and MCC does not say it finds one for students. The journeyman licences need four years of work experience on top of the classes.
- This college is not Metropolitan Community College in Kansas City, Missouri. Check that aid forms, transcripts and net price tools you use belong to MCC Nebraska.
Career help and getting to class
The Collision Engineering track builds paid work at partner shops into the program, and Toyota T-TEN and MOPAR CAP are dealer-sponsored automotive tracks. MCC’s older campus pages describe a Career Network Center at the Elkhorn Valley Campus, and a one-quarter Metro bus pass and rideshare service for students at the Fremont Area Center.
What students say on Niche
On Niche, Metropolitan Community College has 4.05 out of 5 from 619 reviews and an overall grade of B- (checked 8 October 2026). Reviewers most often praise supportive instructors, flexible online and hybrid scheduling and low tuition, and say the programs suit both careers and transfer plans. The most common complaints are unclear communication about advising and financial aid, a clunky online learning experience and few extracurricular activities. The reviews describe the college as a whole rather than particular programs or campuses, and we could not check whether they arrived in bursts or were invited by the college.
Sources
Checked 8 October 2026: MCC locations · MCC tuition · MCC programs · MCC accreditation · MCC enrollment data · Nebraska NCLEX-RN pass rates 2021–2025 · Sarpy County Campus · Niche
Programs & Courses
Nursing
- Practical Nursing (Certificate of Achievement; South Omaha)
- Associate Degree Nursing (RN; after practical nursing; South Omaha)
- Certified Nursing Assistant (HLTH 1200)
- Medication Aide (HLTH 1300)
Healthcare
- Respiratory Therapy (AAS; South Omaha)
- Medical Assisting (Certificate of Achievement; AAS in Professional Health Studies)
- Health Data and Information Management
- Public Health and Community Health certificates
Emergency Services and Public Safety
- Emergency Medical Technician (Certificate of Achievement)
- Paramedicine (Certificate of Achievement and AAS)
- Fire Science Technology (AAS and certificates)
- Criminal Justice: Corrections and Law Enforcement (AAS)
- Legal Studies / Paralegal (ABA-approved)
Construction and Building Trades
- Electrical Apprenticeship (AAS)
- Electrical Technology (AAS and certificate)
- Plumbing Apprenticeship (AAS) and Pre-Apprenticeship Plumbing
- Heating, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration (AAS and certificates)
- Construction and Building Science (AAS and certificates)
- Utility Line Technician
- Architectural Design Technology
- Civil Engineering Technology
Manufacturing and Welding
- Welding Technology (AAS and certificates)
- Precision Machine Technology (AAS and certificate)
- Manufacturing, Power, and Process Operations Technology (AAS and certificates)
Automotive, Diesel and Transportation
- Automotive Technology, including Toyota T-TEN, MOPAR CAP and Subaru tracks (South Omaha)
- Auto Collision Technology (AAS and certificates; South Omaha)
- Diesel Technology: Diesel Service and Heavy Equipment (AAS)
- CDL-A Truck Driving (credit certificate and non-credit course; Applied Technology Center)
Culinary and Hospitality
- Sustainable Culinary Management (AAS)
- Sustainable Baking Management (AAS)
- Food Studies and Hospitality Leadership (certificates)
Business
- Accounting (AAS and certificates)
- Business Administration (AAS)
- Entrepreneurship (certificates)
- Financial Counseling (career certificate)
- Human Resources (career certificate)
- Real Estate (career certificate)
Information Technology
- Information Technology (AAS)
- Cybersecurity (AAS and certificate)
- Software Developer and Computer Programming (certificates)
- Web Development and Full Stack Developer (certificates)
- Database Administration and Data Science (certificates)
- IT Networking Technician and Cisco Advanced Networking (certificates)
Education, Design and Arts
- Early Childhood Educator (AAS) and CDA certificate
- Interior Design (AAS; Elkhorn Valley)
- Fashion Design (Elkhorn Valley)
- Theatre (AAS)
Campus Locations
Omaha, NE 5300 N. 30th St., Omaha, NE 68111
Omaha, NE 2909 Edward Babe Gomez Ave., Omaha, NE 68107
Omaha, NE 10407 State St., Omaha, NE 68122
Omaha (Elkhorn), NE 829 N 204th St., Elkhorn, NE 68022
Omaha (La Vista), NE 9110 Giles Rd., La Vista, NE 68128
Fremont, NE 835 N. Broad St., Fremont, NE 68025