| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Type | Public noncredit adult college of the San Diego Community College District; in person, with IT certificates online |
| Campuses | 7, all in San Diego, CA |
| Credentials | Noncredit certificates of completion (no degrees) |
| Typical length | 50 to 920 hours; the college says most certificates take 4 to 8 months |
| Accreditation | ACS WASC (Accrediting Commission for Schools, Western Association of Schools and Colleges), through June 2031 |
| Tuition | Free for every student, with no residency requirement; materials, parking and exam costs extra |
| Students | More than 30,000 a year, the college says; the district’s draft 2024-25 report counts 23,315 |
| Founded | 1914, as free adult night classes; named San Diego Continuing Education until 2021 |
| Facts checked | October 2026 |
SDCCE: San Diego’s tuition-free noncredit college for adults
San Diego College of Continuing Education is the noncredit college of the San Diego Community College District, alongside City, Mesa and Miramar colleges. It grew out of free night classes for adults that the San Diego City Schools board approved in 1914, and it added “College” to its name, San Diego Continuing Education, in February 2021. Its courses carry no tuition and award certificates of completion rather than degrees.
The college says it serves more than 30,000 students a year in hundreds of programs; the district’s annual headcount for 2024-25 was 23,315, per its draft Facts on File report. Besides career training it teaches ESL, high school diploma and citizenship classes and older-adult courses. In May 2026 a cyberattack on the district’s network disrupted systems at its colleges during summer enrollment.
Career programs at SDCCE, and where they meet
Career programs are concentrated on four campuses: trades and baking at the Educational Cultural Complex (ECC), health care at Harbor View, culinary arts at West City and electronics at Mid-City, with IT online from North City. Every program is a noncredit certificate of completion.
| Program | Length | Where | Prepares for | Extra costs (tuition is free) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nursing Assistant (with Home Health Aide) | 394 hours, 16 weeks | Harbor View; clinicals at county facilities | California CNA exam | About $400 (books, uniform, CPR, health checks, state exam) |
| Home Health Aide (for current CNAs) | 50 hours, 2-4 weeks | Harbor View | Not stated by the college | – |
| Automotive Technician | 920 hours, 39 weeks | ECC | California smog inspector exam (BAR Level 1 and 2 training) | – |
| Auto Body and Paint Technician | 600 hours, 24 weeks | ECC | I-CAR-based curriculum | – |
| Service Advisor | 300 hours, 13 weeks | Harbor View | – | – |
| Shielded Metal Arc Welding | 600 hours, 24 weeks | ECC | No certification named | – |
| Gas Tungsten Arc Welding | 600 hours, 24 weeks | ECC | No certification named | – |
| Air Conditioning and Heating I and II | 72 + 48 hours (about 120), 7 hours a week | ECC | EPA certification named in part II | – |
| Plumbing I, II and III | 120 hours each, 7 hours a week | ECC | – | – |
| Culinary Arts | 610 hours, 24 weeks | West City | – | $75 materials fee, uniform, knife kit, text |
| Culinary Arts & Sciences | 900 hours, 36 weeks | West City | – | $165 materials fee, uniform, knife kit, text |
| Baking & Pastry Arts I and II | 225 hours each, 18 weeks | ECC | – | $75 materials fee per level, uniform, text |
| Account Clerk | 376 hours | ECC, Harbor View, Mid-City, North City, West City | QuickBooks skills | – |
| Desktop Technician | 399 hours, 18-36 weeks | Online | CompTIA A+ and Network+ | Exam fees |
| Security Essentials | 240 hours, 18 weeks | Online | CompTIA Security+ | Exam fees |
| Cybersecurity Analyst | 135 hours, 18 weeks | Online | CompTIA CySA+ | Exam fees |
| Electronics Technician | 900 hours, 36 weeks | Mid-City | Electronics repair (not electrician training) | – |
Automotive, welding, electronics, culinary and Nursing Assistant programs run about 25 hours a week, while HVAC and plumbing are part-time courses of about 7 hours a week. Electronics Technician trains people to repair industrial and video electronics; SDCCE has no electrician program.
What the main programs cover
Nursing Assistant
The 394-hour program combines HLTH 605, a nursing assistant course approved by the California Department of Public Health, with HLTH 606, the home health aide course, over 16 weeks at 25 hours a week at Harbor View. Clinical hours take place in care facilities in El Cajon, La Mesa, Lemon Grove, National City, San Diego and Santee; the college arranges the placement and students arrange their own transport. Before starting, students attend a 2.5-hour orientation with a basic assessment, clear a Live Scan background check through the state, and complete a physical, TB test and immunizations.
Automotive Technician
The 920-hour program at ECC runs 39 weeks at 25 hours a week through the AUTO 507 course sequence and follows NATEF standards. It includes BAR-certified Level 1 and Level 2 training, so completers can take the California smog inspector exam. The coursework articulates with San Diego Miramar College’s automotive program. Auto Body and Paint Technician, 600 hours at ECC, follows I-CAR industry standards, and Quick Service Technician (162 hours) is a shorter inspection-focused option.
Welding
SDCCE splits welding into two 600-hour certificates at ECC, each 24 weeks at 25 hours a week. Shielded Metal Arc Welding (INDT 601 and 602) teaches entry-level stick welding on plate and shapes. Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (INDT 621 and 622) covers TIG welding of ferrous and non-ferrous sheet, shapes and tube. The program pages do not name an AWS or other certification test. Gas metal arc, pipe welding and metal fabrication appear in the catalog index but not on the current trades page, so check whether they run.
Culinary Arts
West City teaches the culinary sequence. Culinary Arts is 610 hours over 24 weeks at 25 hours a week; Culinary Arts & Sciences extends it to 900 hours over 36 weeks; Advanced Culinary Arts adds 200 hours over 8 weeks. Students buy a uniform, a knife kit and the On Cooking textbook (The Flavor Bible for the advanced course) on top of the materials fee, and a mandatory orientation comes before enrollment. Baking & Pastry Arts is a separate two-level sequence at ECC, 225 hours a level at about 12.5 hours a week.
Air conditioning, heating and plumbing
These are short, part-time courses at ECC, about 7 hours a week. Air Conditioning and Heating I (MECT 431, 72 hours) covers theory, appliances, controls, thermostats, schematics and brazing copper; part II (MECT 432, 48 hours) covers gas and electric heat, cooling, heat pumps, service and troubleshooting, and names EPA certification. Together they form one certificate of about 120 hours, with open-entry, open-exit enrollment. Plumbing I, II and III (MECT 421 to 423) are 120 hours each, covering water distribution, waste systems, pipe installation, soldering, the California Uniform Plumbing Code, layout, testing and inspection.
IT and cybersecurity
The IT certificates are taught online, with North City as their base. Desktop Technician (399 hours, 18 to 36 weeks) prepares for CompTIA A+ and Network+. Security Essentials (240 hours) leads to CompTIA Security+ and Cybersecurity Analyst (135 hours) to CySA+. Windows System Administration, Linux Server Administration, three AWS cloud certificates and a DevOps certificate are further options. North City has a Pearson VUE testing center for the exams. The Cisco CCNA certificate is paused; the college says it will return in summer 2027, tentatively.
Free tuition, and what students still pay
SDCCE charges no tuition for any course and no enrollment or registration fees, and out-of-state students pay nothing more, because the college sets no residency requirement, per its free tuition page. The State of California funds the classes. Free tuition does not mean free training, though, and certification and exam fees are not covered.
The main costs are program supplies. Culinary and baking courses carry materials fees of $75 to $165 plus a uniform, knife kit and textbook. Nursing Assistant students should budget about $400 for books, a uniform, CPR, a physical, TB test, immunizations and the state exam, according to the college’s Nursing Assistant page. A parking permit costs $40 a semester ($29 in summer and $25 for students on public assistance or eligible for aid), and Associated Student membership is $4 a year, per the 2026-27 catalog. Some programs also require tools, uniforms or liability insurance.
The college says some programs provide free or low-cost materials. ECC has the SDCCE Cares Marketplace, and ECC and Mid-City have CalWORKs offices.
Open enrollment, with orientations for some programs
Enrollment is open to adults 18 and over. Some programs add steps: culinary and baking students attend a mandatory orientation, and Nursing Assistant applicants attend a 2.5-hour orientation with a basic assessment and need Live Scan clearance, a physical, a TB test and immunizations. Fall 2026 classes began on 24 August, the college’s newsroom says. Classes are offered in person, online and hybrid; IT is online, and trades, automotive, culinary and health programs are in person. Air Conditioning and Heating is open-entry, open-exit, so students can start during the term.
Accreditation and outcomes
SDCCE is accredited by ACS WASC, the Accrediting Commission for Schools of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. After a self-study visit in March 2024, the commission granted a term through June 2030; on 1 September 2026 it moved the college to a seven-year cycle, extending accreditation through June 2031, with a mid-cycle progress report due in June 2028 and no visit required, per the college’s accreditation page.
We found no published licensing exam pass rates. There is no RN or NCLEX program, and we found no CNA, smog inspector or CompTIA pass rates from the college. The district’s 2022 career education outcomes survey of SDCCE students who earned a career award or took at least 48 hours of career courses in 2019-20 and then did not enroll, or enrolled only minimally, in the next two years, found 68% employed and 62% employed in their field, with median pay rising from $22 to $30 an hour, but only 22% of those surveyed responded, per the district’s survey summary.
Before you enroll
- The certificates are noncredit. They do not count toward a degree on their own, although some courses articulate with district colleges: Automotive Technician with Miramar College, and the electronics and air conditioning courses with City College through credit by exam, per the 2026-27 catalog.
- HVAC and plumbing here are part-time courses of about 7 hours a week: the Air Conditioning and Heating certificate is about 120 hours in all, and Plumbing I, II and III are 120 hours each. The college does not describe either as an apprenticeship.
- Electronics Technician is electronics repair training. SDCCE has no electrician program.
- There is no path to nursing licensure at SDCCE now. Vocational Nurse Training is not enrolling: registration is closed, information sessions are canceled until further notice and the college expects updated information in December 2026.
- Free tuition still leaves costs: about $400 for Nursing Assistant, $75 to $165 in culinary and baking materials fees, $40 a semester for parking, and certification exam fees.
Seven San Diego campuses: what each teaches
| Campus | Address | Career programs taught here |
|---|---|---|
| Educational Cultural Complex (ECC) | 4343 Ocean View Blvd., San Diego, CA 92113 | Automotive, welding, air conditioning and heating, plumbing, baking and pastry, Account Clerk |
| Harbor View (formerly César E. Chávez) | 1901 Main St., San Diego, CA 92113 | All health-care certificates, Service Advisor, Account Clerk, small business |
| Mid-City | 3792 Fairmount Ave., San Diego, CA 92105 | Electronics Technician, Account Clerk, Administrative Professional |
| North City | 8355 Aero Dr., San Diego, CA 92123 | Online IT and cybersecurity (base), Account Clerk, project management |
| West City | 3249 Fordham St., San Diego, CA 92110 | Culinary arts, hospitality, Account Clerk |
| CE at Mesa College | 7350 Armstrong Place, San Diego, CA 92111 | No career certificate on the program pages (the campus page lists business); adult education, ESL, child development |
| CE at Miramar College | 10440 Black Mountain Road, San Diego, CA 92126 | No career certificates listed; ESL, child development |
The Harbor View name is temporary. The district board renamed the César E. Chávez Campus at a special meeting on 6 April 2026, and a permanent name is to be recommended in fall 2026, per the district’s announcement. ECC also holds the college’s central offices. Nursing Assistant clinical sites around the county are placements, not campuses.
Career help and testing
SDCCE runs Career Services and an Apprenticeship Readiness Program based at ECC. North City has a Pearson VUE Authorized Testing Center and a Cisco lab. Students can also use the Be Well Mental Health Center, the Tutoring & Learning Center and the Tech Hub. The college has no student housing.
Facts checked October 2026.
Programs & Courses
Health Career Training
- Nursing Assistant
- Home Health Aide
- Nursing Assistant (Acute Care)
- Nursing Assistant (Rehabilitative)
- Behavioral Health Aide
- Personal Care Assistant/Caregiver
- Health Unit Coordinator
- Optical Technician
- Ophthalmic Assistant
Automotive
- Automotive Technician
- Auto Body and Paint Technician
- Quick Service (Inspection) Technician
- Service Advisor
- Brake/Suspension and Light Service Technician
Skilled and Technical Trades
- Shielded Metal Arc Welding
- Gas Tungsten Arc Welding
- Air Conditioning and Heating
- Plumbing I-III
- Electronics Technician
Hospitality & Culinary Arts
- Culinary Arts
- Culinary Arts & Sciences
- Advanced Culinary Arts
- Baking & Pastry Arts I and II
- Culinary Nutrition
- Introduction to Hospitality Industry
Business, Accounting & Entrepreneurship
- Account Clerk
- Administrative Professional
- Project Management / Advanced Project Management
- Small Business Planning / Small Business Growth
- AI for Business
- Business Sales
- Google for Business
Information Technology (online)
- Desktop Technician
- Security Essentials
- Cybersecurity Analyst
- Windows System Administration
- Linux Server Administration
- Cloud Solutions AWS-Associate
- AWS Specialty Security
- AWS Specialty Machine Learning
- Web Server Technologies and Applications (DevOps)
Campus Locations
San Diego, CA 4343 Ocean View Blvd., San Diego, CA 92113
San Diego, CA 1901 Main St., San Diego, CA 92113
San Diego, CA 3792 Fairmount Ave., San Diego, CA 92105
San Diego, CA 8355 Aero Dr., San Diego, CA 92123
San Diego, CA 3249 Fordham St., San Diego, CA 92110
San Diego, CA 7350 Armstrong Place, San Diego, CA 92111
San Diego, CA 10440 Black Mountain Road, San Diego, CA 92126