| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Type | Public two-year community college, one of the California Community Colleges (San Joaquin Delta Community College District); campus-based, with more than 60 online pathways by the college’s count |
| Campuses | 3 in San Joaquin County, California: Stockton (main), South Campus at Mountain House and Manteca Farm; evening classes also held in Lodi |
| Credentials | Associate degrees (AA, AS, AA-T and AS-T for transfer), Certificates of Achievement and noncredit certificates |
| Programs | 233 degree, certificate and noncredit awards in the college’s program finder |
| Accreditation | ACCJC; reaffirmed January 2022; self-evaluation filed August 2026 for the 2027 review; no sanction |
| Federal aid | Yes (OPEID 00128000) |
| 2026-27 cost | $46 per unit for California residents; $374 per unit for nonresidents |
| Students | 18,226 in fall 2023, 44% full-time |
| Facts checked | October 2026 |
Delta College: Stockton’s public two-year college, with three sites
San Joaquin Delta College, usually called Delta College, is the public college of the San Joaquin Delta Community College District and one of the California Community Colleges. The state sets its enrollment fee and the district sets nonresident tuition. It is a different school from Delta College in Michigan.
The main campus is in Stockton. A South Campus at Mountain House teaches general education and transfer courses, the Manteca Farm hosts agriculture, and evening classes are held in Lodi. Fall 2023 enrollment was 18,226, and 56% of students attended part-time. Besides transfer degrees, the college runs licensure and trade programs: registered nursing, psychiatric technology, radiologic technology with San Joaquin General Hospital, a POST peace officer academy, and automotive, diesel and welding certificates. A new paramedic program is due to take its first students in fall 2027.
Career programs at Delta College
The college’s program finder lists 233 awards, counting noncredit certificates and same-name degrees and certificates separately. The table covers the main career programs. Every credit course costs the same per unit (see the fees section), so the table gives units rather than prices.
| Program | Credential | Units / length | Where | Prepares for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing | Nursing AS, special admission | 76.5 units | Stockton | NCLEX-RN |
| Psychiatric Technology | Certificate of Achievement, 45 units; AS, 72 units; special admission | About one year after prerequisites | Stockton | California psychiatric technician licensure exam |
| Radiologic Technology | Hospital certificate plus a Delta associate degree | 24 months full-time; about 83.5 units | San Joaquin General Hospital and Stockton; clinicals at partner hospitals | ARRT exam, California CRT |
| Nurse Assistant and Home Health Aide | Certificate of Achievement, 9 units, or noncredit certificate | About 10 weeks | Stockton; Lodi Adult School | California CNA exam; home health aide |
| EMT | 8 units | 12 weeks | Stockton | NREMT exam, California EMT certification |
| Basic Peace Officer Academy | Certificate of Achievement, 36 units; special admission | Modular format | Stockton | California POST-accredited basic academy |
| Automotive Electric Technology | Certificate of Achievement, 38 units | – | Stockton | Smog Check Inspector and Repair Technician, Brake and Lamp Adjuster licences |
| Auto Body Repair & Restoration | Three Certificates of Achievement | 18, 36 and 20 units | Stockton | ASE and I-CAR (graduates may earn) |
| Diesel and Heavy Equipment | Two AS degrees and five certificates | 24 to 66.5 units | Stockton | CARB heavy-duty emissions, SAE air conditioning |
| Welding Technology | Certificate of Achievement, 42.5 units; three 20-unit process certificates | – | Stockton | – |
| Logistics and Transportation | AS, 60 units; certificates of 24 and 15 units | – | Stockton or online sections | – |
| Computer Science | AS and AS-T, 60 units; certificates of 34.5 to 54.5 units | – | Stockton; web developer certificate online; Cisco courses at Mountain House | – |
| Paralegal / Legal Assistant | Certificate of Achievement, 24 units; AS, 60 units | – | Fully online | – |
| Real Estate | Certificates of 12, 24 and 24 units; AS, 60 units | – | Stockton or online sections | California DRE salesperson and broker exams |
| Interior Design | Certificate of Achievement, 27 units; AA, 60 units | – | Stockton | – |
Programmatic accreditation: ACEN for the Nursing AS, JRCERT for Radiologic Technology, California POST for the Basic Peace Officer Academy, and the ASE Education Foundation (NATEF) plus California’s Bureau of Automotive Repair for Automotive Electric Technology. Interior Design is not CIDA-accredited, and the college does not claim ABA approval for its paralegal program.
We found no LVN program at Delta; Psychiatric Technology is its separate state-licensed program. Paramedic Education (29 units, 18 months) starts in fall 2027. Logistics trains supervisors and shipping staff, not truck drivers, and there is no CDL program. Correctional Science (AS and certificate), Substance Abuse Counselor and Mental Health Specialist certificates, Graphic Arts, American Sign Language and administrative office certificates can also be completed with online sections. The college also lists Electrical Technology, Heating & Air Conditioning, Machine Technology and Culinary Arts degrees and certificates; confirm current offerings in the catalog before applying.
What the main programs cover
Registered Nursing (Nursing AS)
The Nursing AS is a special-admission degree: students finish prerequisite courses first and then compete for a seat. The college’s page lists no LVN-to-RN or 30-unit option, so the page shows a single associate degree track. The college reported a 99% program completion rate for 2023-24, alongside the 2023-24 NCLEX-RN result it still shows. The degree totals 76.5 units and ends with eligibility for the NCLEX-RN and California RN licensure. Prerequisite and general education courses can be taken at Mountain House as well as Stockton.
Psychiatric Technology
Psychiatric Technology prepares students for California’s psychiatric technician licence, issued by the state Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians. Delta offers it as a 45-unit Certificate of Achievement or a 72-unit AS, and both are special-admission. Once prerequisites are done and a student is accepted, the program runs about one year. It is not an LVN route, and we found no LVN program at Delta. The program page publishes no licensure pass rate, so ask the department for recent results before applying.
Radiologic Technology
San Joaquin General Hospital sponsors the program and issues its certificate of completion, while Delta supplies the academic side. Students enroll at both, complete about 83.5 semester units and earn a Delta associate degree, which ARRT requires before its exam. The program is full-time for 24 months, about 40 hours a week for 50 weeks a year, starting in mid-August. Clinical rotations are at San Joaquin General, Dignity St. Joseph’s, Lodi Adventist Memorial and Sutter Gould. Entry starts with the HS 85 survey course and a lottery for 12 to 15 places a year.
Basic Peace Officer Academy
Delta runs its Basic Peace Officer Academy under California POST accreditation. It is a 36-unit Certificate of Achievement taught in a modular format, and it is a special-admission program; the academy office is in Room 134 of the Holt Center on the Stockton campus. Delta also offers the Law Enforcement certificate and, for corrections work, the Correctional Science AS and certificate, all of which can be completed with online sections.
Automotive Electric and Auto Body
Automotive Electric Technology is a 38-unit certificate built around California’s licensing system: its Level I and II courses train toward the Smog Check Inspector and Smog Check Repair Technician licences, and the program also prepares students for the Brake and Lamp Adjuster licence. It carries ASE Education Foundation (NATEF) and Bureau of Automotive Repair certification. Auto Body Repair & Restoration is a separate ladder of three certificates, Basic, Intermediate and Advanced, with no degree; the college says graduates may go on to earn ASE and I-CAR certifications.
2026-27 fees: $46 a unit for Californians
California community colleges have no separate in-district rate, so every California resident pays the same $46-per-unit enrollment fee. Nonresidents, including international students, pay $328 per unit in tuition on top of that from summer 2026, for $374 per unit. The California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office’s 2026-27 nonresident report puts a 30-unit year at $11,220 for nonresidents; the resident figure of $1,380 is the same 30 units at $46.
| 2026-27 | California resident | Nonresident |
|---|---|---|
| Enrollment fee, per unit | $46 | $46 |
| Nonresident tuition, per unit (from summer 2026) | – | $328 |
| Total per unit | $46 | $374 |
| 30 units (a full-time year) | $1,380 | $11,220 |
| Student health fee | $26 a semester ($22 summer) | same |
| Student representation fee | $2 a semester | same |
| Parking | $30 a semester for a car, or $2 a day | same |
College Navigator gives 2024-25 tuition and fees of $1,180 a year in-state and $9,772 out-of-state, and Niche puts the average net price at $3,293 a year, from federal data. Delta College takes federal student aid (OPEID 00128000). Radiologic Technology has extra costs: the program’s information sheet, revised in January 2022, put mandatory costs at about $8,166, including a $1,000-a-year facility fee. Uniforms, kits and academy fees for other programs vary; ask the department.
Open admission, with selective health and academy programs
Most programs have open admission. Nursing, Psychiatric Technology, Nurse Assistant/Home Health Aide, Paramedic, the Basic Peace Officer Academy and Radiologic Technology are special-admission programs with prerequisites and their own selection; Radiologic Technology chooses 12 to 15 students a year by lottery.
Stockton and Mountain House run day, evening and online sections. The Lodi classes, at the World of Wonders Science Museum, are late afternoon and evening only, and admissions, financial aid and counseling staff are there on Monday afternoons. Radiologic Technology is full-time at about 40 hours a week, and EMT fits in one 12-week semester. The college says more than 60 degrees and certificates can be finished online, but only by choosing online sections for every course.
Accreditation and results
Delta College is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC), which lists it as accredited with no sanction. The Commission reaffirmed accreditation in January 2022, the college filed a midterm report in March 2024, and its 2026 self-evaluation report, dated August 2026, prepares for the next full review in 2027. College Navigator lists the college as accredited since 1952.
| Measure | Result | Period and source |
|---|---|---|
| Nursing, first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate | 84.62% of 117 testers | 2024-25, California Board of Registered Nursing |
| Nursing, first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate | 92.06% of 126 testers | 2023-24, California Board of Registered Nursing |
| Nursing, first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate | 89.06% (2022-23), 81.20% (2021-22), 82.89% (2020-21) | California Board of Registered Nursing |
| Graduation rate | 32% within 150% of normal time; 8% transferred out | Full-time, first-time students entering fall 2020, College Navigator |
| Retention | 70% of full-time and 49% of part-time students returned | Fall 2022 to fall 2023, College Navigator |
The college’s nursing page still shows the 2023-24 result of 92.06%. We found no college-published job placement rates, and the Radiologic Technology pages list goals rather than actual completion, exam or employment results. No pass rates were found for psychiatric technician licensure, EMT or the academy.
Before you enroll
- The latest NCLEX-RN first-time pass rate is 84.62% (2024-25, California BRN), lower than the 92.06% the college’s nursing page still shows for 2023-24.
- Radiologic Technology takes only 12 to 15 students a year by lottery, and the program’s information sheet described a waitlist for 2024-26 and a possible wait of three years.
- The paralegal program does not claim ABA approval and we found none, and Interior Design is not CIDA-accredited. Check whether the employers or schools you have in mind expect either.
- California is not part of SARA, and the college pages we read do not say whether Delta enrolls online students who live in other states. Ask before applying from outside California, and note that nonresidents pay $374 a unit, about eight times the resident fee.
- Only 32% of first-time, full-time students who started in fall 2020 finished within 150% of normal program time, and 8% transferred out (College Navigator).
Three sites in San Joaquin County
| Campus | Address | What is taught there |
|---|---|---|
| Stockton (main) | 5151 Pacific Avenue, Stockton, CA 95207 | Almost every program: nursing, psychiatric technology, CNA, EMT, radiologic technology classes, POST academy, auto, auto body, diesel and welding, business and computer science; the college also lists electrical, HVAC, machine and culinary programs (confirm current offerings) |
| South Campus at Mountain House | 2073 S. Central Parkway, Mountain House, CA 95391 | General education and transfer courses, nursing prerequisites, Cisco Networking Academy, ESL, Early College Pathway; no complete program taught only here |
| Manteca Farm | 14095 S State Route 99 W Frontage Rd., Manteca, CA 95336 | Agriculture: horticulture, plant science, agribusiness, animal science, ag mechanics |
Evening classes are also held in Lodi at the World of Wonders Science Museum, 2 N. Sacramento St., and the CNA program is taught at Lodi Adult School as well as Stockton. Neither Lodi site is a full campus. Clinical training takes place at San Joaquin General Hospital and other partner hospitals.
Tutoring, food pantry and campus police in Stockton
The Stockton campus has tutoring, counseling, health and wellness services, a library and a food pantry that the college says distributes about 38,000 pounds of food each semester. It also has its own campus police department, with 33 staff. In Lodi, admissions, financial aid and counseling are available on Monday afternoons from 2:30 to 5 p.m.
What students say
On Niche, San Joaquin Delta College is rated 3.71 out of 5 from 1,522 reviews, with an overall grade of C+ (checked 10 October 2026); about 69% of reviewers gave three or four stars. Reviewers most often praise the mix of online, hybrid and in-person classes, the low cost as a step before transferring, helpful tutoring, counseling and career resources, and a diverse, welcoming community. The main complaints are long waits for counseling, uneven instructors, especially online, difficulty getting the classes students want (only 46% of Niche respondents agree it is easy), and safety around the Stockton area along with dated restrooms and classrooms. The reviews cover the whole college rather than particular career programs, and we could not see review dates to tell whether they were invited by the school or posted in bursts.
Sources
Checked October 2026: Delta College tuition and fees · CCCCO 2026-27 nonresident tuition report · ACCJC directory · Delta College campus locations · California BRN NCLEX-RN pass rates · Radiologic Technology accreditation · College Navigator · Niche
Programs & Courses
Nursing and Health
- Registered Nursing (Nursing AS)
- Psychiatric Technology
- Nurse Assistant and Home Health Aide (CNA/HHA)
- Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)
- Radiologic Technology (with San Joaquin General Hospital)
- Paramedic Education (first cohort fall 2027)
Public Safety and Law
- Basic Peace Officer Academy (POST)
- Law Enforcement (certificate)
- Correctional Science
- Administration of Justice (transfer degree)
- Paralegal / Legal Assistant Studies (online)
Automotive and Diesel
- Automotive Electric Technology
- Automotive Body Repair & Restoration
- Diesel Equipment Technician
- Heavy Equipment Technician
Skilled Trades
- Welding Technology
- Electrical Technology
- Heating & Air Conditioning
- Machine Technology
Business
- Accounting
- Business
- Logistics and Transportation
- Real Estate
- Administrative Office
Computers
- Computer Science
- Computer Programming (Certificate)
- Computer Web Developer (Certificate)
- Computer Support
- Computer Networking Software
- Computer Information Systems
Human Services and Education
- Substance Abuse Counselor (Certificate)
- Mental Health Specialist (Certificate)
- Early Childhood Education
Design and Culinary
- Interior Design
- Graphic Arts
- Culinary Arts
Agriculture (Manteca Farm)
- Agriculture Plant Science
- Agriculture Business (transfer degree)
- Viticulture
Campus Locations
Stockton, CA 5151 Pacific Avenue, Stockton, CA 95207
Mountain House, CA 2073 S. Central Parkway, Mountain House, CA 95391
Manteca, CA 14095 S State Route 99 W Frontage Rd., Manteca, CA 95336