| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Type | Public community college in the San José-Evergreen Community College District (California Community Colleges) |
| Campus | One campus, 2100 Moorpark Avenue, San Jose, CA. A Milpitas Extension offers general-education and dual-enrollment classes only |
| Credentials | Associate degrees (AA, AS, AA-T, AS-T), state-approved Certificates of Achievement at Levels 1 to 3, Certificates of Specialization and noncredit certificates |
| Typical length | Cosmetology two semesters plus a summer; esthetics usually two semesters; dental assisting 11 months |
| Enrollment | About 14,432 students a year (college count); 8,609 in fall 2024 (federal IPEDS) |
| Accreditation | ACCJC; reaffirmed for seven years in January 2024 with no recommendations |
| Federal aid | Yes |
| 2026-27 fees | $46 per unit for California residents; $435 per unit for out-of-state and international students |
| Founded | 1921, as San José Junior College; on Moorpark Avenue since 1953 |
| Facts checked | 8 October 2026 |
San Jose’s public college, from cosmetology to CNC machining
San José City College opened in 1921 as San José Junior College, set up by San José High School and San José State Teachers College, with 86 students. It moved to its Moorpark Avenue campus in 1953 and took its current name in 1958, and it now belongs to the San José-Evergreen Community College District with its sister college, Evergreen Valley College. Alongside transfer courses, it teaches career certificates in cosmetology, esthetics, dental and medical assisting, air conditioning and refrigeration, facilities maintenance, construction and CNC machining. Federal IPEDS data show cosmetology and medical assisting among its most common certificates. The college has no nursing program. In 2024-25 it awarded 916 associate degrees and 709 certificates.
Career programs on the Moorpark Avenue campus
SJCC awards associate degrees and state-approved Certificates of Achievement at three levels, Level 1 being the smallest. The table lists the main career programs from the 2026-27 catalog and department pages (checked October 2026); a dash means the source gave no figure. All of them are taught on the Moorpark Avenue campus.
| Program | Credential | Size and schedule | Accreditation or approval | Prepares for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cosmetology | Certificate of Achievement Level 3; AS | 44 units, 1,200 hours; full-time, 34 hours a week; supplemental application and waitlist | – | California Board of Barbering and Cosmetology licence exam |
| Esthetics | Certificate of Achievement Level 2 | 600 clock hours; full-time, evenings | – | Board of Barbering and Cosmetology esthetician exam |
| Dental Assisting | Certificate of Achievement Level 3; AS | 32 units, 11 months; fall or spring entry; 120-hour summer internship | CODA; Dental Board of California | California RDA; DANB CDA |
| Medical Assisting: Clinical | Certificate of Achievement Level 3; AS | 31–32 units; start spring, summer or fall; 4-unit clinical practicum | None listed | NCCT, CCMA and AMT RMA exams named by the department |
| Medical Assisting: Administrative | Certificate of Achievement Level 3; AS | 33–34 units; 4-unit front-office practicum | None listed | NCMOA fits best |
| Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Technology | Certificates of Achievement Level 2 and 3 (32 units); AS | Optional work-experience course | – | EPA Section 608 (course AIRC 133) |
| Facilities Maintenance Technology | Certificate of Achievement Level 3 (40 units); AS | Includes 2-unit work experience | – | No industry certification named |
| Construction Technology | Certificate of Achievement Level 3 (36 units); AA, AS | 27 required units; 9-unit Residential Carpentry certificate also offered | – | No licence named |
| Machine Technology | CNC Machine Operator (18 units), Entry Level Machinist, CNC CAD/CAM Machinist certificates; AS | Accelerated daytime or evening | – | No industry credential named |
| Early Childhood Education | AS, AS-T; four certificates, Levels 1–3 | – | NAEYC (AS and AS-T, to March 2028) | – |
| Computer Information Systems | Programming, Web Developer and networking AS degrees and certificates; Google IT Support Professional certificate | – | – | CCNA, MCSA, MCSE-named certificates |
| Real Estate | Certificate of Achievement Level 2; AS | – | – | California Department of Real Estate licence |
Ironworking is different from the rest: it is related classroom instruction for registered ironworker apprentices who already work for a participating employer. The college also teaches Alcohol & Drug Studies, a CCAPP-certified program that prepares students for CCAPP’s written exam toward CADC counselor certification.
What the main programs cover
Cosmetology
The cosmetology certificate is five courses: Fundamentals 1 and 2 (COS 110A and 110B), Advanced 1 and 2 (COS 120A and 120B), each 9.5 units, and a 6-unit specialties course (COS 125). Together they add up to the 1,200 hours the state board requires. The schedule is full-time, at 34 hours a week, and the department is based in Room C101A. Entry is not automatic: applicants join a waitlist through a supplemental application, with fall applications handled in April and spring applications in October.
Esthetics
Esthetics is an evening program: the 600 hours are taught full-time in the evenings, normally across two semesters, with an optional summer. Students practise skin care on clients in the program’s own clinic, which books appointments at 7:45 p.m. on Tuesdays and at 5:45 and 7:45 p.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Applicants must be at least 18 to sit the state esthetician exam, and they apply in the same April and October windows as cosmetology.
Dental assisting
Dental assisting is 14 DENT courses taken full-time over 11 months. Radiography is taught in DENT 154 and 161, coronal polishing in DENT 161 and pit and fissure sealants in DENT 165. In the summer, students complete a full-time internship rotation of 120 hours. Students need CPR certification and a TB test, and the Hepatitis B vaccination must be done before the second semester. Every course has to be passed with a C or better, and new students start in fall or spring.
Medical assisting
SJCC splits medical assisting into two certificates. The clinical track teaches medical terminology, physical exam and laboratory procedures, asepsis and surgical procedures, office emergencies and medication administration, and ends with MA 024, a clinical practicum in a physician’s office, clinic or hospital. The administrative track teaches front-office and financial procedures, electronic health records, billing and coding, and ends with the MA 012 front-office practicum. The catalog does not say who arranges practicum sites. Students can start in spring, summer or fall.
Air conditioning and refrigeration
The Level 3 certificate starts with air conditioning principles (AIRC 121) and refrigeration principles (AIRC 122), moves on to intermediate air conditioning and refrigeration service (AIRC 131 and 132), then covers hydronics and air distribution (AIRC 141) and air conditioning control systems (AIRC 142). The EPA Section 608 refrigerant recovery course, AIRC 133, is part of the required sequence, and FMT 100 adds a facilities maintenance course. The AIRC 138 work-experience course is optional.
Machine technology
Machine technology runs on two schedules, an accelerated daytime program and an evening program. The CNC Machine Operator certificate is four courses: CNC mill (MACH 120), CNC lathe (MACH 123), advanced CNC (MACH 126) and CNC programming (MACH 129). The Entry Level Machinist certificate’s catalog page lists an 18-unit core but mentions 33 total units in its elective note, so ask the department which total applies before planning a schedule.
Fees for 2026-27
Every California resident pays the same statewide enrollment fee, so SJCC has no separate in-district rate. The catalog and the college’s fee page give these rates:
| Fee (2026-27) | Amount |
|---|---|
| California resident enrollment fee | $46 per unit (statewide rate; no separate in-district rate) |
| Out-of-state and international students | $389 tuition + $46 enrollment fee = $435 per unit, from Fall 2026 |
| Health services fee | $21 per fall or spring semester |
| Student activity fee | $5 per semester |
| Student representation fee | $2 per semester (can be declined) |
| Transit pass | $11 per semester with 6 or more units; $6.50 under 6 units |
| Parking | $45 per semester for a car ($25 with a California College Promise Grant) |
Thirty units a year therefore cost a California resident about $1,380 in enrollment fees and an out-of-state or international student about $13,050, before the campus fees above (our arithmetic from the published rates). The cosmetology department estimates its whole program at about $6,000. Books, materials, uniforms and licensing exam fees are extra. Federal IPEDS data put the average net price at $19,585 for 2024, a figure that includes living costs.
SJCC takes federal financial aid, and federal data show 58% of undergraduates received grants in 2024. The California College Promise Grant waives the $46 enrollment fee for eligible low-income California residents, but not the health, activity or transit fees. The Veterans Resource Center in the Student Center (Room SC-215) certifies enrollment for VA education benefits and works with the U.S. VA and CalVet.
Admissions, starts and schedules
SJCC is open admission; students apply through CCCApply, and high school students can take classes through dual enrollment. Several career programs then have their own entry steps:
- Cosmetology: supplemental application and waitlist; fall applications in April, spring in October.
- Esthetics: same April and October cycle; classes in the evening.
- Dental Assisting: fall or spring entry; full-time; CPR, TB test and Hepatitis B vaccination required.
- Medical Assisting: start in spring, summer or fall, part-time or full-time.
- Machine Technology: accelerated daytime or evening program.
Accreditation and results
SJCC is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC). A letter dated 16 January 2024 reaffirmed its accreditation for seven years with no recommendations, and its midterm report is due on 15 October 2027. Dental Assisting is accredited by CODA and approved by the Dental Board of California, and the Early Childhood Education AS and AS-T are accredited by NAEYC through March 2028.
| Measure | Result | Cohort and source |
|---|---|---|
| Graduation within 150% of normal time | 32% | Full-time, first-time students; federal IPEDS data, 2024 data year |
| Retention to second year | 65% | Full-time students; federal IPEDS data, 2024 data year |
| Awards in 2024-25 | 916 associate degrees, 709 certificates | College figures |
| Licence exam pass rates and job placement | Not published by SJCC | The college’s license-exam page links to the state agencies instead |
The federal graduation rate counts only full-time students attending college for the first time, while most SJCC students study part-time: of 8,609 students in fall 2024, 6,823 were part-time. The college’s own count of about 14,432 students a year covers everyone enrolled over a full year.
Before you enroll
- San Jose City College has no nursing program. Its Health Sciences AA and certificate are prerequisite courses for applying to nursing and other health programs elsewhere, not job training, and a review summary on Niche that mentions nursing is wrong.
- Medical assisting has no programmatic accreditation listed in the catalog. The department names the NCCT, CCMA and AMT exams; graduates who want the AAMA’s CMA credential should check their eligibility before enrolling.
- Cosmetology and esthetics are not open enrollment: cosmetology takes a supplemental application and has a waitlist, both programs take applications only in April (for fall) and October (for spring), and cosmetology is full-time at 34 hours a week.
- Some trade awards are small or limited. The Residential Carpentry certificate is 9 units with no apprenticeship partner, no HVAC apprenticeship is named, and Ironworking is open only to registered ironworker apprentices with a participating employer.
- SJCC publishes no licence-exam pass rates or job placement rates of its own; its license-exam page links to the state licensing agencies instead.
Practicums and career help
The Job Development Center and the Transfer Center are on campus. Dental assisting ends with a 120-hour summer internship rotation, both medical assisting certificates end with a 4-unit practicum, and the air conditioning and refrigeration, facilities maintenance and construction programs offer work-experience courses.
What students say on Niche
On Niche, San Jose City College averages 3.76 out of 5 from 351 reviews (checked 8 October 2026). Reviewers most often praise a welcoming and diverse campus, small classes with helpful professors, and good transfer pathways, along with counseling, tutoring and the low cost. The most common complaints are a quiet campus with few events and clubs, mixed experiences with the international-student program and some professors, and too few in-person classes. We could not see when the reviews were posted, so we can’t say whether they arrived in bursts.
Sources
Checked 8 October 2026: SJCC 2026-2027 Catalog · Degrees and certificates · SJCC fees and refunds · ACCJC action letters · SJCC license exam page · Data USA (IPEDS) · Niche
Programs & Courses
Cosmetology and Esthetics
- Cosmetology (Certificate of Achievement Level 3, 44 units / 1,200 hours; AS)
- Esthetics (Certificate of Achievement Level 2, 600 hours, evenings)
Health
- Dental Assisting (Certificate of Achievement Level 3, 32 units; AS)
- Medical Assisting: Clinical (Certificate of Achievement Level 3; AS)
- Medical Assisting: Administrative (Certificate of Achievement Level 3; AS)
- Patient Navigator (Certificate of Achievement Level 1)
- Alcohol & Drug Studies (AA; Certificate of Achievement Level 2; Certificates of Specialization)
Skilled Trades
- Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Technology (AS; Certificates of Achievement Level 2 and 3)
- Facilities Maintenance Technology (AS; Certificate of Achievement Level 3)
- Construction Technology (AA, AS; Certificate of Achievement Level 3)
- Residential Carpentry Technology (Certificate of Achievement Level 1, 9 units)
- Residential Maintenance (Certificate of Achievement Level 2)
- Machine Technology (AS; CNC Machine Operator, Entry Level Machinist and CNC CAD/CAM Machinist certificates)
- Ironworking (Certificate of Achievement Level 1; registered apprentices only)
- Laser Technology (Certificate of Achievement Level 1)
Business and Real Estate
- Accounting (AS; Certificate of Achievement Level 2)
- Business: Management, Marketing and Entrepreneurship (AS; Certificates of Achievement)
- Project Management (Certificate of Achievement Level 1)
- Real Estate (AS; Certificate of Achievement Level 2)
Computer Information Systems
- Computer Programming (AS; Certificates of Achievement Level 2 and 3)
- Web Developer (AS; Certificates of Achievement Level 2 and 3)
- Networking: General Networking, CCNA, MCSA, MCSE and UNIX Networks (AS degrees and certificates)
- Google IT Support Professional (Certificate of Achievement)
Digital Media Arts
- Graphic Design (AA)
- UX & Interaction Design (AS; Certificate of Achievement Level 2)
- Motion Graphic Design (AS; Certificate of Achievement Level 2)
Education and Justice
- Early Childhood Education (AS, AS-T; Associate Teacher, Teacher, Inclusion Specialist and Master Teacher certificates)
- Administration of Justice (AS, AS-T)
- Judicial Administration (AS; court operations, court management and supervision certificates)
Campus Locations
San Jose, CA 2100 Moorpark Avenue, San Jose, CA 95128