New school year for Santa Barbara City College gives students multiple routes to four-year schools and jobs

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - The start of the school year for students at Santa Barbara City College (SBCC) will open doors to many choices in higher education and careers ahead.

"I happen to believe that education is the biggest equalizer of the playing field," said Santa Barbara City College President Erika Endrijonas.

For some, their start comes with very little cost on their end.

Many students are taking advantage of the Promise Program where they get free books and tuition for two years if they are a graduate of a high school from the South Coast (Carpinteria to Gaviota).

"The promise is not just  a promise to those students it is to the whole community. We really think it is an incredible investment to  keep local students here ," said Rachel Johnson the SBCC Foundation Chief Program Officer. "If they get other financial aid, they can use it for things like living in Santa Barbara, rent, food and things like that."

Many students are also involved in a connection with SBCC as early as high school with a dual enrollment program that allows them to take classes to complete high school and get an early start on college at the same time.

The partner schools for the promise program include Dos Pueblos High School, San Marcos High School, Santa Barbara High School, Bishop Garcia Diego, and Carpinteria High School. Anyone else in another schooling process such as home schooling or adult high school that gets a General Educational Development (GED) diploma also qualifies.

Students are also making some early decisions on the path ahead by either getting a two-year degree and a vocational job or going forward to a four-year school for advanced degrees.

There is an automatic transfer agreement for students who graduate from SBCC to a long list of four-year colleges. Second year student Kaeleigh Missoff said, "that's really cool so I can be guaranteed acceptance into there so I don't have to deal with waiting to see if I got in or anything. It's a good school. "

Students at SBCC have options for on line or in person classes. All ages are served by community colleges.

"Explore learning.  Explore your career passion.  Explore your love of knowledge an be a lifelong learner," said Endrijonas.

For more information go to : Santa Barbara City College