Miracosta College is a public, two-year college located in Oceanside, 35 miles north of San Diego. The 120-acre Miracosta campus boasts both mountain and ocean views. In-state tuition was less than $700 for the 2010 academic year. The college offers a wide range of majors, a student newspaper, a large wellness/fitness center, a theater, free tutoring in most subjects, on-site daycare and a surfing team. The campus serves 8,000 students each semester, with an average class size of 30.
Palomar College is a public, two-year college located in San Marcos, about 12 miles southeast of Oceanside and 30 miles north of San Diego. The 200-acre campus includes an art gallery, theater and arboretum. In early 2010, the school began construction of a new planetarium (to replace the old one). Palomar College offers a wide range of majors and certificate programs and serves 30,000 students each year. It has a tutoring center, writing center, radio station, student newspaper, a dozen sports teams and programs in performance arts. Credits transfer easily to the University of California and California State University systems.
Kaplan College is a private (for profit), two-year college. Its Vista, California campus, formerly one of the Maric College campuses, is located eight miles east of Oceanside. Kaplan College provides hands-on, career-focused education leading to a certificate or associate's degree. The college serves about 330 students and offers limited majors, most of which prepare students for careers in health care. Other programs include criminal justice and information technology. Kaplan College offers career placement services to help students plan for a career, find a job, hone interview skills and polish a resume or cover letter.
The San Diego Community College District educates more than 100,000 students each year in San Diego, 35 miles south of Oceanside. There are three community colleges and six continuing education (life enrichment) campuses. The three colleges are San Diego City College, San Diego Mesa College and San Diego Miramar College. All are public, two-year institutions that offer a wide range of degrees, certificates and services.