About Lorain County Community College

Founded in 1963, Lorain County Community College is dedicated to providing quality, affordable training and education to meet your needs. 

Whether your goal is an associate degree, additional workforce training or an advanced degree, LCCC has a program to meet those needs.

LCCC is proud to serve as a cornerstone for Lorain County. The College provides the opportunity for students to complete the following:

  • Associate degrees
  • Short-term and one-year certificates
  • Applied bachelor’s degree
  • Workforce training
  • Through LCCC’s University Partnership, students can earn a bachelor’s or master’s degree from 14 Ohio universities and colleges.

LCCC keeps tuition low – currently, one of the lowest tuition rates in Ohio, allowing students to graduate with the skills needed for employment and little or no debt.
 

Your Success is Our Goal

An LCCC education puts you in a position to succeed. In 2018 LCCC was named the top community college in the country for Excellence in Student Success by the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC).  Achieving the Dream named LCCC a Leader College of Distinction in 2019 and 2022 and awarded LCCC the Leah Austin Meyer Award, the highest distinction awarded within the Achieving the Dream network, in 2020. In 2019, LCCC was also named among the Top 150 Community Colleges by the Aspen Institute, recognizing its focus on student outcomes and transformational changes with the student in mind.  LCCC was also recently recognized by Harvard University’s Project on Workforce (2022), highlighting the critical role innovative, community-centered colleges play in forging pathways to good jobs in their regions and nationally. The College’s past work and focus on student outcomes has also earned a spot in the Aspen Unlocking Opportunities program (2023), a highly selective cohort of only 10 community colleges engaged in research and program design with improved post-graduation outcomes in mind. These honors indicate that LCCC focuses on every aspect of your success, from redesigned advising models to expanding holistic student supports and creating program and career pathways that help you complete your degree efficiently and cost-effectively. Our goal is to make sure you are successful – no matter how big your dreams.

A Career by Design:

LCCC students can expect a highly supportive and intentionally designed experience as it relates to career planning. LCCC’s vision for students’ career development is that:

  • All students have a career support system, such as a mentor or learning community of peers.
  • All students know what is considered a livable wage in our community and how their chosen pathway will get them there.
  • All students become familiar with the areas of high opportunity in the region.
  • All students see themselves as transfer students, despite their unique timelines for ongoing educational attainment.
  • All students can make informed academic and career path decisions.

Guided by Vision 2025 and LCCC’s core mission and values, Career by Design refers to a college-wide focus on supporting individual and family needs related to career and employment. LCCC’s academic advising model, work-based learning opportunities, engaged and dedicated faculty, the University Partnership, strong employer connections, and the College’s deep awareness of the regional labor market and economic landscape are critical ingredients in LCCC’s high-quality student academic and career planning experience.

At LCCC, your experience will be supported by outreach, advising and career planning teams with direct and unique knowledge of the regional talent needs and gaps. Over 70 student service team members have received specialized economic and workforce development training within Northeast Ohio. They are equipped to facilitate transparent and supportive planning discussions with the students. Look for the “Career by Design” badge to spot an individual who can help answer your questions about the world of work.

Vision 2025: 10,000 Degrees of Impact

LCCC’s current strategic plan, Vision 2025, sets forth a bold promise to our community: By 2025, 10,000 individuals will earn an LCCC certificate or degree that will increase their earning potential and have a long-term impact on our local community and economy. LCCC’s commitment to this goal is supported through five areas of focus:

• Student-Focused: Expand Participation 
• Success-Focused: Increase Completion and Academic Success
• Future Focused: Foster Future Success
• Work-Focused: Improve Economic Competitiveness
• Community-Focused: Enhance Quality of Life

Guided by Vision 2025, LCCC seeks to connect with all members of its community and provide access to upward social mobility through educational pathways. Read more about Vision 2025.  

Completion Plan (2022-2024)

As a public institution of higher education in Ohio, LCCC submits a Completion Plan to the Ohio Department of Higher Education every two years. Completion Plans are designed to chart a course for the Ohio public colleges’ student success and completion goals. They include an update on the institutions’ ongoing or previous work and initiatives. LCCC’s most recent Completion Plan, approved by its District Board of Trustees in June 2020, highlights its key focus areas for 2020-2022, supported by Vision 2025. 

Focus on Equity

Lorain County Community College is committed to equity, the idea that students from marginalized and underrepresented populations have access to resources that empower student success and close completion achievement gaps. Equity is based upon the principle of fairness and is distinct from equality. While equality involves treating everyone the same way, equity provides each individual or group with what they need to have an equal opportunity to succeed. A commitment to equity also includes identifying and removing structural barriers faced by underserved students. As a campus community, we will adopt practices that promote equity, grow the culture of inclusion, demand social justice and use that power to ensure success for all students. 

Achieving the Dream provides some examples of historically underrepresented students. These include but are not limited to: first-generation and low-income students; students of color; adult students; marginalized orientations, gender identities, and intersex students; students with second-language backgrounds; undocumented students; veterans; students with disabilities; students with dependents; foster care youth; and formerly and currently incarcerated students.

Our Students

LCCC is a dynamic, student-centered college intentionally designed to support individuals with balancing multiple roles on their path to college completion. 85% of LCCC students work while attending college, with the majority working at least half-time. The average age of LCCC’s students is 24, and many bring life experiences that include caring for dependents, serving in the military, or completing some prior college. Over 80% of LCCC students receive financial assistance through grants and scholarships, and LCCC has been nationally recognized for holistic, fully integrated services and commitment to student success.