Huntington Beach, California · Public · 2-year · Large suburb
Overview
Golden West College is a public two-year institution in Huntington Beach, California. Its campus is in a large suburban area. Fall 2024 enrollment was 10,721 students. It is part of California Community College System.
Golden West College offers certificates and associate degrees across 70 programs. Its largest programs by number of graduates are Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies, and Biological and Physical Sciences. It awarded 5,235 degrees and certificates in 2024-25.
The school has an open admission policy. 70% of full-time first-year students return for a second year. The student-to-faculty ratio is 29 to 1.
Key figures
Open
Admission policy
10,721
Students enrolled
70%
First-year retention
5,235
Degrees and certificates awarded, 2024-25
70
Programs and majors
29:1
Student-to-faculty ratio
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Delivery modes
CampusOnlineHybrid
Program levels
CertificateAssociate
Programs and majors offered 70
Graduate counts are degrees and certificates awarded in each program between July 2024 and June 2025. Largest fields are listed first.
Retention is for students who started in fall 2023 and returned in fall 2024.
First-year retention, full-time students
70%
First-year retention, part-time students
35%
Student-to-faculty ratio
29:1
Degrees and certificates awarded
Awards conferred between July 1, 2024 and June 30, 2025.
Associate degrees
2,925
Certificates under 1 year
904
Certificates of 1 to 2 years
1,406
Enrollment
Students, fall 2024
10,721
Undergraduates, fall 2024
10,721
Full-time, fall 2024
27%
Students over the full 2024-25 year
19,597
Full-time, 2024-25
17%
Size category
10,000 to 19,999 students
Student body
Share of all students enrolled during 2024-25. Small groups can round to zero and are not listed.
Women
54%
Men
46%
White
24%
Hispanic or Latino
31%
Black or African American
2%
Asian
30%
Two or more races
5%
International (U.S. nonresident)
2%
Race or ethnicity unknown
6%
Online and flexible learning
Distance education in 2024-25.
Programs with a fully online option
24
Online undergraduate programs
Yes
Students studying fully online
52%
Students taking some online courses
27%
Weekend or evening classes
Yes
Campus and services
Setting
Large suburb
Academic calendar
Semester
Part of
California Community College System
Carnegie classification
Associate's Colleges: High Transfer-Mixed Traditional/Nontraditional
President
Meridith Randall
Services and opportunities
Study abroad, Academic and career counseling, Student employment services, Job placement for graduates, On-campus day care, Accepts AP credit, Credit for life experience
For veterans and service members
Credit for military training, Dedicated veterans contact, Student veteran organization