Fullerton College has been recognized as one of the top 25 community colleges for Hispanics.
Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education Magazine noted the college for being #20 in Community Colleges Granting the Most Associate of Arts Degrees to Hispanics and #17 in Community Colleges Enrolling the Largest Number of Hispanics.
From 1992 to 1993 there were as few as 5,952 Hispanics enrolled at Fullerton College, and the number has been increasing ever since. The number of Hispanic students at Fullerton College has nearly doubled since the 2002-2003 school year when the number of Hispanics was 9,380 of 31,963 students.
Data provided by Hispanic Outlook shows that from 2018 to 2019 the college had a Hispanic population of 16,821 students, totaling 53 percent of the student body, which was 31,457 in the 2018-2019 school year.
Of the 2,883 Associate of Arts Degrees the college has awarded, 1,607 were awarded to Hispanics the same school year.
In comparison, Pima Community College in Arizona had a total enrollment of 33,708 students with only 44% of the student population being Hispanic. Mt. San Jacinto Community College awarded 2,938 AA Degrees, 1,452 of them awarded to Hispanics.
The influx of Hispanic students is correlated with the increase of the Hispanic population in the United States. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, from the years 2000 to 2010 the number of Hispanics or Latinos in America increased 43 percent.
President Schulz and Lisa McPheron claim that these accomplishments are due to intentional effort. In 2011, Fullerton College was one of the first community colleges to adopt a goal focusing specifically on the success rates of Hispanic students.
The college also takes pride in organizing events dedicated to Hispanics, including the ¡Bienvenidos! the event hosted by the Cadena Cultural Center and Transfer Center. The Dia De Los Muertos celebration is another event hosted by the ethnic studies department.
In addition to the cultural and transfer centers, resources such as the Promise Program, Puente Program, Males Achieving Success conference, Student Diversity Success Initiative (SDSI), Grads to Be, Honors Program, Umoja, and EOPS are there to support students and potential Fullerton College students in achieving their academic goals.
Opportunities are also available for undocumented prospective students. Click here for more information.