Long Beach City College — Liberal Arts Campus

The Liberal Arts Campus (LAC), at 4901 E Carson St, is LBCC’s original and broadest academic site. The college moved here in 1935 after its first classrooms operated at Woodrow Wilson High School and, following the 1933 earthquake, in tents at Recreation Park. Today the campus serves students pursuing transfer courses, career education and associate degrees, with administrative services and several academic schools on one large, walkable property. Check the building directory before a visit: admissions, a program office and a classroom can be in different buildings.

A first-time applicant begins with a free OpenCCC application for the term they plan to attend. LBCC’s checklist asks students to create an OpenCCC account, provide an email address, list prior schools and colleges, and report their highest completed English and math courses. The college says an applicant with a high-school diploma or equivalent may apply; people 18 or older without that credential may also qualify, while younger students can enter through dual enrollment. After acceptance, students use their Viking ID to complete online orientation, meet with an adviser, choose a program and register. Nursing and other selective career programs have separate prerequisites, application windows and selection rules.

The published 2026–27 cost-of-attendance budget lists $1,564 a year for tuition and fees for a California resident and $13,340 for a nonresident. These figures are the college’s annual planning estimates for financial-aid purposes, not a promise that every student’s bill will be identical: course materials, residency classification and the number of units affect the amount due. The same budget separates books, transportation, food and housing from tuition. An associate degree normally requires at least 60 semester units; LBCC’s career programs say some certificates can be completed in one semester, while an associate pathway is commonly planned across about two years of full-time study. Prerequisites, course availability and part-time schedules can extend either timeline.

Financial aid starts with the FAFSA or California Dream Act application, with LBCC listed under federal school code 001219. The college names Pell and Supplemental Educational Opportunity grants, Cal Grants, the California College Promise Grant fee waiver, EOPS/CARE support and other state programs. Its Foundation scholarship process uses one application to match students to more than 700 scholarships awarded in a typical year; eligibility and deadlines vary by award. Students should ask Financial Aid to review their residency and program before assuming a grant will cover every fee. The separate Long Beach College Promise guide explains that local tuition-support program and its transfer conditions.

Students still learning English can begin with LBCC’s ESL placement and advising rather than treating English ability as a barrier to applying. The ESL Office at the Trades, Technology, and Community Learning Campus helps with the application, orientation, placement survey, class choice and registration. The course sequence includes free noncredit options for everyday English, reading and work-related skills, as well as credit courses that can lead toward college-level English and transfer. The college notes that noncredit classes do not carry enrollment fees, though materials may cost extra; they do not appear on a transcript and do not qualify for financial aid. Credit classes carry units and grades, and their fees depend on residency. The ESL Learning Center provides free tutoring and computer practice.

LBCC organizes study through eight broad schools, including Arts, Language and Communication; Business, Management and Entrepreneurship; Health, Science and Technology; Trades and Service Industry; Applied Technology and Culinary Arts; and Kinesiology and Public Health. LAC hosts admissions and records, counseling, financial aid, the Bobbie Smith Library, student health services, a bookstore, a fitness center, aquatics and athletic spaces, a planetarium, culinary facilities and nursing simulation labs. Registered Nursing is based at this campus: LBCC describes its ADN pathway as four semesters after entry into the nursing sequence, following prerequisites and a separate competitive application. The program leads to an associate degree and eligibility to take the state licensing exam; it is not the same as general admission to LBCC. The campus is also entering a new phase: LBCC broke ground in October 2026 on a planned 431-bed student residence, with completion expected in fall 2028. Housing is a future project, not a service students can use yet.

The second LBCC site is the Trades, Technology, and Community Learning Campus (TTC), formerly called Pacific Coast Campus. A free Viking Voyager shuttle connects LAC’s Lot H with the TTC stop on Pacific Coast Highway during fall and spring terms, Monday through Thursday, about every 30 minutes between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m., with a midday break. Current students and employees need their college ID to ride. LBCC students can also activate the Metro GoPass for eligible bus and rail service. Parking requires a permit in LBCC lots; construction updates say access and lots can change, so check the current campus parking map and your destination before driving.

A useful route through the college is to decide first whether the goal is a short certificate, an associate degree, transfer or English development; then compare prerequisites, units, residency-based charges and the campus where the required classes meet. The LAC profile below identifies student services and academic facilities at this address, while the TTC profile focuses on technical training and community learning. For the current application, use LBCC’s new-student checklist; for aid, consult Financial Aid; and for language placement, contact the ESL Office. See the Liberal Arts Campus profile or the TTC campus profile for addresses, facilities and directions.