Diablo Valley College

Diablo Valley College

Study at Diablo Valley College, one of the Contra Costa Colleges founded in 1949 at Pleasant Hill, California. Diablo Valley College, a public community college is located in the area of Mt. Diablo, close to Berkeley and San Francisco. Diablo Valley College has an education supporting and safe environment.

Part of DVC’s mission is to provide higher education and open the right path for further education in the university level for all members of the community by offering the first 2 years of Bachelor’s degree education in the U.S. DVC has the most successful university transfer program in California.

10 Reasons to choose DVC

1. Suburban area in San Francisco Bay Area: located 50 km. from San Francisco. Bus service available from campus to Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART).
2. Ranked in the top 5 large-sized school in EDsmart’s list for the best California community college.
3. Scholarships available for international students after registration.
4. Convenient accommodations : furnished apartment in walking distance for rent.
5. Over 74 clubs and student communities to join.
6. Students can study at DVC and UC Berkeley at the same time.
7. No. 1 for university transfer when compared to other community colleges in California.
8. No. 1 for Associate Degrees for Transfer in California.
9. No. 1 in transferring international students to UC Berkeley and UC Davis.
10. 75% of international students have transferred to campuses of the University of California.

4 Excellent Reasons to Study at Diablo Valley College

Excellent Academics :

Study 2 years at DVC + 2 years in university = Bachelor’s degree. After 2 years at DVC, students may have many options in university transfer to graduate Bachelor’s degree in 2 more years.

• DVC have transferred students to UC Berkeley more than other institutions in the United States of America.
• DVC has Transfer Admission Guarantee program (TAG) guarantee international student admission to UC Davis, UC Irvine, UC Riverside, UC Santa Barbara and UC Santa Cruz. Also, DVC have agreed to transfer students to all 23 California State Universities including San Francisco, San Jose and San Diego.

2. Excellent Value :

Start your Bachelor’s degree at DVC will help you save more when compared to universities.

Tuition fee for full-time international student at DVC is approximately $6,500 per year which is considered the lowest in the United States.

3. Excellent Student Services :

International Student Admission and Services (ISAS) supports students to ensure that they will be both successful and joyful while studying at DVC.

• ISAS staffs pay attention to individual students by giving advices about admissions, academic orientations, registrations, immigration procedures, housing, health insurances and employments.
• Intensive English Class (IEC) for international students at DVC offers intensive academic English programs to prepare you for university level education. Students at IEC are assisted in transferring their credits to DVC, making the process easier and complete at the appropriate time.

4. Location Excellence :

DVC is located in Pleasant Hill, in San Francisco Bay Area, California.

• Pleasant Hill, in the suburbs of San Francisco is occupied by 34,000 people who enjoyed this small community that attracts tourists every year.
• The temperature at Pleasant Hill is moderate with warn sunshine for almost 300 days per year.
• Pleasant Hill is on 38 minutes away by train from Downtown San Francisco.
• San Francisco is named as one of the most beautiful town in the world with numerous museums, restaurants and world class stores.
• On holidays, you are only 3 hours away from the great ski area such as Sierra Nevada Mountain, hike in Yosemite National Park, taste some wine at the well-known Napa Valley or surf in the Pacific Ocean.

Program of Studies

Students can choose from more than 45 majors and 40 more certified programs. DVC also have Associate Degree in Arts, Associate Degree in Science, certificates and university transfer program. Students who have graduated certified program or Associate Degree will be qualified for Optional Practical Training, a one-year work privilege for international students.

Semester

August (Fall) or January (Spring)

Admission Deadline :

Fall : 1 June

Spring : 1 November 

Accreditation

DVC is a public community college and is accredited by Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) as a legal entity that provides high quality education to Americans and international students.

Number of students : Approximately 22,000 full-time and part-time students

Number of international students : Over 1,600 students from 70 countries

Student Activities

DVC has over 30 student clubs with diversity of interests from theatre, dancing, orchestra, public speaking, business to student government. For students who are interested in sports, DVC presents 13 university level sports for male and female such as baseball, basketball, American football, tennis, swimming and water polo. Students will be encouraged to join physical education courses including underwater dance, bowling, golf, football, volleyball, and many more.

Colleges of Contra Costa

Apart from Diablo Valley College, we recommend 2 more institutions of Colleges of Contra Costa that we provide services for:

1. Contra Costa College (CCC)

Located in San Pablo, California, 35 km. away from San Francisco.

10 reasons to choose CONTRA COSTA COLLEGE (CCC) :

1. Suburban area in San Francisco Bay Area, located 32 km. away from San Francisco, 17 km. from Berkeley. Bus service available from campus to Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART).
2. A campus with cultural diversity. Students are 42% Hispanic, 20% African American, 14% Asian, 11% White, 6% Filipino and 6% Multi-Ethnic.
3. Scholarships available for international students after registration.
4. An average of 24 students per classroom.
5. Over 26 clubs and student communities to join.
6. Students can study at CCC and UC Berkeley, Cal State University-East Bay or Mills College at the same time.
7. Obtained a Presidential Award Centre for excellent Science program opened to support students majored in Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics (STEM).
8. The Advocate, student newspaper of the college have received national awards.
9. Free bus tours to nearby universities including UC Davis, San Francisco State University, free flights for tours of colleges and universities important to American history such as Clark-Atlanta, Morehouse, Spelman and Florida A&M.
10. 50% of international students have transferred to UC Berkeley, UCLA, UC Davis, UC San Diego or UC Santa Barbara since 2015.

2. Los Medanos College (LMC)

Located in Pittsburg, California, 75 km. away from San Francisco.

10 reasonsto choose LOS MEDANOS COLLEGE (LMC) :

1. Suburban area in San Francisco Bay Area : located 70 km. away from San Francisco. Bus service available from campus to Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART).
2. #6 best community college in America by College Choice Magazine and Top 150 US Community College by Aspen Academy.
3. Scholarships available for international students after registration.
4. Offers airport pickup service and Global Mentor project for new international students.
5. Over 33 clubs and student communities to join.
6. Students can study at LMC and UC Berkeley at the same time.
7. Experiential learning in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). Engineering and Physics students here have won a competition sponsored by NASA. They have built a tool for NASA’s scientists.
8. Honors Program that partnered with over 10 institutions such as UCLA and Saint Mary’s College. In Fall 2017, our Honors Program students have applied for UCLA and over 77% have been admitted.
9. Free bus tours to nearby universities including UC Davis, UC Berkeley, University of Nevada, Reno, San Jose State University.
10. Each year, ever 500 students have transferred to universities inside the network of University of California and California State University.

For more information on Colleges of Contra Costa, click here. 

Program of Studies in 3 Colleges

Housing

Homestay: International students have many housing options. Students can choose to live in a homestay with American family, live in a private apartment in walking distance from the campus, or choose their own place to stay. Homestay is managed by Diablo Valley Homestay.

For more information about homestay application, click here.

Apartment: Managed by Interresidential and students can apply online for an apartment here https://www.rexidence.com

Health Insurance: Foreign students with F-1 visa must purchase health insurance from DVC every semester. Health insurance will be included in the tuition fee and must be paid within the first 2 weeks of each semester.

Admission

Admission Requirements of DVC, CCC, LMC :

To be qualified for DVC, students must have graduated high school of the U.S or equivalent, and be at least 16 years old. International students who have not graduated English high school must have prove of English proficiency. Students can submit TOEFL (500 PBY or 61 IBT) or ITEP 3.5 or IELTS at least 5.5 for admission. * TOEFL PBT must be tested in the U.S. or have completed English course from IEC @ DVC with Advanced B level.

Apply for Diablo Valley College, Contra Costa College, Los Medanos College :

• Application form
• Application fee $50
• Copy of current passport
• Copy of high school certificate (mandatory for students under 18 years old)
• Bank letter
• English proficiency score (TOEFL, IELTS, IEC Advanced B or ITEP)

Conditional Admission

Students who have not taken TOEFL or IELTS may be conditionally admitted to DVC. In this case, after receiving a complete application form, DVC will write a “conditional admission letter” indicating that the student is academically qualified. Students will be immediately admitted by the college when they submit English proficiency score. Students who will not be taking TOEFL or IELTS may be admitted to DVC by completing the Advanced B level of IEC @ DVC.

DVC Fees 2015-2016:

*Tuition is calculated on a semester basis. DVC has 2 semesters in 1 academic year.

** Minimum stay with a homestay is 2 months.

*** Apartment rentals including furnitures and utilities does not include fees and deposits. Apartments are available for DVC students in Summer.