By Michael Russell

 Brief History


Initially its name was San Benito County Junior College and was renamed as Gavilan College in 1963 when a new community college district was formed amalgamating San Benito County with Santa Clara County. Finally the college moved to its present location in the year 1966.

Campus

Campus was expanded in 1997 with the addition satellite sites in Hollister and Morgan Hill augmenting the main campus. Land was purchased in Coyote Valley and San Benito Community in 2008 for further development of the college creating additional campuses to meet the growing demands of students for admission and education.

Early College Academy

An early college academy, a high school named Dr. TJ Owens Gilroy Early College Academy or GECA was established inside the campus in 2007. Students can complete two years of college in four years of high school and can become graduates with up to sixty transferable units. Thus the students passing out from GECA enters the four year college or university as a junior instead of freshman.

Accreditation

Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) have granted accreditation to the College for six years in 2007.

Programs Offered

Degrees and majors offered by the college includes administration of justice, aviation maintenance, allied health, carpentry apprenticeship, biological science and health science, business, child development, communication, interpersonal communication, computer graphics & design, cosmetology, digital media, fire technology, mathematics, philosophy, physical education, social science, visual and performing arts, and general education. In addition the academy offers extensive facilities for obtaining online degrees.

Admission and Eligibility

Gavilan College follows the principle of open admission for all eligible high school graduates or those with GED or high school proficiency certificate. Non-High School graduates can take general education or specialized vocational programs offered. However counseling is mandatory for such students. Concurrent enrollment opportunities are offered for high school students. Admission is open to out of state students and international students but have to pass and TOEFL test with minimum scores of 501-550 or computer based score of 173-223. Health insurance is mandatory and official transcripts of previous academic career and Gavilan College skill assessment and orientation.

Financial Assistance

Gavilan College offers grants, scholarships, and student loans in form of financial assistance to eligible students. Pell grants, supplemental educational opportunity grants, federal work study grant, academic competitiveness grant, Cal grant B and C, Child development grant, Chafee grant, and extended opportunity programs and services grant. One can visit the college website for further details.

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Gavilan College offers multiple facilities like transfer to four-year University, completion of associate's degrees, obtaining career certifications, or skill improvement for students. Extensive facilities for online education are also offered in various disciplines for the students that cannot afford to join regular classroom courses.

Education