San Bernardino Valley College’s historic Auditorium (photo credit: Pablo Treto, LaVar Godoy & Rich Mora).

San Bernardino Valley College (SBVC) has been named one of the best online community colleges in California in a recent announcement by national college ranking website Learn.org. In the wake of the global COVID-19 pandemic, most Inland Empire college students are continuing their educational journeys remotely from the safety of their homes. From its incredibly low cost at $46 per unit, to its extensive availability of financial aid assistance and diversity of academic programs, SBVC continues to be a top choice for higher education in the region.

In its selection of the top online community colleges, Learn.org considered data from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and the U.S. Department of Education and evaluated quality of programs, student outcomes, cost, accessibility, and

other factors “critical to students’ academic decisions.” SBVC was ranked number 7 out of the top 25 — out of a total of 116 — community colleges across California. The website also ranked SBVC as having one of the highest percentages of students receiving financial aid, at 82%. In addition to providing financial aid to students, the college has distributed hundreds of laptop computers and high-speed internet hotspots to students to facilitate online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic and kept its Valley 360 Resource Center (food pantry) open on campus, where students can pick up a free, pre-packaged bag of food or hygiene items every week.

SBVC offers an extensive variety of degrees and certificates fully online, such as administration of justice, anthropology, business administration, philosophy and sociology, as well as many more that are being offered virtually temporarily during Fall 2020 and Spring 2021. To learn more about online learning at SBVC, visit www.valleycollege.edu.