Each year, we ask Orange County Register readers to choose their favorite places to shop, dine, play and do business in OC.
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Here are the top picks for Best community college:
1. Saddleback College
28000 Marguerite Parkway, Mission Viejo; 949-582-4500; saddleback.edu
Generations of families in the community have been educated at Saddleback College since it opened its doors to students in 1968, according to Jennie McCue, executive director of marketing and communications. It includes five schools, organized by similar majors and programs, allowing students with mutual interests and goals to connect with each other and faculty. Saddleback’s nursing program is ranked first in the nation in the licensure exam pass rate.
Saddleback has a new 49,772-square-foot Math and Computer Science Building, representing the next evolution of STEM education on the campus. The college’s quad has also been renovated and features native, drought-tolerant landscaping and smart irrigation, saving the college about six million gallons of water a year.
It was placed first out of 42 colleges in Orange, Los Angeles and San Diego Counties for both wage gains after earning a degree from Saddleback and salary 10 years after graduation, according to data from the College Futures Foundation. It was also named a Top 200 U.S. Community College by the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program.
“Graduates leave Saddleback with thinking skills, experience and knowledge that translate into good jobs that transform their lives,” said Dr. Elliot Stern, president of Saddleback College. “The work we do to prepare our students for transfer and careers is meaningful and adds value well beyond their time at Saddleback.”
2. Orange Coast College
2701 Fairview Road, Costa Mesa; 714-432-5072; orangecoastcollege.edu
If Orange Coast College feels like an O.C. institution, it’s because it is. Founded in 1947, the college began offering classes in 1948 and has continued since then. In that time, OCC has grown into one of the nation’s largest community colleges, according to its website.
The college was formed after voters passed a measure to establish a new junior college on a 243-acre site and part of the 1,300-acre deactivated Santa Ana Army Air Base, according to the site.
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Its mission is to serve “the educational needs of a diverse local and global community. The college empowers students to achieve their goals by providing high-quality, culturally responsive and innovative programs and services through pathways leading to degrees, transfers, certificates, foundational skills, workforce development and lifelong learning. The college promotes student development, learning and equitable outcomes by fostering a respectful, inclusive, caring and participatory campus climate of student engagement and academic inquiry.”
Beyond the classroom, OCC has more than 50 clubs that students can join and 17 honor societies in various disciplines.
3. Fullerton College
321 E. Chapman Ave., Fullerton; 714-992-7000; fullcoll.edu
Since 1913, Fullerton College has grown to become one of the most successful community colleges in the nation with high transfer and graduation rates, rich academic programs and a student-centered focus, according to Director of Campus Communications Miranda Bates.
The college is now offering its first bachelor’s degree program in drones and autonomous systems — making it the country’s first registered apprenticeship for drones and first and only bachelor of science degree in drones and autonomous systems on the West Coast. In fall 2026, the college will offer three new associate’s degrees and 13 new certificates, including the new AA in Artificial Intelligence at Fullerton College.
The campus is also undergoing a transformation. It recently opened the new Student Support Center and Maintenance and Operations buildings in the 2025-26 academic year and will open the newly renovated Business and Computer Information Systems building in the fall. Plus, a new Performing Arts Center is expected to open in 2028.
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