
Front Range Community College (FRCC) is a
public
In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...
community college
A community college is a type of undergraduate higher education institution, generally leading to an associate degree, certificate, or diploma. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an open enr ...
with three campuses in
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...
, located in
Westminster
Westminster is the main settlement of the City of Westminster in Central London, Central London, England. It extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street and has many famous landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Buckingham Palace, ...
,
Longmont
Longmont is a home rule municipality located in Boulder and Weld counties, Colorado, United States. Its population was 98,885 . Longmont is located northeast of the county seat of Boulder. It is named after Longs Peak, a prominent mountain th ...
, and
Fort Collins
A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from La ...
. It is the largest
community college
A community college is a type of undergraduate higher education institution, generally leading to an associate degree, certificate, or diploma. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an open enr ...
in Colorado
and the most popular transfer institution for the
University of Colorado Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder, CU, or Colorado) is a public research university in Boulder, Colorado, United States. Founded in 1876, five months before Colorado became a state, it is the flagship university of the University o ...
,
Colorado State University
Colorado State University (Colorado State or CSU) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Fort Collins, Colorado, United States. It is the flagship university of the Colorado State University Syst ...
,
Metropolitan State University of Denver
Metropolitan State University of Denver (MSU Denver or Metro State) is a public university in Denver, Colorado, United States. It is located on the Auraria Campus, along with the University of Colorado Denver and the Community College of Denver ...
, and
CSU Global.
The average class size at FRCC is around 15 students.
Almost 6,000 FRCC students transfer to four-year colleges in an average year. The college also provides business training and continuing education to more than 5,000 people annually. FRCC recently made Newsweek's list of the top 100 schools in the U.S. for online learning, and the school offers approximately 500 online classes.
FRCC traces its heritage to the founding of the State Board for Community Colleges and Occupational Education in 1967, which in 1968 established the North Campus of the Community College of Denver as its first new creation. In 1983 the North Campus was renamed as Front Range Community College and became an independent institution in 1985. In 1988, the Larimer County Voc-Tech Center was incorporated as the Larimer Campus of FRCC.
The college is accredited by the
Higher Learning Commission
The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) is an institutional accreditor in the United States. It has historically accredited post-secondary education institutions in the central United States: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa ...
.
History

From 1968 to 1977, the college was located in facilities at East 62nd Avenue and Downing Street in Denver. In 1977, the college inaugurated a new building on 112th Avenue in Westminster, Colorado. When it opened, the Westminster Campus building was heated with an innovative solar system of over 4000 flat-plate solar thermal panels making it the largest solar-heated educational building in the world. The solar system operated until the solar panels were removed during a major building remodel in 1996, and now the facilities are heated with conventional methods.
During its first decades, the college principally offered career, vocational and technical training, with certificates and two-year associate degrees in many fields, including accounting, architectural technology, automotive repair, business, dental assisting, electronics, healthcare, machine drafting, machining, nursing, and welding. General studies programs in arts, science, and both general and developmental education were also offered. In 1997, FRCC transferred and began offering its machining program at the Rocky Mountain Manufacturing Academy, which was part of the now defunct Higher Education and Advanced Technology (HEAT) Center at the decommissioned Lowry Air Force Base in Aurora, Colorado. Today the college offers a mix of general academic and transfer courses as well as career and technical education offerings.
FRCC currently maintains campuses in
Fort Collins
A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from La ...
and
Longmont
Longmont is a home rule municipality located in Boulder and Weld counties, Colorado, United States. Its population was 98,885 . Longmont is located northeast of the county seat of Boulder. It is named after Longs Peak, a prominent mountain th ...
, and centers in
Brighton
Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London.
Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...
and
Loveland, in addition to the original
Westminster
Westminster is the main settlement of the City of Westminster in Central London, Central London, England. It extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street and has many famous landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Buckingham Palace, ...
campus and a highly developed online learning program. The college also operates its Precision Machining Program in the Advanced Technology Center in Longmont.
Academics
The college has 30 programs that are guaranteed to transfer to public four-year colleges/universities in Colorado. Its 37 career/technical programs include a variety of business, high-tech manufacturing, design, computer-related, and health-care pathways.
FRCC offers almost 200 assiociate degrees and certfiicates, as well as three bachelor's degrees (in nursing, GIS and business for creative industries). FRCC has an astronomical observatory on each campus.

In 2022, the college awarded 1,912
associate degree
An associate degree or associate's degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of academic qualification above a high school diploma and below a bachelor's degree ...
s and a 3,764 professional certificates.
The median age of FRCC students is 23, with most students studying part-time and pursuing programs in liberal arts and sciences or career/technical fields.
Demographics
FRCC currently has a student enrollment count of around 27,200. Almost half of FRCC students are the first in their family to go to college. 32% identify as students of color.
References
External links
Official website
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Colorado Community College System
Education in Adams County, Colorado
Education in Boulder County, Colorado
Education in Larimer County, Colorado
Education in Weld County, Colorado
Westminster, Colorado
Universities and colleges established in 1968
Two-year colleges in the United States