Houston Community College System

Houston Community College (HCC), also known as the Houston Community College System (HCCS), is a community college that operates community colleges in Houston, Missouri City, Greater Katy, and Stafford in Texas. It is notable for actively recruiting internationally and for the large number of international students enrolled, over 5,700 in 2015. Its open enrollment policies, which do not require proficiency in English, are backed by a full-time 18-month English proficiency program and remedial courses.

As defined by the Texas Legislature, the official service area of HCCS includes the following school districts:
*the Houston Independent School District,
*the Stafford Municipal School District,
*the Spring Branch Independent School District (included in service area by state law, but is not part of the tax base),
*the Alief Independent School District,
*the Katy Independent School District,
*the North Forest Independent School District (now consolidated into Houston ISD),
*the portions of the Fort Bend Independent School District located within the cities of Houston, Missouri City, and Pearland. Additionally, it includes areas ''not'' in Wharton County Junior College (in other words, not in Sugar Land nor in the extraterritorial jurisdiction of Sugar Land.)

History

In 1927, the Houston Independent School District founded its first community colleges, Houston Junior College (for whites), which later evolved into the University of Houston and the Houston College for African American students (now Texas Southern University). In 1971, the district founded HCCS after HJC's and HCN's evolutions into the University of Houston and Texas Southern University respectively. In its early days, HCCS once used HISD school campuses for teaching facilities with classes during evenings and weekends like its founders. Around 1997, HCCS began to transfer operations to community college district-operated campuses throughout the HCCS service area.TSPR Houston Community College System
." ''Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts''. Accessed September 23, 2008.

Former campus in Qatar

The country of Qatar operates Education City to bring U.S. universities to the Middle East. Houston Community College ran a satellite campus in Education City. However, in early 2016 HCC announced that they were "massively scaling back operations" and closed this campus. Over a five-year period, Qatar's government paid HCC approximately $30.5 million to subsidize the Education City campus. In a news interview, the HCC Board of Trustees Treasurer said he did not support continuing the campus. "We're a community college to educate kids in our district," he said. When HCC first sent teachers to its Qatar campus, the Qatari government made some of them return to the United States because they were Jewish.

Libraries

HCC Libraries
operates 17 library service locations: 1 Library Support Services office, 2 Electronic Resource Centers (ERCs), 4 Digital Access Centers (DACs), 9 Libraries, and 1 Learning Commons as of 2025.

Central College

*Central Campus Library
*South Digital Access Center

Coleman College

*Coleman Electronic Resource Center

Southeast College

*Eastside Campus Library
*Felix Fraga Digital Access Center

Northeast College

*Acres Homes Electronic Resource Center (ERC)
*Codwell Library at Northeast Campus
**Originally located in Codwell Hall, the first building on campus, the library was later relocated to the third floor of the Learning Hub (Building 09) at Northeast Campus.
*North Forest Digital Access Center (DAC)
**North Forest DAC is located in Building B, also known as the Workforce Building.
*Northline Campus Library
**Northline Campus Library is located in Building A, also known as the Main Building. Northline's Digital Access Center, built in 2024, is operated separately from the library by Tutoring Services in Building E on campus.

Southwest College

*Missouri City Electronic Resource Center
*Stafford Campus Library
*West Loop Campus Library

Northwest College

*Alief-Hayes Campus Library
*Katy Campus Library at the Learning Commons
*West Houston Institute Learning Commons

District Administration

*Library Support Services at District Office

Library History

HCC Library Council, consisting of five college library directors and one library support services director, successfully advocated for the creation of the Executive Director of Libraries position to oversee its system in 2015.

Prior to 2019, the Electronic Resource Center (ERC) at Alief-Bissonnet Campus closed.

In August 2019, HCC's Pinemont Campus and its Electronic Resource Center (ERC) closed.

Police

HCC operates its own police department.

As peace officers, state law grants HCC Police the power to arrest without warrant for any felony, breach of the peace, disorderly conduct or intoxication offense that is committed in their presence or view while in Texas. They may make an arrest pursuant to a warrant anywhere in Texas. The HCC Police Department is divided into six divisions: Administrative, Criminal Investigations, Patrol, Bike Patrol, Training, Communications.

HCC Television

HCCTV began in 1994 when the City of Houston chose the Houston Community College System (HCCS) to operate one of its educational access channels. Already in place since 1980, HCCTV was the college system's video component, producing programs of education, training and college promotion.

HCCS operates Houston Community College Television (HCCTV) on Xfinity Channel 19, TV Max Channel 97, Phonoscope Channel 77 and Cebridge Channel 20 and streamed over the internet. The studio complex, which has one large studio unit, five editing suites, and a digital master control system, is located at the HCC District Campus.How to Access HCCTV
." ''Houston Community College''. Retrieved on May 2, 2009.

Athletics

HCC offers several sports activities to its students throughout its campuses; the sports offered include:
*Basketball (Men & Women)
*Flag Football (Men)
*Golf (Men & Women)
* Fitness (Men & Women)
*Soccer (Men & Women)
*Tennis (Men & Women)
*Volleyball (Women)

List of colleges in HCCS

Central College

*Central Campus (Houston)
**HCC Central Campus, in Midtown Houston, is served by a METRORail station, Ensemble/HCC Station. Houston Academy for International Studies of Houston ISD opened on HCC's Central Campus in Fall 2006.
**HCC's Central Campus is composed of multiple buildings: Business and Careers Center (BSCC), Central Cooling Water Plant, Crawford Annex, Culinary Building (CAB), Educational Development Center (EDC), Fannin Building, Fine Arts Center (FAC), HCC Police, Heinen Theater, J. B. Whiteley Bldg. (JBW), J Don Boney Building, Dr. William W. Harmon Building (WWH), also known as the Learning Hub & Science Building (LHSB), Parking Garage, San Jacinto Memorial Building (SJB), Theater One, and the Veterans Center.
*South Campus (Houston)
**HCC South Campus is in the Central Southwest area of Houston, and is served by the HCC South Campus bus station.

Coleman College for Health Sciences

*Coleman College of Health Sciences (Houston)
**Coleman College is located in the Texas Medical Center district.

Northeast College

*Acres Homes Campus (Houston)
*North Forest Campus (Houston)
*Northeast Campus (Houston)
*Northline Campus (Houston)
**The HCC Northline Campus is also the site of HISD's North Houston Early College High School.
**Northline Campus is located in the Northside/Northline super neighborhood of Houston. The campus and nearby Northline Commons shopping plaza both occupy the former site of Northline Mall. The campus is serviced by the Northline Transit Center/HCC station.
*Automotive Technology Training Center (Houston)

Northwest College

*Alief-Bissonnet Campus (Houston)
*Alief-Hayes Campus (Houston)
**The Alief Campus is the site of Alief ISD'
Alief Early College High School

*Alief Continuing Education Center (''unincorporated'' Harris County)
*Katy Campus (Katy)
**The former Katy campus, originally known as Westgate at 1550 Foxlake Drive, closed in May 2022 with the college's relocation to a new Greater Katy campus location on 22910 Colonial Parkway.
*Spring Branch Campus (Houston)

Southeast College

Southeast College is home to two separate campuses in different parts of the HCC Southeast service area.
* Felix Fraga Academic Campus (Houston)
**Felix Fraga is located in the Second Ward, 1.25 miles east of Downtown Houston a
301 N. Drennan St.
The campus opened January 2010 and was named for Felix Fraga by the HCC Board of Trustees in honor of his dedication to the educational, social, and economic success of the young people of Houston's southeast community and his devotion to improving their neighborhood. Fraga served as an HISD trustee, a member of the Houston City Council, and the Vice President of External Affairs for the Neighborhood Centers, Inc. before his death in 2024. Its flagship offerings include Maritime Logistics, Pre-Engineering, and other STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) classes.
**In partnership with HISD, the Felix Fraga Campus is also the host location of HISD's East Early College High School.

* Eastside Campus (Houston)
**Eastside is located in Pecan Park neighborhood in the Second Ward.

Southwest College

*Brays Oaks Campus (Houston)
*Missouri City Campus (Missouri City)
*Stafford Campus (Stafford)
*West Loop Campus (Houston)

Notable alumni

* Kim Su Tran La, founder of the restaurant chain Kim Sơn.
* Chloe Dao, fashion designer and television personality
* Scott Duncan, multi-billionaire
* Olubukola Mary Akinpelu, Nurse Educator
* Hanumankind, Musician
*Megan thee Stallion, Rapper

See also

* Houston Community College System Foundation

References

External links

Official website

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Community colleges in Texas
Education in Fort Bend County, Texas
Education in Harris County, Texas
Education in Waller County, Texas
Universities and colleges accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
Universities and colleges in Houston
Universities and colleges established in 1971
1971 establishments in Texas
Two-year colleges in the United States