Hello, welcome to Luzerne County Community College's virtual information session. My name is Krista Nice, admissions representative for LCCC. Luzerne County Community College was established in 1967 to provide a quality affordable accessible education to the residents of Northeastern PA. LCCC's main campus is located in Nanticoke. We have seven additional off campus centers located throughout northeastern Pennsylvania, and we offer online classes as well. The college offers Associate's degrees, diplomas and certificates, designed to either transfer to a four year college or university or to acquire advanced skills that lead directly to promising employment, and the college is accredited by the Middle States Association on Higher Education. Over the last 50 years, we have become the most popular choice for higher education in northeastern Pennsylvania, with an enrollment averaging 5,000 students each year. Even though it is the largest college in northeastern Pennsylvania, LCCC values small class sizes as the central part of its educational experience. The student to faculty ratio is 13 to one, and this small class size allows our students and faculty to form connections and facilitate conversations in a personal way that enhances student learning and success. The main campus in Nanticoke is situated on 167 acres and consists of 17 technologically advanced educational facilities. And we also have off campus centers located in Berwick, Hazleton, Pittston, Scranton, Shamokin, Watsontown and Wilkes Barre to meet the educational needs of our students.
Let's look at a few of the buildings on our main campus such as Luzerne Hall on the upper part of campus which contains general classrooms, five science and chemistry laboratories, and faculty offices. Our Technology Center is located on the lower end of campus. This building is home to the college's technology and communication arts programs, and is equipped with a television studio radio station and art studio. Other technology labs include automotive and diesel base, manufacturing, robotics, welding, engineering, 3D printing, and computer drafting labs.
Our trades building, located on the upper campus, houses a wide variety of equipment and building spaces for our electrical construction technology and plumbing, heating and air conditioning students to learn and practice. The Campus Center is where you will find facilities geared towards student activities and student services outside the classroom. This building features a large cafeteria, lounge areas, weight room, cardio and aerobics rooms, and the Student Activities and Athletics Office, and Counseling and Student Support Services Office.
In downtown Nanticoke our nursing, dental hygiene, respiratory therapy, surgical technology, and EMS paramedic programs are located in the state-of-the-art Carrozza Health Sciences Center. Culinary and pastry arts students learn their craft in the Joseph A. Paglianite Culinary Arts Institute.
One thing I love about our community college is the open door admissions policy. The philosophy of Luzerne County Community College is everyone should be given the opportunity to pursue a college education. That is why we have this open door admissions policy. All programs with the exception of our health sciences programs are open for you to enroll. SAT and ACT scores are not required for admission and students can transfer credits to LCCC from other colleges and universities by submitting their official college transcripts. LCCC has over 100 academic offerings between Associate's degrees certificates and diploma programs. The academic programs are designed for students to either pursue an Associate's degree and then transfer to a four year college or university to complete a Bachelor's degree or to study in our technical career programs to pursue an Associate's degree or acquire advanced skills that lead directly to employment.
We offer over 50 majors house between eight academic pathways that include business and information systems, health and wellness, arts, humanities, communications and design, science, mathematics and engineering, industry, manufacturing and skilled trades, human behavior and education, the culinary institute and legal and justice studies. Some of our more popular programs, our nursing, dental hygiene, business, skilled trades and communication arts such as audio visual communications, digital media, and various computer related technologies. We also have a large student population who are undecided on a major. If you're undecided, you can apply and take courses as a general studies student. For undecided students, LCCC offers general studies pathways. These pathways are great for students who have an idea of what interests them, but have not quite decided on a career within that field. Career pathways allows students to explore academic and career options while taking classes aligned with that pathway, with a goal of eventually choosing a major to match their strengths and interests. Students can choose from one of the seven pathways at LCCC and will be assigned an academic advisor and a career coach that will help guide them through specific course sequences and learning activities to make earlier informed decisions on career choices.
Another wonderful attribute of LCCC is that the college offers a quality education at an affordable price. Tuition at LCCC is 50 to 70% less than other four year public and private colleges and universities. That's because the college is subsidized by Luzerne County and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, which allows your education to be more attainable and affordable. The following graph shows LCCC's low tuition compared to four year public and private colleges. Based on research from the College Board, the average tuition cost for one year at a public state university is a little over $10,000. And with room and board it's nearly $22,000. For private colleges and universities the average tuition free per year is over $36,000. With room and board it's almost $50,000. If you compare these costs to the cost for tuition at LCCC, which is less than $6,000 a year, you can clearly see that attending Luzerne is a smart investment where you can save 1,000s of dollars. Many of our students receive some form of financial aid in addition to our low tuition. Besides the federal and state aid that can help you obtain your degree, LCCC students received over $300,000 in scholarship money made possible through our foundation. LCCC also offers a monthly flexible payment payment plans where students can spread out their tuition payments over the course of the semester. To learn more about financial aid and how to complete the FAFSA and scholarship information, please visit our financial aid office on the main campus or online atwww.luzerne.edu/financial aid. As the cost of a college degree rises, more students and families have concerns about college debt when pursuing a degree. But many of our students graduate from Luzerne debt free.
We also have a very popular Early College Program where about 1,500 high school students are taking college classes with us whether it's on the main campus at their high school or online. The Early College Program is for high school juniors and seniors that want to earn college credits. The following graph differentiates the tuition costs for the early college students compared to our regular tuition. We felt it was important to make sure our early college program is an affordable opportunity for high school students. So we discounted our tuition to $40 a credit when you're taking an LCCC course in your high school. If a high school student comes to any of our campus locations, it costs $65 a credit and our regular tuition just to compare that for you is $134 per credit. Early college is a great opportunity for high school students to earn college credits at a reduced tuition cost and get a jumpstart on their college education.
Many of our students enter Luzerne with the intent to transfer to a four year college or university. LCCC has transfer agreements with all Pennsylvania state colleges and universities, as well as all local colleges and universities in our region. These agreements are designed to provide a seamless transfer process for LCCC students and save money during their first two years of college. We've also developed dual admission partnerships with local colleges and universities. These partnerships are designed to offer guaranteed admission acceptance, acceptance of transfer credits, and scholarships ranging between $2,000 and $21,000 to those who qualify. If you're interested in dual admissions, you are required to complete a dual admissions intent form before completing 30 credits at Lucerne, and you must graduate from LCCC before transferring.
At LCCC we make sure we do everything possible to make starting college as stress free as possible. It all begins with the free online application for admission. You can find this on our website www.luzerne.edu and it takes about five to 10 minutes to complete. You will also need to submit your official high school transcripts or a copy of your GED. If you attended another college or university and are planning to transfer those credits to LCCC, please submit an official copy of your college transcripts to the LCCC registrar's office. Once we receive your application for admission, you will receive an acceptance letter and an email explaining your next steps in the enrollment process. When you receive your acceptance letter and email, it is important to set up your LCCC self serve and email accounts. These accounts will be your gateway to the college's student portal, which will allow you to schedule your placement testing, register for classes, and access other important tools including financial aid information. Once you've set up your email and self serve accounts, it's important to check them regularly for important updates. New students are required to take the Accuplacer placement exam which tests a student's academic skills in English and math to determine which courses are the most appropriate fit for the student. New and transfer students can be waived from the placement test by submitting either SAT scores with a minimum 500 verbal and 450 math, or a minimum ACT score of 20 in English and 21 in math. Transfer students can submit an official transcript showing completion of sufficient coursework. SAT and ACT scores can be submitted to the admissions office, and college transcripts should be sent to the registrar. After completing the placement, exam or submitting your documentation to be exempt, you will meet with an academic advisor to create your course schedule. Be sure to watch your LCCC student email box for guidance on setting up an appointment with your advisor. After scheduling your courses with your advisor, you'll register either in person at the registrar's office or online through the self service portal.
LCCC faculty and staff are committed to the success of our students. We offer a variety of student support services to help you if you're having academic difficulty, or may need some additional guidance or support. Through our Student Support Services Office, we have academic advisors that work with students to make sure they're taking the proper courses. We also have counselors available to provide emotional and educational support for all students, accommodations for students with disabilities, and our AREI program which supports students in recovery. The Career Services Office is available to assist students in both deciding on a career and securing a job after graduation or internships during their time here at LCCC. Another important service we provide is our tutoring program. Any student who may be struggling academically in their courses can sign up for tutoring. Once a student signs up for tutoring, they will be assigned a faculty or student tutor to provide course content and assistance free of charge. There's also the option for students who would like to become a tutor. Being a tutor is a rewarding and good paying job and the hours are very flexible.
These are an offers many ways for students to get involved with activities outside of the classroom. With more than 40 student clubs, organizations, leadership programs, and honor societies, students form personal connections, explore interests and engage with our campus communities. Our students also hold annual events on campus like our Welcome Back Bash, Finals Fest, Halloween Party, live bands, and other multicultural events where you get to have fun with friends and meet new people. Students are also involved in athletics. We have intercollegiate athletics for both men and women at LCCC. And our teams compete in the National Junior College Athletic Association Division III, and the APAC athletic conferences. We currently offer baseball, basketball, and cross country for the men and softball, basketball, volleyball and cross country for the women. For more information about Luzerne's athletics, please contact the Student Life and Athletics Office.
We are extremely proud of our graduates and their accomplishments, so Id like to share some facts about our graduates. We award approximately 800 degrees at our graduation each year, and that adds up to over 34,000 alumni of LCCC. Information from a recent graduate survey shows that 83% of our graduates secured gainful employment within six months after graduation. We also found that 100% of them reported that they achieved their goal at LCCC to prepare to transfer or for employment.
I encourage you to stay connected with the college. One of the ways you can do this is through social media. You can visit our social media sites to get information on important dates, upcoming events, as well as helpful resources. Or come visit our campus in person or virtually. Talk to our admission staff or participate in one of our several information sessions. Thank you again for taking time to participate in this information session. It was our intention today to be able to provide you with a picture of LCCC where it's a great environment for education and where people truly care about your success. We look forward to seeing you again and hope that you consider Luzerne County Community College as your choice for higher education.
