Alvin Community College: A Comprehensive Overview

Alvin Community College (ACC), located in Alvin, Texas, is a public community college established in 1948 as Alvin Junior College. Since its establishment, ACC has been dedicated to providing accessible and quality education to the community. This article delves into the history, academics, student life, and other important aspects of Alvin Community College.

Historical Background

The Alvin Community College District was approved by voters of the Alvin Independent School District on November 2, 1948. From its beginning until the 1971-1972 academic year, the College was managed by officials of Alvin Independent School District. The 1971-1972 academic year marked a new era in the history of Alvin Community College. Initially, the College was part of Alvin High School. The first classes began on September 12, 1949, in facilities which grouped grades 11 through 14 in one building. Alvin was placed under a system known as the 6-4-4 plan.

One of the more important changes in the program of Alvin Community College was the building of a separate physical plant for academic work at the college level. The college also dropped the 6-4-4 plan in favor of a 6-3-3-2 arrangement. The college program was strengthened by additional facilities, by an enlarged faculty, and by successfully meeting the standards of the Southern Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools (1959).

In 1974, the college district was enlarged to nearly twice its geographical size. This was done by a vote of both the original district and voters of adjoining territories. Then, in the spring of 1975, an $8 million bond issue was approved, providing funds for the facilities necessary to meet an expanding enrollment. In 1998, the College expanded into its service area with the establishment of the Pearland Center in the former C.J. Harris Elementary School in Pearland. However, the Pearland College Center was closed by June 2013 and later sold.

In 2018, the Board of Regents approved a Maintenance Tax Note for $25 million to upgrade infrastructure on campus including the replacement of water lines, roof repairs, HVAC equipment, electrical, security and more. The college entered into an articulation agreement with the University of Houston-Clear Lake in 2018.

Read also: ACC Tuition and Fees

Enrollment and Leadership

The enrollment of Alvin Community College has grown from 134 students in 1949 to almost 6,000, posting its highest enrollment ever in 2019. During this period of growth, Alvin Community College has had seven presidents. The seventh president, Dr. Robert J. Exley joined the college in 2021. Dr. Exley has helped lead through the ongoing challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and has also provided guidance for the completion of the campus-wide maintenance note project.

Past Presidents:

Dr. Mr. A.G.
Dr. A.B.
Mr. D.P.
Dr. T.V.
Dr. A.
Dr. Christal M.

Core Values and Accreditation

ACC began implementing its core values, called C.A.R.E.S. in 2019. The statements define the college’s purpose as well as acknowledging its responsibility to its students and the community.

Alvin Community College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (www.sacscoc.org) to award certificates and associate degrees. The administration of Alvin Community College acts as final interpreter of this catalog and all other college publications. The College may change requirements or regulations as necessitated by college or legislative action. For the purpose of college operations, class schedules published in the fall, spring, and summer are considered implementation of College policy and an extension of this catalog. Any of the regulations, services, or course offerings appearing in this catalog may be changed without prior notice.

Campus Facilities

Alvin Community College's main campus is located at 3110 Mustang Road in Alvin. The campus comprises several buildings, each dedicated to specific functions and academic departments.

Read also: About Grossmont Community College

A Building: The first floor of the “A” building contains the Vice President of Information Technology, Office of the Vice President of Student Services, Welcome Center, Advising, Career Services, Student Accessibility Services, Financial Aid, Testing Center, Veterans and Graduation Offices, Cyberlink Lab and the Business Office.
B Building (Fine Arts Center): The Fine Arts Center contains facilities for the Music, Drama and Art Departments, rehearsal rooms, offices and the Theater.
C Building (Childcare Center): The first floor of the Childcare Center houses classrooms, offices and kitchen facilities used by the Child Development Laboratory School. The Dean of Professional, Technical, and Human Performance is located on the 1st floor in C100.
D Building (Business and Industrial Technologies Center): Facilities for instruction in industrial programs include an electronics lab, a welding lab and fabrication shop. In addition to the many classrooms and offices located in the Business and Industrial Technologies Center, laboratories are provided for various programs.
H Building (Continuing Education Workforce Development Center): The Continuing Education Workforce Development Center contains the office of the Dean, Continuing Education & Workforce Development, classrooms, and laboratories supporting workforce training in health sciences, information technology, commercial driving, GED, veterinarian assistant and contract training.
R Building (Nolan Ryan Center): The Nolan Ryan Center is a 12,000 square foot facility built by the Nolan Ryan Foundation and donated to the college in 1996. The building was renovated in 2021. In addition, a museum devoted to the baseball career of Alvin's most famous resident, Nolan Ryan, is located on the ACC main campus.

Academic Programs

Alvin Community College offers degrees in Associate of Applied Science (AAS), Associate of Arts (AA), and Associate of Science (AS), as well as many certificate programs. Students can earn degrees and certificates in 41 different fields. Popular programs include: General Studies, Health Professions and Related Programs, and Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse.

ACC participates in the Texas Common Course Numbering System, or TCCNS, a voluntary cooperative effort by many Texas colleges and universities to create a standard set of course designations for transfer students at the freshman and sophomore level. This allows students to take classes which will transfer to a university.

Transfer and Job Skill Guarantees

Alvin Community College provides guarantees to support student success in transferring to four-year institutions and entering the workforce.

Transfer Guarantee: Transferability means acceptance of credit toward a specific major and degree. Alvin Community College guarantees that if course denial is not resolved, the College will offer the student tuition-free alternate courses, semester hour for semester hour (not to exceed 12 semester hours) which are acceptable to the receiving institution. This guarantee will be good for a one-year period from the granting of a degree by Alvin Community College. This guarantee is designed specifically for those ACC students who have made firm decisions about their major and the institution to which they plan to transfer. In order to secure such a guarantee, students must begin the process with a Pathways Advisor.

Job Skill Guarantee: Alvin Community College guarantees that recipients of an Associate of Applied Science degree or certificate of completion will have the job skills for entry-level employment in the occupational field for which the student has been trained. If such a degree or certificate recipient is judged by the employer to be lacking in technical job skills (identified as exit competencies for the specific program by ACC), the recipient will be provided up to nine (9) tuition-free credit hours of additional skill training.

Student Life

The school utilizes a semester-based academic year. The student-faculty ratio is 12-to-1. Alvin Community College has an open admissions policy and offers credit for life experiences. Alvin Community College provides various services to support students' academic and personal growth. These include:

Employment services for students
Credit for life experiences
Academic/career counseling service
Placement services for completers
On-campus day care for students' children

Tuition and Financial Aid

The in-district tuition and fees for 2020-2021 were $1,706, in-state tuition and fees were $2,834, and out-of-state tuition and fees were $4,010. There is no application fee. At Alvin Community College, 23 percent of undergraduates receive grant or scholarship aid and the average scholarship or grant award is $4,466.

2020-2021 Tuition & Fees

Students

In-state tuition and fees $2,834
Out-of-state tuition and fees$4,010
Books and supplies $1,795

Admissions and Demographics

Applying (Fall 2023)

Total Entering Students 2,022

Student Life (Fall 2022)

Ethnicity Distribution
Black or African American
American Indian or Alaska Native
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander
Gender Distribution
Age Distribution
Under 18%
18-24%
25-64%
Over 65%

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