Yuba College students have goals similar to students of other community colleges: to prepare to transfer to a university, to update their job skills, to enter a technical vocation, or simply to enhance their lives in the ongoing effort of education– in short, they want to get the most out of the resources available.
Yuba College students may wonder how well equipped their campus is at handling this task, as compared to other community colleges in the area. Some interesting comparisons can be made, for instance, between the Yuba Community College District and the Sierra Community College District.
When it comes to faculty, Yuba College currently has a 60 percent part-time to 40 percent full-time ratio, according to David Farrell, Dean of Student Development, with 127 full-time faculty and approximately 191 part-time faculty.
Sierra College District also has approximately the same 60 percent part-time to 40 percent full-time ratio, with 680 full-time faculty and approximately 1,000 part-time faculty members.
Enrollment at Yuba College has increased since the Spring 2001 semester. Currently, 10,413 students are enrolled within the Yuba College District, compared to 9,769 students last spring, about a 6.6 percent growth rate. The Sierra College District has seen a bit more growth, jumping from 18,215 students last spring to 19,246 enrolled this semester, a 9.4 percent increase.
However, this semester the Sierra College District is offering fewer classes, dropping from 2,405 classes last spring to approximately 2,323 classes this semester, a 3.4 percent decrease. Likewise, the Yuba College District has seen a drop in classes offered over the last year, only the drop is much more significant. Last spring Yuba College offered 1,752 classes; this spring 1,501 classes are offered, a 14 percent decrease.
The average age of the student body only slightly differs between the colleges. Yuba College’s average age bracket is 19-25, with 38.2 percent of the student population falling into that range. Sierra College students are, on average, in a similar age bracket of 18-25.
The average ratio of instructors, both full- and part-time, to students at Yuba College is currently 33 students to an instructor. At Sierra College the average ratio is approximately 11 students to an instructor, a third of the classroom size at Yuba College.
Parking permits for the area colleges are very different in price range. Yuba College students currently pay $20 a semester for parking, for both cars and motorcycles. No discount is given to car pools. Sierra College, however, charges students $40 a semester for cars, $30 for motorcycles and carpoolers. Sierra College offers half-price discounts for students on financial aid.
A casual glance at these numbers reveals that the Sierra Community College District has more professors and students than Yuba College.
Significantly, 75 percent of state and local revenue for a community college comes from the number of full-time equivalent students (FTES). Since the Sierra Community College District serves more students, they receive more money from state and local revenue.
Even though the Sierra district has a greater number of students, the instructor-to-student ratio seems to indicate that Sierra students have greater access to instructors.
Yuba College parking is definitely more economical, though, making it a lot easier on the wallets of Yuba College students.
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