Hillsborough Community College
Rolling
Acceptance rate
$11,400
Tuition/yr
48,000
Enrollment
About Hillsborough Community College
Large community college in Tampa, FL area. Strong healthcare, transfer, and technical programs.
Hillsborough Community College (HCC) is a public two-year institution founded in 1968 and based in Tampa, Florida. It operates five campuses, Brandon, Dale Mabry, Plant City, SouthShore, and Ybor City, and serves over 21,000 credit-enrolled students. The college is accredited and offers more than 190 academic programs including Associate in Arts, Associate in Science, and bachelor's degrees in select fields.
HCC's most popular programs include Liberal Arts and Sciences, Registered Nursing, and Criminal Justice. The college awards 35 Associate in Arts pathways and 59 Associate in Science degrees, alongside college credit certificates. Graduates with associate degrees report an average annual wage of $62,000, and 94% are employed or continuing education within one year of completion.
Tampa is Florida's third-largest city and a major hub for finance, healthcare, and technology. HCC's five campuses are distributed across Hillsborough County, making commuting practical. The college holds articulation agreements with all 12 Florida public universities, including a conditional admission partnership with the University of South Florida (USF), which is located directly in Tampa.
Campus & Location
FL
Suburban
Optional Practical Training (OPT)
All graduates qualify for 12-month OPT. STEM-designated programs (CS, Engineering, Data Science, Mathematics, Sciences) qualify for 24-month STEM OPT extension — 36 months total work authorisation.
For Nepali students
- HCC's 2+2 transfer pathway is a cost-effective route for Nepali students: complete an Associate in Arts at HCC for roughly $11,400/year in tuition, then transfer to a Florida state university such as USF with guaranteed credit recognition, significantly cheaper than starting directly at a four-year university.
- The conditional admission agreement with the University of South Florida allows international students to present a USF admission letter alongside their F-1 visa application, reducing visa-interview uncertainty, a practical advantage for Nepali students navigating the US consulate process.
- International F-1 graduates who complete a degree in a STEM-designated field can apply for up to 36 months of Optional Practical Training (OPT) in the US; HCC's nursing, science, and technology programs can feed into STEM-eligible bachelor's degrees at transfer universities.
- At approximately $9,100–$11,400 per year in tuition and fees, HCC sits in the lowest cost tier among US institutions that accept F-1 students, making it one of the most affordable legal pathways to a US degree for Nepali families.
Admission requirements — Nepali equivalents
A rough translation of the published minimums for Nepali applicants:
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