Sierra College
Rolling
Acceptance rate
$10,200
Tuition/yr
13,000
Enrollment
About Sierra College
Community college in Rocklin, CA (Sacramento area). Strong transfer and technical programs.
Sierra College is a public two-year community college in Rocklin, California, operating under the Sierra Joint Community College District. Founded in 1914 as Placer Junior College in Auburn, it relocated to its permanent 311-acre Rocklin campus in 1961 and was renamed Sierra College in 1953. The college serves students across a 3,200-square-mile district spanning Placer, Nevada, and surrounding counties through three campus locations.
The college offers more than 153 associate degree programs and 41 certificate programs across disciplines including STEM, business, health sciences, and the arts, alongside robust career and technical education tracks. A well-established transfer pathway allows students to complete the first two years of a bachelor's degree at significantly lower cost before transferring to University of California (UC) or California State University (CSU) campuses. Sierra College is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC).
The main campus in Rocklin sits in the greater Sacramento region of Northern California, approximately 20 miles northeast of Sacramento. Fall 2024 enrollment reached approximately 19,945 credit students, the largest in five years. The college employs around 1,300 faculty and staff and operates a dedicated international student services office on the Rocklin campus.
Campus & Location
CA
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
- Sierra College's community college tuition for international students is approximately $10,200 per year (2025-2026, based on 24 units at $425 per unit), making it one of the most affordable accredited U.S. college entry points for Nepali students compared to four-year university fees that routinely exceed $35,000 annually.
- The UC and CSU transfer pathway is a concrete advantage: Nepali students can complete two years at Sierra College and transfer to prestigious California universities such as UC Davis or UC Berkeley, gaining a recognised U.S. bachelor's degree at a fraction of the full four-year cost.
- International students enrolled on an F-1 visa are eligible for Curricular Practical Training (CPT) and Optional Practical Training (OPT) after completing their programs, providing up to 12 months of U.S. work authorisation (36 months for STEM-designated programs at the transfer institution).
- The college's dedicated international student services office assists with F-1 visa status, cross-cultural adjustment, and academic counselling, which is particularly useful for Nepali students navigating the U.S. higher education system for the first time.
Admission requirements — Nepali equivalents
A rough translation of the published minimums for Nepali applicants:
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