Creating a City of Graduates

The Los Angeles College Promise (LACP) serves first-time and returning full-time community college students with a comprehensive strategy designed to support students to complete a higher education degree and/or a workforce certificate. We help students "start right" on their way to "ending right" with a degree, university transfer or workforce certificate in a timely, efficient manner. It is a partnership between Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD), Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), City of Los Angeles, UNITE LA and private philanthropy.

Important aspects of the Promise are waived tuition for the first two years of college, priority enrollment, additional financial support, and a dedicated support team providing a wide array of academic and student support services.

For questions, please contact asklacp@laccd.edu.

Download the latest information here:

Our Goal

The Los Angeles College Promise benefits Los Angeles, our region, and California by:

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Increasing the number and rate of college-bound high school seniors

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Stimulating the economy by responding to the workforce readiness gap in California

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Helping students achieve their dreams

Core Components

Early outreach & engagement for Los Angeles County students

  • College info days
  • Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) completed in high school
  • Priority registration
  • Holistic assessment for strength-based placement
  • Pre-enrollment in support services

First-year experience

  • Summer transition
    (extended orientation)
  • Free tuition (no enrollment fees) for 1st year
  • 12 to 15 units per semester
  • Structured schedule including required English and math
  • Ongoing success coaching, advising, and mentoring

As compared to Fall 2016

  • Full-time enrollments from LAUSD first-time college students are up 56% across the nine Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) colleges
  • Overall enrollment for recent LAUSD graduates is up 24%, while statewide trends show decreases in enrollment due to downward trends in the population of high school seniors
  • More students applied for financial aid because it was a requirement for participating in the L.A. College Promise
  • All LACP students receive additional "wrap around" services such as tutoring, mentoring and counseling

Students by Ethnicity

Students by Ethnicity

Student Data

  • 5,416 First Year LACP students in Fall 2018
  • Approximately 20% of 2018 LACP students are not eligible for the state fee waiver
  • Approximately 79% of 2018 LACP students identify as Hispanic
  • 73% of 2017 LACP students persisted to Fall 2019

Full-time enrollment

Research shows that full-time enrollment is a key factor in postsecondary student success. California faces an estimated shortage of one million college-educated workers who are needed to sustain the state's workforce.

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The Power of the Promise

The L.A. College Promise is already demonstrating powerful results with the inaugural students enrolled in the program who are now attending classes at LACCD's nine community colleges.

Los Angeles College Promise Initial Success 2017–2018 cohort

The comparison group is first-time, full-time students in 2016 from LAUSD schools.