Reading Area Community College
- Reading Area Community College, serving Berks County, is a publicly-supported, comprehensive community college which awards the Associate in Arts, the Associate in Applied Science and the Associate in General Studies degrees. Certificates and diplomas in employment fields are awarded as well.
School Highlights
Reading Area Community College serves 4,199 students (27% of students are full-time).
The college's student:teacher ratio of 30:1 is higher than the state community college average of 23:1.
Minority enrollment is 54% of the student body (majority Hispanic), which is more than the state average of 44%.
Top Rankings
Reading Area Community College ranks among the top 20% of community colleges in Pennsylvania for:
- Category Attribute
- Diversity Diversity in US community colleges
- Community Size Largest student body
School Overview
The teacher population of 138 teachers has stayed relatively flat over five years.
| Reading Area Community College | (PA) Community College Avg. | |
| Carnegie Classification | Associate's Colleges: Mixed Transfer/Vocational & Technical-Mixed Traditional/Nontraditional | Associates Colleges |
| Institution Level | At least 2 but less than 4 years | At least 2 but less than 4 years |
| Institution Control | Public | Private not-for-profit |
| Total Faculty | 138 staff | 36 staff |
Source: 2019 (or latest year available) IPEDS
School Notes
- Reading Area Community College is an open enrollment, fully accredited two-year educational institution that awards associate degrees in career and transfer programs. Affordable tuition costs are maintained through sponsorship by the County of Berks and support from the Pennsylvania Department of Education. Over 5,000 students are currently enrolled in credit courses on campus and over 25,000 people in Berks County participate annually in various non-credit vocational and continuing education training courses. Reading Area Community College was founded on October 1, 1971, and sponsored for 20 years by the Reading School District. Classes were held for the first time on October 13, 1971, with an enrollment of 265 students. The college operated from several buildings throughout Reading during its early years until it acquired the Holiday Inn (the current Berks Hall building) in 1978. In 1996, the college completed a campus expansion plan that transformed it into an attractive city-based campus. In the fall of 2002, enrollment was at a record high of 3,800 credit students. Reading Area Community College is approved by the Department of Education of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as an institution of higher education, and is authorized to award the Associate in Arts Degree, the Associate in Applied Science Degree, the Associate in General Studies Degree, and the Certificate of Specialization, as well as appropriate diplomas and certificates. The Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Commission on Higher Education Philadelphia, has granted full accreditation to Reading Area Community College.
Nearby Schools
The nearest community college to Reading Area Community College is Pace Institute (0.5 miles away).
- College Location Mi. Students
- Pace InstitutePrivate, for profit5 students | 0.50 Mi606 Court St Suite 404
Reading, PA 19601
(610) 375-1212 0.505 - Platt College-Berks Technical InstitutePrivate for-profit777 students | 2.40 Mi2205 Ridgewood Rd
Wyomissing, PA 19610
(610) 372-1722 2.40777 - 3,250 students | 15.90 Mi101 College Drive
Pottstown, PA 19464
15.903,250 - 1,269 students | 25.70 Mi735 Cumberland St
Lebanon, PA 17042
(717) 270-4222 25.701,269 - Lincoln Technical Institute-AllentownPrivate for-profit600 students | 26.20 Mi5151 Tilghman St
Allentown, PA 18104
(610) 398-5300 26.20600
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