District Information

The MiraCosta Community College District includes Oceanside, Carlsbad, Leucadia, Encinitas, Olivenhain, Rancho Santa Fe, Cardiff, Solana Beach, Del Mar, Carmel Valley, and parts of Camp Pendleton. With its coastal location, beautiful campuses, and strong academic programs, MiraCosta College attracts students from throughout San Diego County, the state, and the country, as well as from abroad.

The student population in the credit program is approximately 21,000. Students take credit courses at the Oceanside Campus, the San Elijo Campus in Cardiff, and several off-campus locations, as well as online. A small number of credit courses are also available at the college's Community Learning Center, which also serves about 4,000 students in noncredit programs. An additional 6,500 students are enrolled in fee-based programs through the district's Technology Career Institute in Carlsbad.

MiraCosta College has a comprehensive Student Services program. All services are provided to full- and part-time students on the Oceanside Campus. Many services are also available at the San Elijo Campus and the Community Learning Center, and all services offered are available to students upon request. Students are encouraged to take advantage of the opportunity to receive assistance and services throughout their educational experiences at the college.

For detailed information on the college’s programs and classes or to request a credit or noncredit class schedule, call the Public Information Office at 760.795.6615. Schedules may also be viewed on the college website at miracosta.edu/schedules and on SURF at surf.miracosta.edu. 

MiraCosta College Campuses

Oceanside Campus

The Oceanside Campus has grown and changed during the decades and plans for continued growth. Projects recently completed include a concert hall and three creative arts buildings with classrooms, labs, studios, and rehearsal/performance spaces for music and art; a student services building that houses Counseling and the Transfer and Career Centers; and a new, high-tech science building.

You can take a virtual tour of the Oceanside Campus or request an in-person tour.

Locations of Special Interest at the Oceanside Campus

The newest addition to the Oceanside Campus is the new Theatre and Dance Building, which provides 6,700 square feet of new studio space. The additional instructional space for theatre and dance enables better collaboration between the programs. In addition, the new, fully sustainable high-tech science building (Building 4900) houses two state-of-the-art biology laboratories. 

This campus also boasts a 430-seat concert hall and a classroom building for art/music history and new genre arts. These two buildings, along with the newly completed Dance and Theatre Studio, complete the Creative Arts Complex, which also includes the 240-seat college theatre; a three-level building that houses studios, classrooms, and rehearsal spaces for art and music; and an art building that houses ceramics and sculpture studios and a photography lab.

The Student Center houses the campus bookstore; the Kruglak Art Gallery, which showcases works by visiting artists, faculty, and students; club offices, conference rooms, student government office, and the cafeteria. The center’s dining areas feature indoor and outdoor tables with great views of the coast.

The Horticulture Complex includes a classroom building featuring specialized labs and classrooms for the program’s diverse offerings as well as greenhouses, areas for plant stock, a vineyard, and a plant sales area.

The Child Development Center, located on the northwest corner of campus, serves the dual purpose of educating MiraCosta College’s child development majors and providing affordable child care for students, faculty, staff, and community members.

In addition to traditional books and reference materials, the Library and Information Hub also houses a tutoring center, math, STEM, and writing centers, as well as more than 200 computers for student use.

San Elijo Campus

The San Elijo Campus of MiraCosta College opened in 1988 and is situated on 42 acres facing the San Elijo Lagoon in Cardiff. The campus offers a general education credit program and a broad range of noncredit, fee-based Community Service classes and workshops.

Student services at the San Elijo Campus include Admissions and Records, Counseling, Tutoring, Testing, and Student Life and Leadership. The recently expanded and remodeled Student Center houses the campus bookstore, cafeteria, Student Services Office, and Health Services. The Library and Information Hub houses computer labs, as well as the campus math and writing centers. 

Students may schedule appointments for financial aid, disabled student assistance, job placement, Transfer Center counseling, and Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS).

You can take a virtual tour of the San Elijo Campus or request an in-person tour.

Community Learning Center

MiraCosta’s Community Learning Center, located one mile east of I-5 in Oceanside, hosts a wide variety of noncredit courses at more than 30 district locations. The CLC offers courses in each of the following authorized noncredit categories: elementary and secondary basic skills, Adult High School Diploma program, English as a Second Language (ESL) and citizenship, health and safety, older adults, parenting, special education for adults, and short-term vocational. The center also houses the Cisco Networking Academy, which offers classes that prepare students for computer industry certifications. The center also houses some credit courses.

Technology Career Institute

MiraCosta’s Technology Career Institute, which opened in March 2015, trains skilled workers for such industries as high-tech manufacturing, maritime technology, and biotech manufacturing. The institute expands the college’s machinist certificate program and creates industry-recognized electronics engineering technician and robotics/automation certificate programs. These noncredit programs are run by the college's Community Education and Workforce Development Department. 

The North San Diego Small Business Development Center (SBDC), hosted by MiraCosta College and located at the Technology Career Institute, is a partnership program with the U.S. Small Business Administration and the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office. The SBDC provides services to meet the needs of entrepreneurs throughout North San Diego County. These services are free or inexpensive and include one-on-one counseling and workshops.