Transfer. Our daughter attended a local high school, then attended IVC from fall 2019 through summer 2022, and took UC-level classes. UC Irvine has now accepted her to study Social Ecology! The transfer counselors offered helpful advice on how to transfer to either the Cal State system or UCI. Online. During her first year, she attended in person until March 2020. Then most of her classes were online except for a yoga class. As with other online students, she did not really get to know other students in real life. Classes. She enjoyed all her anthropology classes; foreign-language classes were good but were hard online. Math classes were OK. No class was bad. Most professors were good and transitioned effectively to online teaching. Campus. In fall 2019, the campus was often busy, and was less busy on Fridays. From April 2020 through summer 2022, the campus was largely empty as most students were online. The cafeteria was good before it closed for the pandemic; it is still closed. Our daughter liked the food trucks and coffee cart! The library is a good place to study. IVC still offers free parking and students can ride OCTA buses for free. read more

Irvine Valley College - IVC graduates 2022 - Colleges & Universities Near Me - Irvine, California

This school brags about how rich they are and of course the students that go here come from families with money but if you don't have money this school will brag about no student should have a barrier to education and have hunger as one of those barriers well they say that because they don't expect anyone to ask with the income level being high of must but if you need help they will not help I was forced to withdraw from 2 semesters because I can't afford school and became so sick from malnutrition and all they could offer was some freakish oversized zucchini and coffee. this school has failed the low income community and is dishonest making empty promises to students who want success but don't have access to it. read more

When I attended as a teenager +12 years ago students harassed & threatened me if you want a safe harass worthy non abusive negligent or safe environment don't send your kids here unless your parents don't care about face scars or bruises as I was promised by precious so called students perhaps don't verbal intimidate actually put effort Faculty don't hand us the phone # sobs say it's policy & then I lift to two stars! ^^ read more

Once I needed to take a PSYCHOLOGY class in the summer and only ended up in Professor Susan Gil's' class because every other section was full and I thought, 'How bad could it be?' This class was a whole circus... She would show up late with these crusty PowerPoints from 2015 of 200 pages, complains about her schedule and how "overworked' she is and how her ADHD makes it impossible for her to stay organized. If you ask a question she hits you with the classic, 'Do your own research,' as if we didn't pay actual MONEY to be taught. Girl, WE are the ones researching while YOU sit there reading off PowerPoints you copy and pasted during the Obama administration. I have no idea how they still hires her. She never grades anything on time-like literally weeks go by and the gradebook is just empty. No feedback, no comments, nothing. She's super aggressive for no reason too. One time a kid asked about a canvas assignment that had magically disappearedand she snapped and said she could 'call security' if people kept 'acting up. And forget getting help. Prof. Susan Gil literally never answers emails, never clarifies anything, and then acts shocked when everyone is confused. Honestly feels like she uses grades as revenge when she's having a bad day. By mid-semester HALF the class had dropped.. Honestly, overall the campus is actually not that bad, but particular individual?... NOT worth the money, the stress, or the brain cells I lost. Take it at another college. read more

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Worst college process experience. I've had great teachers but the student services office especially financial aid office is the worst. I've learned to pick classes that don't require a textbook because you have to jump through a million hoops especially if you only take online courses. Don't expect to receive financial aid to help purchase or pay for anything till a couple months in. Responses from the office are ridiculous. They rejected a few of my items and when I showed them their own policy all I got was an oops submit again but it will be another 2-4 weeks. So if you are a working student who can only take online courses and qualify for fafsa. Go elsewhere!!!!!! read more

I usually don't leave reviews but as a new student here everyone I've spoken to on the phone has a nasty rude condescending attitude as if they don't want to speak to you or if you're asking for too much. Spoke to admissions office to change my california residency and the lady on the phone had a nasty attitude and told me she didn't have time to go back and fourth with me because I couldn't hear her. I called financial aid and they were extremely short and quick to cut any conversations over the phone as if they didn't want to help a new student. Students and veterans who want to attain a good education at a new school should not have to deal with people who do not want to do their jobs to the best of their abilities do better IVC .. read more

what the heck happened to IVC? I used to take summer school as a high school students 25 years ago and some additional career related classes around 2010 after finishing my BA at a UC school. Registration and matriculation used to be great before but it has been extremely underwhelming in 2025 while I try to re-enroll as a returning student. I utilized their returning student regitration portal and filled out all the info and submitted it in April. It said I should hear back in 1-2 business days. As of July 24th, I have not received any confirmation, acknowledgement, nothing. I e-mailed the administration and they finally sent me an email requesting my driver's license to track my application status. I replied within minutes with the requested information. It has been 4 days since I sent it in and I still hear nothing from them. The campus evidently got nicer buildings and facility remodels in the past few decades but apparently their process went to the crapper. I have more than enough credits at IVC to get my AA, so I am not quite understanding this long delays in the application review process. What are they qualifying exactly? Why should enrollment take this long? I always loved IVC being an Irvine kid, but I may have to just look for classes at OCC or Saddleback. How disappointing. read more

This school is great for transferring only, I don't recommend if you're just trying to get an associates for a niche career. However, kind professors and staff, and amazing classes to offer. You can also take classes at Saddleback College without enrolling to that school since they're under the same district. read more

Here's a fun question - How much time does it take to register for some classes at IVC? Even if you're not a degree pursuing student, the answer is at least 3 months. The Admissions department is an absolute clown show as you can see from some of the reviews below. First you need to email them after you've already submitted an application, just to ask them to actually process your application - a process that many, many other schools have been able to figure out without requiring additional input from the student. Then someone replies to my email saying I need a registration time for Spring 2026 with a "Have you been assisted already?" when clearly no one has replied. Then I get someone asking me for my student ID, and only my student ID. Then I get passed off to someone else who tells me I need to submit a legal ID, just so they can pass off the work to the next person who has to answer. This is ridiculous, I've been fighting this Admissions department to register for classes AT YOUR COMMUNITY COLLEGE SINCE AUGUST AND IT'S NOW OCTOBER. ARE YOU KIDDING ME IVC? read more

The Math teacher his name is Mohamad Youssef... the College should give this teacher a proper training for good manner... My Wife made a video recording with her mobile phone, which was our Daughter first day in the Irvine Valley College... she was made recording of the class where was this Mohamad Youssef taught in that class... and there are NO sign at all about no video or no camera.... suddenly this mohamad youssef came out from the class and yelled to my Wife and said loudly ; "...hey you delete the video or I call the police !!! Bla bla bla bla bla....!!! He yelled just like my Wife has stolen something or my Wife was the robberer... this teacher should TEACH in front of around 80 students what it called GOOD MANNER... as a MALE teacher should speak politely and calmly to my Wife as a parents of students who have PAID TUITION FEES, instead of yelled in front of around 80 students in a class... I think Irvine Valley College Management should give more training about manner to this teacher... read more

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IVC has been a great experience. The professors genuinely care and are willing to help, the campus is clean and nice, and there are lots of good resources for students. Highly recommend. read more

Mohammad in administration is excellent, he gets 5/5 for helping my daughter do her registration as a dual enrollment. He was very patient and helpful. Today we stopped by the book store to get her supplies for her summer class, it was 2:09 pm, lady opened the door and told us it was closed. She was inside talking to someone but handing a pair of lab glasses was too hard. No signs where bookstore is on campus, we drove around for 20 minutes to figure it out. No signs for book store hours on the door. I pray my daughter does well enough in high school that she will not need to attend IVC. read more

Genuinely the worst school I have dealt with in terms of student support. I had the misfortune of transferring from another community college because I moved districts and IVC is incredibly unhelpful and rude. Out of the 10+ times I have called registration or academic support, there has only been 1 nice person. I truly believe that a solid registrar is the foundation of a school, and because this registrar is so cold and rigid, I would recommend getting your education elsewhere. It is clear that student education is not prioritized here. read more

I moved to Orange County from San Diego 3 years ago to finish off my community college and start working, and here we are 3 years later with my application still pending. I have contacted IVC multiple times, I've met up at their campus and was told to apply on OpenCCC on multiple occasions, however now it's been 3 years and I have yet to hear back from IVC. This has not only messed up my college experience, it's left me with no choice but to possibly have to re-do some subjects since it's been 3 years. This garbage college kept stringing me along to keep applying, I even left my old community college to come here, and I an literally yet to hear back from them. It's been 3 years of my life I can't get back, I have called over 10 times, applied at least once per year, yet they completely derailed me from getting any degree at all, what a garbage process. What the hell do I do now? How can I even recover from this? What breaks me the most is that I explained my entire life situation to the counselor there, and they advised me to make the move and drop out from my old college and that they would basically accept me with open arms. You have ruined my life. read more

Irvine Valley College - Colleges & Universities Near Me - Irvine, California

Best Junior College, hands down. I have attended 4 other junior colleges in Southern California and had the best experiences and professors at Irvine Valley College. Throughout my much longer than normal duration in junior college I changed majors quite a few times and took a variety of classes for career exploration purposes and personal growth. Every professor I had was excellent. Eventually (2019) I graduated with 3 AAs with my primary major being geography. The geography department is excellent. I took my geography classes with professor Rossiter and have consulted with Professor Titus the department head as well, both are very professional and knowledgeable. Honors counselor Michelle Minkler is also incredibly helpful to work with. I love that the campus is smaller and more personal. The open lawn area with chairs for everyone to hang out in the common areas is a great idea and I love the sculptures that are places around the campus. The campus also has a beautiful modern performing arts center. read more

Who gets a citation just for parking backwards. I think this regulation is unfair especially since it's your first time going to Irvine Valley college. I've been going to Saddleback College for 3 years and they never issued me a citation for parking backwards. And this year is my first time going to IVC and I'm already issued a citation without my knowledge. I didn't know that existed. They should have said it on the saddleback website since IVC is the sister school of Saddleback. I wish they mentioned that in saddleback's website also. They should just give me a warning instead of charging me since it's my first offense. read more

It's called Irvine Valley College, but geographically, there is no sunken valley between mountains - it's flat as a pancake. Irvine high schools are quite competitive and IVC preps local students for transferring to four year colleges and universities. But ihere is a large over 30 population who just want to learn a foreign language or even take sports classes at $20 a unit for California residents, This is a commuter college, so college life is not like being in a four year college town. Most IVC students and alumni may never recognize each other off campus. Sales of "I Love IVC" souvenirs and t-shirts lag behind sales of calculators. There is almost never a sports pep rally. There is no football.track.baseball or pool to host swim/water polo teams. But there are some good and occasionally competitive sports teams, The classes done by tennis coaches Mike and Joan Meissenburg are my favorite. Their class offerings, despite recent budget cuts, are still extensive. They have the usual classics like English, History, Sciences, etc. But I even took a course in digital music programming. Their equipment was old, but it beats paying ten times as much as a pro school in Hollywood. Their science labs, music rooms, and computer labs and similar services are good. Despite a very, very crowded library, it's a great building with lots of books and media, and helpful staff. Registration is always tough so do it early. It can be done online and the class catalogs for the year are posted online months before. Parking sucks especially the first two weeks of the semester. There are only two entrances/exits, so you better not be running late or have to go pee. There are many "I'll cut you off, sucka" Mario Andretti drivers here. But, this college, is in a safe area. They ticket 24 hours per day, so watch the signs and temporary permit booths.. And you're not far from places like Gelson's or Albertsons, and some yelp frequented sit down restaurants like Taiko Japanese, Pei Wei, El Cholo Cantina, Outback, Marie Callenders, Sam Woo, and more. There is easy I-5 and I-405 freeway access nearby. I do miss the good ole days when there were orange groves around campus - most are gone now. They use that space for growing berries, beans, and corn throughout the year. I can see them being wiped out for parking lots and more buildings eventually. The student population is a mixture of all colors and languages doing what they can to get an education from this solid junior college. read more

The counseling center is useless, they have appointments which get filled up within 3 minutes after they open. Can only make appointments 1 week in advance. Also cannot help with dismissal with walk in counseling appointments. How is this possible? Why is there no real help for any solutions. Now I see why this college has such a low rating because of the negligence by the staff read more

Bad consulars who doesn't want to take any responsibility on their suggestions and address you to the other website sources, I'm really behind because of these bad consultations , Bad instructors that they just want to give more and more homework, usually assignments from the websites that they don't need to seat and correct and grade the assignments since the websites are doing it automatically, you will end-up with a bad grade since you couldn't catch-up with the topics and just stick to the assignments ( specially Chemistry and Biology), many friends dropped their courses and planned to take them from the other community college, I'm planning to do so! read more

Why am I not surprised at how impeccably clean this school is? It totally defines Irvine lol. From outside, I would have thought this was an art school. I thought OCC was nice, but the buildings and classrooms at IVC are way nicer. The professors are great as well compared to other community colleges. There's also plenty of parking, the lots are really huge and it's probably one of the safest community colleges I've been to. They have police constantly driving around, the police station is located in back. The layout of the school is a bit weird, but there aren't too many buildings so you won't get lost easily. There are a lot of students here for the night classes so you'll never feel creeped out walking to your car at night. The bookstore is small, but service is fast and friendly. The students are pretty mature here and friendly. Unlike other schools, you won't be seeing people driving around in the lot bumping music really loud like they are TFC. However, you WILL see lots of bmw's and nice cars because it's Irvine...damn spoiled kids There's also a farm next door to the school which is pretty cool :) read more

This is a beautiful campus. I attended some courses in high school and they were great. I can't speak for the current administration.

I took two years worth of Japanese courses at IVC and imo they have one of the best programs around thanks in large part to the dept. head, Ishii Sensei (take her class if you attend for Japanese courses). I've also taken some digital media courses and have been happy with the result (Adobe Flash, recommend L.Caron for this class). In general this is a good community college for a person like me who just wants to take interesting classes here and there. It's small and doesn't feel overcrowded like some of the bigger ones. Registration was pretty simple (online) and the location is convenient. The parking is easy to find (as long as you don't mind a bit of a walk) and the rates are reasonable. read more

They expect your money instantly for any purchases, but when it comes time to refund you they take as much time as they want.

Social life: It's a commuter college. Most community colleges have clubs, sports, etc. But there isn't much emphasis on them. It definitely centered on academics, which gives them one of the best transfer rates in Southern California. Sorry to those who are used to the big social scene at larger universities like CSU's n UC campuses, but if you're at a community college you're there with people of all ages---yea sometimes there's a 40 year old in a class, but they're there to get a degree or a certificate just like you are. Campus: Pretty nice, and flat all the way across. Brand new business building and a science lab building. There's a few "art" pieces now placed in different areas. Parking can be painful around 9:30am because most people start class at that time. The library is great---AC is always on full blast if you wanna get out of the sun on a hot day. The computers are all running Windows Vista now (Macs are used in the new BST building). Teachers: Always check ratemyprofessor.com for reviews before enrolling in a certain class. There's quite a few part-time professors here that teach at UCI or CSUF, or other local community colleges. Beware: you will get more work here than at a CSU haha some friends figured that out during summer session. Fall, spring, n summer classes are offered. *No winter intersession classes are currently offered. I just "graduated" from here after 3 years of classes. It was great, much better than my experience at Saddleback College. read more

This libary is old and it's smells rotten like mold!! Hope they fix this and update this place soon!! read more

Irvine Valley College - Colleges & Universities Near Me - Irvine, California

This campus is very small but it's also flat and this is a dream to my aching body. I was coming from a campus that had hills upon hills upon hills [ great for the hiking ego but horrible on a systemically immune ravaged body ]. I LOVE HOW FLAT THIS CAMPUS IS!!! I get emails about how they absolutely abhor any racist movements and attacks and I love how diverse and cultural this school is. I also was able to get appointments with my counselor easily who was able to really help me out with my career here. Parking is easy. I have night classes and I am always able to find a parking spot! The bathrooms are clean. They have the airport dryer where it dries your hands and wrists easily! I never make it to their fun daytime "festivals" as seen on instagram but that is the beauty of working full-time and attending classes. I really enjoy my classes here and very excited to finish up! read more

For some reason, there's this lady in admission who acted rudely on me on the phone, on Thursday. I was having a trouble logging in to MySite, and I asked her a valid question, and she answered I don't know. Seems like she's on a hurry that she sounded like hanging up up on me. It's not really a good impression to me, as I am GOING TO BE A new student here this coming Fall. (I am just saying.) read more

This is a great college with excellent instructors; many who also teach at four year universities. My experience at Irvine Valley College was top notch and I highly recommend as an affordable community college before transferring to a university. read more

This machine says it accepts credit card. Tried using credit card kept saying payment not available. Ended up using cash and the machine ate my $5 dollars. I had to drive across the campus just to get a ticket with this slow system saying loading. It finally ended up taking my credit card read more

Irvine Valley College - Colleges & Universities Near Me - Irvine, California

Need to brush up on some spanish? Need to learn something business wise? This place is pretty easy. Quick off the 5 and 405 FWYS, with easy parking, and a pretty convenient campus. I took some summer courses here and it was perfect to make up a few units I needed. They also have some exercise stuff that my mom has enrolled in. It's well worth it. I've never heard a knock on OCC or Rancho Santiago College either, but if you live in Irvine, there's no need to bother going to those places. Hit up IVC. read more

They offer plenty of evening and online classes which fit my full time work schedule. I have had some fantastic professors so far. read more

Irvine Valley College - Colleges & Universities Near Me - Irvine, California

If you are looking to take classes for your personal development, I would not recommend attending IVC. I have a bachelor's degree, and attended IVC for 3 classes the past 3 years. One class was a statistics class in case I choose to apply to graduate school and the other two were "fun classes" which I took online because I wanted to learn and grow. The statistics class went very well, and I had a positive experience. The first "fun class" was okay, not my cup of tea, but not a bad experience. My issue was with the third class. I took this class for about 8 weeks and decided to withdraw before the withdrawal deadline. I accepted the fact that my transcript would have a "W", as I wasn't gaining what I wanted from a personal development class and I wanted to focus more on my career. I went on the registration website and checked off "Withdraw" and got a notification on the website that I withdrew. Next, I was dropped out from the class's BlackBoard. I called the office and they told me it would take a few days for the withdrawal to process. Since I was out on Blackboard, I figured I was good, and moved on with my life. A month later, I realized "I should double check this" and found out that I was not dropped at all, and would probably get a failing grade in the class! I had to go to the registrar's office to file a petition, and am now waiting for the results. I found out that no, withdrawal does not take a couple days to process and that I should have received an email, none of which I received or was told about. Apparently my withdrawal was incomplete, and I received no notice about an abandoned registration session at all. If I had received a notice, I would have tried again or called the school again. Also, if the lady I spoke with told me that withdrawal should be instantaneous, I would have known something went wrong. I talked to some of my peers and some had similar experiences, both at IVC and at other schools. This made me even more concerned, and I am now waiting to hear back for my petition and am biting on my nails and waiting. I am fairly young and computer literate, and was fortunate enough to catch this early on. I know a lot of older adults who are not as computer savvy who would not be happy to obtain a failing grade in a class they are taking for fun and learning when they are retired. I definitely will not take any classes at IVC in the future for personal development. I am sad since it is a good resource, but I don't want bureaucratic problems to leave a mark on my records that I failed a class. I am a good student and study and work hard. I have a competitive degree with a good GPA from a good UC school, and never had such an experience. EDIT: I called to check the status of my petition and was met with hostility and an antagonizing tone of voice. The information I was given when I visited the office on 4/27/17 was different from the information given to me on the telephone today on 5/2/17. It is clear to me that the administration of the college has poor communication and leadership. I am happy I have a degree from elsewhere but am still nervously anticipating my results. read more

I've tried to contact the admission office 6 times for a month, but they always made me wait and eventually just hung up for no reason. I'm not sure the employees in admission office want to help students or not read more

Campus is great enjoy my classes good library and resources staff and administrators are friendly and helpful. BUT BEWARE !! of the campus cafeteria do NOT use your credit or debit card stick with cash!!! our accounts were tampered with yes my debit card number stolen twice from here I don't use it elsewhere so i know its from here! Plus after buying lunch my receipt has a different amount then they charged me on my statement. pathetic ! read more

The collage is cool and studay is nice Except the financial aid office is not good they give always hard time need to improvement.

With the pandemic, some of the music classes for the community went online. It's been a good experience for older folks who want to decrease exposure to Covid. The zoom lessons are still engaging and the music teachers are patient and dedicated. IVC is a great resource for Irvine as a community! read more

I am currently an irvine valley college student and it is my first year. So far the professors I have had have been okay. I've had some really good ones and some that I didn't like. The campus is pretty boring and there isn't a social life at this school. It is a very depressing environment. The councilors and the people that help you on the administration/financial aid office aren't much help at all. I've had some of them give me a lot of attitude for no reason at all. I don't feel very comfortable going and getting the help I need from councilors and I know many other students that feel the same. If you're just looking for a community college to go to your class and leave then IVC is the place for you. If you're looking for a school that has a fun campus and a social life outside of class then I definitely recommend you go to another school. Also note that rate my professor isn't that great of a help on choosing your professors. I found out that some of the professors with the lowest ratings have been my favorite professors and some with high ratings have been the worst.. So don't trust rate my professor and ask other students instead! That is one mistake I made. Also the writing and math center is a good place to go to get help on those 2 subjects. The math center is usually pretty busy but once they get to you they help you pretty well. For the writing center it's usually more busy than the math center because students earn a unit to be there. If you are looking to speak to a writing professor for help on an essay, you should go when there are 2 professors in the room because it goes by faster. When there is one professor in the room you could be in there for a good hour & a half to 2 hours & a half. Parking completely sucks. You will have a hard time finding anywhere to park so don't even bother looking for a parking spot next to your class because you most likely won't find it! read more

Honestly I really think this is one of the best community colleges around. You have a great staff (please use ratemyprofessor.cm and research your teachers before getting classes!), a pretty clean campus, and a really good computer lab. Parking does suck. Yes. I do agree but if you time your arrival to when classes get out you can usually get parking. The first week is really bad and sometimes you're forced to wander the parking lot forever for a miracle to happen. It almost never happens so just park in the wayyy back or park in the dirt lots. As far as the student community goes, I really like ivc better than saddleback because of the type of students that go here. I feel like the students at ivc are more ambitious and actually are looking to get a four year degree. Classes are difficult to get if you're a first time student but don't panic. Get on the priority add list (PAL) and email all of the teachers that you want to petition. Attend the class and make sure to go the next class too because the teachers need to see that you're a determined student. I know it's a pretty big investment of time but I never really had a problem petitioning for a class because usually you get let in if you're persistent. Make sure to set up a plan with the counselor and use assist.org, TAG, and IGETC to your full advantage! read more

I attended IVC from 2014 to 2016. My experiences were overall satisfactory but they do really overhype it with the "#1 transfer rate in OC, #2 transfer rate in Cal". If you are a computer science/engineering major, you are better off taking your classes somewhere else. I am a computer science/engineering major and found this department severely lacking. I am literally teaching myself through MOOCs and books. On the bright side, IVC is amazing for its mathematics/english/humanities department. Like at every colleges, you will find some professors who are amazing, overqualified and there for you and some who are incompetent and will make you wonder why they got the job in the first place. The campus looks like a residential building frankly, but I really love it. It is so serene and clean and the staff in those golf cart are so nice- really, much thanks to them. I also enjoyed sitting in those chairs on the lawn. It relieved me off my stress. I definitely encourage students to go to the library. You can check out the books you need for your classes for 2 hours and there are plenty of computers, too. The WiFi is really fast. The staff is also very friendly and helpful. Like at most community college, the campus life is severely lacking, but the Student Government (speaking from experience since I was involved in it) are really passionate and try their best to increase campus life and diversity by holding festivals, events, etc. Cessa, you are amazing! Most importantly, it is the students that make IVC what it is. I was blessed to be surrounded by highly motivated, ambitious students who commuted 30 minutes just to attend this campus. Now these people are attending top UC and private schools. JOIN THE HONORS PROGRAM, PEOPLE! Dr. Ryals and Shakeh, thank you for your contribution into this program. Sorry for being loud in the lounge and having numerous professors complain to you. You both are amazing! I can probably write an entire book word on IVC because since I lived nearby, I spent way too much time on campus. Overall, my experience has been great and I really encourage future/current students to take advantage of professors, resources, organizations, etc. It is what you make of it and, trust me, it pays off! read more

Not satisfied at all. Ok I accept their quality in education is good but their staff are not good at all. If you are an international student they can't even wait for a week till you enroll, you should enroll right away if not they will cancel your I-20 Their cafe is really bad they don't have any fresh food. Also their health center doesn't have a good Dr. I had a bad flu I went there the dr just gave me a prescription for some medicine I had a allergy to all of them. If these stuff are not important to you yes it might be good school for you to study. I will transfer as soon as I finish this semester. read more