Is the financial aid department allergic to answering the phone ? This is absolutely ridiculous. Been on the same call for 20 mins trying to get ahold of them and they just keep letting it ring. read more

The campus is very beautiful and clean! I have taken a few classes and their staff and faculty are pretty helpful.

First I want to say that the professors are pretty good for the most part. Most of them teach or have taught at universities such as cal state LA and Fullerton. But.....they will straight up tell you that they will not have you doing the same work because you're at a CC, so that was some great inspiration. Professors: (Good Prof. Nabours and Swanson + Cons + Who not to take) Other professor types include anything from one that told my class about her ex that wanted to give her aids and another who claimed we were going to break into his house and kill his wife as a joke (like WHAT??) Some professors (especially in the math department) are incredibly lazy and just used the best math professor's videos (Nabours) for their own classes and yet they still acted like they were teaching (and not professor Nabours who literally with her videos taught practically the whole math cohort). For honors there are a lot of great professors, except Mark Sellick. He screamed at me in front of my whole class because he specifically asked for us to bring up confusing portions of his syllabus and I did ....he went on yelling for 20 minutes even taking personal shots...on zoom. Campus: (Commute and Library) The campus is also pretty nice just really spread out and really not that big; the grounds are pretty nice however and clean which is great. There should be more shade though, it gets HOT. The whole physics and physical sciences building is locked up however so they need to see to that wasted space and the boarded doors... Parking is an absolute nightmare and the library is really small for such a large student population, it is more like a hang out place so good luck with it being quiet; it's just a huge room- one side you can talk and be loud- the other side only quiet... does not work out too great. Academia: I also think that RCC has a great STEM guidance program with Tim and their Pys program is pretty good thanks to Dr. Swanson. The honors program is great too and they even have a lounge and perks. One thing that was very unproductive was English Labs which turned out to be "get something signed for Lit class and you can't talk and its mandatory to go"... more like a study hall and everyone has to take it so there is no way to get out of it. Student Care: My class and I also felt that the school did a very poor job with the Covid pandemic, some professors didn't even use canvas and here we went online completely. Another thing too, RCC was one of the last schools to close because of the health threat. UCR, CBU, all of the surrounding High schools and colleges were online 2 weeks prior to us going online which made us feel like our well-being was not a priority Admin Demeanor/Responsibility: My biggest reason for 3/5 however is not the school itself but the admin staff. First it was them forgetting about how to send an IGETC so my university that I transferred to believed I had about 8 more classes I needed than I really did to get my BS. RCC threw a fit complaining to me because of how my university wanted the IGETC sent, obviously something I could not control. Then the school also tried to claim that I lost catalog rights when I was continuously enrolled in CC. The councilor that I thought was there to help me and whom I really respected, was two faced towards me and my concerns with my transfer, graduation and plans for classes. His notes (which were sent to me via another councilor) were very different and incredibly unprofessional from what was said. Accounting is also something else, years later and some random charges show up when I never had these charges before in the year they claim I owe and since then. Basically all but maybe 5 admin staff are very rude (DMV style) too so don't expect a nice welcome on the other side of the phone or desk. Conclusion: If you can, go to foothill online for all of your classes that don't have lab and then just go to RCC or another CC that does your labs. This school is crazy like between all of the random police tickets for parking where you are allowed, to the useless library and the really sub-par tutoring center... go to another CC, really. I had to fight for my Diploma (AS) and my IGETC, BOTH of which I completed and earned and admissions did not catch their own flaws and then I had to take the work of it on to fix everything. read more

Screw this school. From admission to financial aid to advisors. Useless and irrelevant all they care about is taking money from you and doubting you. I had a horrible experience with Jackie Urena who doubted me and told me the only way I will get into the nursing program is if I get A's in my pre reqs. I was also lied to by her about my GPA. It was corrected by another advisor. As for admission, they are useless, with attitudes and will have you waiting for hours before seeing you and don't even have the correct information to provide you with. Same goes for financial aid. I am now in a overpayment situation because of Financial Aid's mistake. Save yourself the trouble and stay away from this shit hole read more

This is a great asset to the community of Riverside and the Inland Empire. They offer many degrees and a unique variety of classes for students, older adults, working adults and lifelong learners. The campus is lovely. It is affordable for all. read more

This is an update with posted pics of what the weak ass counselors should be giving you along with GOOD advise, which I've experienced and heard is hard to get at RCC. I had a bad experience here with a very unmotivated counselor as you can see in the original review but my niece just recently also had a similar experience with a different counselor. Wish I knew their names so that you don't schedule an appointment with them. Anyway I really don't understand their work ethic and sympathize with new students. Especially the ones that don't know where or how to begin and they go to these people for guidance. Anyway I hope these pics of the guide will help a bit, it really helped me set a smooth path in college. read more

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I was expelled from Marymount College. I had my boyfriend, but he ditched me for no reason. He became interested in my friend. I couldn't focus on school work. I got bad grades. My GPA went downhill. That's what happened. I called other community colleges in California, but they all said "No" as soon as I told them that I was expelled from Marymount college. However, Riverside City College is the ONLY college which took me in despite my bad GPA. Tutors there are so patient, but because of their and professors' help, I could graduate from Riverside City College! Now, thanks to RCC, I am living my dream of being a university student. read more

Do not trust the academic advisors. Jackie Urena cost me thousands of dollars in adjusting an academic pathway for one of the nursing programs, pushing me to take science classes outside of RCC because of the timing and class impaction. Even though I followed her directions, my application was denied because of the course timelines. This, in turn, cost me substantial time, missing deadlines to apply for other programs, and substantial amounts of money in order to take science classes at a private university to guarantee the timeline I was given. Completely disheartening. read more

I have never seen such an irresponsible school. I am studying at UCR and want to choose a class at rcc. I need to provide countless certificates, even proof of identity. I don't know if your school discriminates against international students. If not, I have already After paying tuition, I would never choose your school, and the office staff don't even know what is needed from me. read more

I attended RCC back in 2008. I remember I took English 1A & 1B, some speech class, chemistry class, sociology class, math classes, & a gym class if I'm not mistaken. The campus is nice AF but their parking sucked. The financial staff was rude from what I remembered and there was only 1 decent counselor that was an A in my grade book. Kind of miss walking up " the hill" from the parking lot where the mechanics auto shop was at. Good luck to those who become a Tiger at RCC covid style edition. read more

Pretty campus, that's the only good thing that I have to say. My daughter went through the nursing program here. It is run by the most disorganized group that I've ever seen. If you send in an email or leave a voice mail asking a question....you MIGHT get a reply, but you'll get 3 different answer from different people OR you won't get any reply at all. Important questions will be ignored. How is a kid supposed to know where her clinicals are if nobody will give her a straight answer. The instructors LITERALLY wait until the last day to give out important information. I'm sorry....the instructors know for weeks where the clinicals are going to be....why wait until the day before? If we are planning on costs...why not just tell us up front how much this whole mess is going to be? They just kept adding more and more items that the student needed. One person there, I think his name was Purdy??? I asked him a question about the tuition and his answer was literally "That's just the way it is, man." Couldn't get a straight answer out of him, he was just so flip. I can't imagine the kids/students having to deal with such rude faculty. I'm an adult so I have no problem letting another adult know when I believe that they are out of line, but I feel so sorry for the students having to deal with the nursing staff, they are very arrogant and almost blatantly rude to the kids. :( At least my daughter got her degree and doesn't have to deal with this messed up program again! read more

Seriously fuck this school. How are they still operating and ruining peoples chance at getting a education. Ive literally tried months trying to get hold of "counselors" even though they work 99 percent at fucking home. What sense does that make if you trying to get into a school especially the first time. Appointment's only and are weeks if not months out..When you do get help most of the time they give you some short half ass answer's but when shit doesnt work or make sense you got to wait another couple of weeks for assistance. This place was one fucking huge nightmare and I tried to be resilient because It was the closest school and conveient for me..Fuck RCC read more

I finally left this institution after spring of 2018. I will not miss being waitlisted for every class I needed. However I will say that towards the end I had a much more rewarding school experience because of the Norco Campus. Let me put it this way. I live a 5 minute drive from the main campus in Riverside and still willingly chose to drive 30-45 minutes in traffic to the Norco campus every morning because the teachers there are that AMAZING! They know their stuff, especially in the math department and aren't snobby about breaking things down for you. I took Calculus at the main campus in Riverside once with Gabriela Mendoza and FAILED! I dropped with an F. Went to Norco and took it with a professor who's name I can't recall, passed with an A! We're talking differential calculus people!!! The Norco campus is superior. Although I will say the Riverside campus has finally stepped up their accessibility to counselors and have made wait times more efficient. The newer parts of campus are also very nice. Many strides have been made to make the campus nice. However the teachers still suck at Riverside campus. Go to Norco campus if you can. read more

I appreciate the promise program for this school, not many schools give you this type of education and opportunity. However , it's competitive for classes , promise usually get first pick and I know it's hard for others. Also relating to covid , this is not the place to go. The way they are running things is absolutely effecting people educations and I feel as though they don't truly care about their students in regards to that. On the other hand they have a lot of help, guidance, and opportunity portions for people. They give out food for those who need help, their library is helpful, they have a clinic for people who need health related things, and most of their professors are great. Lastly, answering the phone sucks and is hard to reach people in a timely matter in my opinion. read more

Love the auto classes. Most are hands on and always great to go to. Awesome professors.

I think RCC is a great school!! I went to RCC way back and now my sons are in the promise program there. The school counselors have provided great guidance and the professors have high standards. I really cannot say enough about how much I have appreciated our two years there. Favorite classes have been in ASL, Sociology, and Ethics so far. The advanced Mathematics classes have been really challenging - especially last year during covid - because everything was online. My sons (both vaccinated) much prefer classes in person! We also appreciate RCC's precautions with covid and how they returned to campus this year with specific policies in place to keep people safe. read more

I vote for RCC as the best college in Southern California for international students! Excellent location, programs and student services.

Impossible to sign up for classes if you're a first time college student. Haven't been able to speak with anyone, I've been trying for almost a month. I can't imagine how difficult it would be to actually be a student here. No wonder the graduation rate is less than 25%. read more

Lady at student financial aid services and cashier were both super rude for no reason

I can't believe I'm about to say this, but I miss Chabot in Hayward. Although this is a nice campus, well I actually don't know how to finish that sentence. Website is horrible, do you guys still use America Online? Try calling to get information and you are disconnected after going through the maze of extensions. Get it together RCC. The good: Cafeteria and my music professors The bad: anything that isn't the cafeteria and anyone that isn't my music professors read more

Riverside City College - I'm surrounded by filthy and disgusting creatures - Colleges & Universities Near Me - Riverside, California

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The campus is pretty small, but this is the first community college I've attended for summer school so I don't really have anything to compare it to. The counselors, administrative workers and financial aid office workers that I met while trying to figure out some problems I had were never enthusiastic or nice when talking to students. It looked like they hated being there. I'm not sure if I caught them all on a bad day, but 4/5 stars for that! However, for the entire 5 weeks I was here, I enjoyed the teachers that I had. Professor Margaret Worsley is a great music teacher, not only is she a great clarinet player, but she's a very passionate music teacher that really knows how to entertain her students for 3 hours straight! Professor Mark Carpenter is also a great sociology teacher. He kind of goes off tangent when he talks about the news, and he's kind of old so there are many things he doesn't know how to work, like the projector, videos, sound systems, so you have to be patient with some sometimes. Overall he's a very passionate teacher who I believe has been teaching for a very long time and always looks for the best in his students. He'll do his best to help his students pass his class. Professor Ajene Wilcoxson, by far is the best college professor I have had in my 3 years of college. I attend UCR and I have yet to meet an engaging professor like him. I took his business 10 class which was a hybrid class for the summer. At first I was very hesitant on the hours I would have to dedicate for this class, scared I would not stay awake, but no! Prof Ajene, is amazing! You'll be up not because you have to, but because you want to. Being in his class will have you motivated to become a better and successful business worker, or overall person. He will motivate you to do your best, and failure and giving up is never an option. I'm sincerely thankful to have taken his class because I enjoyed it very much. I recommend everyone to take his class, because in the end of the term, you will definitely appreciate all the lessons he preaches and learn something new. read more

I like them. They got some nice people that work there. The lady at the Transcript office was very accommodating as well as the bookstore people. I'm only there for a semester just to take a speech class, but so far I've liked it. I have a class at the Quadrangle, which I actually love the architecture of it. I have Prof. Nafsgar, which she's been pretty awesome as a teacher, although I feel like she could ease up on the grading a little bit. Speeches are nerve wracking and us as students are trying our best to suck up our fear and get up in front of everybody, but I guess as a teacher, of course she has to be very critical of our work... She's pretty nice though. During the winter session, they have Free Parking! So, if you need a class, the best time to take it at RCC may be during the winter ;) Although it may be difficult to get a class or get parking during that time, don't give up because people always drop! :) Finding parking is horrible most of the time though... If anything, just be a stalker and follow someone walking to their car because that might be the only way you'll actually find a parking spot and get to class on time. Also, parking is only $1 for 2hrs, so yay! read more

came with my son. I like how helpful everyone is d they make sure we go to the right place. they alway have coffee and cookies. nice to see everyone so helpful read more

Riverside City College - Colleges & Universities Near Me - Riverside, California

I've taken a few classes here and the schoolwork/teachers are typically pretty cool. No complaints there, but the counseling department and admissions is horrible! You can only talk with counselors virtually and the only people you can speak with in person are students who know nothing about school policies and answer none of your questions. The virtual appointments stay booked for weeks in advance and god help you if they don't solve your problem when you do get to speak with a counselor, because you won't reach another one for another month or two. I now have to take an extra 2 (1 class only) semesters since I couldn't get into the math class in time because the registration system is buggy and no one gets back to me. Thank you for listening to my rant. Hope your experience is better! read more

This review is strictly for the counseling team that checks you in. I've been here a handful of times and each time I come the people checking you in seem to have an attitude almost as if you're bothering them. I'm not sure why when asked a question they are quick to give an attitude. As I'm sitting here waiting to see my counselor with the appointment I made over a week ago. I get to watch these employees play on their personal phones. read more

It is EXTREMELY hard to reach someone in any of the offices. I've been trying to reach admissions and records to recover my outlook password and have not been able to get a hold of anyone for the past 3 weeks now. Summer semester is starting in a few weeks, and I can't get a hold of anyone to help. So ridiculous! read more

The campus is so big it so easy to get lost in ways but if you know where your classes you should be fine.

Great place to study for your ASE Certs, Or your Associate. You must really check this place out to really appreciate the convenience of all the equipment that they have here for you to be able to learn how to properly be a Tech. The staff is wonderfully creative in teaching their students in a way that you get captivated and intrigue to learn more and more. Whether you are here just for a ASE certificate or you wish to get Your associates in automotive this is deffitnetly a good place to study the automotive industry. read more

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The nursing department is dumb asf, they wasted my time and Alexis never responds and I couldn't even register for classes despite me getting my immunizations and doing orientation they never approved me for the classes and I wasted money to get my cpr card and laid for compolio don't go to this pathetic school read more

My son and his friend moved to RCC to attend school and play football. While my son decided not to stay after summer courses and summer ball, his friend did. I can not express enough what a nightmare it was to deal with counseling and financial services. After weeks of trying to withdrawal, literally calling and emailing daily, we finally reached Laurdes Davis on the phone. She is the only reason there are any stars as she gave is clear instructions on how to withdraw and responded. She should train all the other staff. On the other hand, the elderly woman who is perched at a window in financial aid is not there to help students. She is there to say No, I can't help, look elseware. We had 3 interactions with her (2 with the student and one on my own) and received zero direction, advise, help, instruction. She was happy to dissappint. She is there for a paycheck and could care less if the students receive the help they need from financial services. You would get the same results standing outside the building asking for help from the brick wall. Student support is not present for young adults. Plan on figuring things out on your own. It is between you and FAFSA. They could save money with a robot at the window saying "log into your FAFSA and figure it out on your own" I haven't been so frustrated with the lack of work ethic or care for customers (aka: paying students) in my life. read more

I recently moved to Riverside right before the fall semester began. I've been to three other CC's in California, and even though I do miss Citrus and San Diego Miramar, it was easy to enroll and get the classes I needed. My advice for newer students is that if you are willing to do extra research on the teachers you pick for your classes, then you should be fine. I utilize the life out of RateMyProfessor and only one of the 4 teachers I chose didn't have one. AND BOY WAS THAT A MISTAKE TO TAKE THAT ONE TEACHER. Always make sure you know what you're getting into, and if you want to avoid the annoying financial aid people, just enroll full time to get the benefits of the state paying for school. In spring, I am waitlisted for two main classes I need, however, my advice is to email those specific teachers and see if you can sweet talk them into letting you in (I already got an email stating I was finally registered to one of those two classes;). Every teacher I've encountered so far is really here to help you (except that one teacher who didn't have a ratemyprofessor, my worst nightmare lol). If you do end up struggling in a class or two, the tutors in the MLK building are stupendous. I am a pretty bright student, but we all have that moment where WE NEED HELP, I actually had to stop by STEM a few times for math. Also, If you're looking for an amazing counselor, I recommend Ms Avila or Mr Somers. One last perk about this school is that when it is flu vaccination season, the nurse students come out on campus and offer them for free! I have not gotten sick this season, so I am really happy about that. Anyway, I am hoping that my experience here is going to be sweet and short. But I will keep this post updated if my opinions on this school change. Hope this helped! read more

One star for the lady in financial aid. Total B!!! I called for help regarding my financial aid and Honestly it's been years since I did it. She was mad at me for not having my ID memorized (just started class here) and gave me a short lecture! Total turn off for a new student!! read more

I have to say the staff in the financial staff. They are so rude, they don't want to help you ..they make the appeal process for financial aid too hard. That in the end not even worth it. Too me there is one lady working the front desk at rcc financial aid. She is always rude. She has a bad attitude towards me and other students. I like this school,but no matter how good you do. Financial aid don't care. read more

Don't get me wrong, I do like the campus and people are really friendly. The reason for me to give 1 star is because I was required to take 5 English courses and 4 Math courses. It was a living nightmare and stressed out and suffered depression. I'm a Theater Major and the courses have nothing to do with my major. Plus some of the professors in the courses who were rude and weren't helpful at all. But as of today, the state of CA has now downed the English and Math courses and students now only have to take 2 English courses and 1 Math. I wish they would've done that around my time on campus. Also I found out later in Anthropology that I got a D grade in years back and I could've gotten away with it and all this time I retook the course over and over along with Bio courses and ended up not passing them and with the D grade I got in Anthropology was a passing grade still and the counselors I met in the past failed to tell me and was so bummed out about it til one day one of the counselors I met told me about it. Sorry if I sounded so harsh. This was just my experience but I'm just happy I finally got these courses out of the way. They took forever to pass. read more

I'm a returning student after graduating from CSUSB. I attended RCC Riverside before CSUSB, and back then I really liked RCC. I actually liked it a lot better than CSUSB, but now I'm starting to get disgruntled with this school. First, I'll go over what's still good. I always complained CSUSB's students have no soul and I felt very isolated over there. At RCC, you can usually count on someone coming up to talk to you (albeit some are weirdos). The student population is generally nice and friendly. They remodeled the cafeteria, and it looks pretty nice. (the greasy food needs improvement though). Now the bad... ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [[Digital Library]] -- specifically, the computer tech support staff. One of them is always walking around scolding people (if you're a regular at the library you know who it is). He always comes up to you if it looks like you're not doing anything important and tells you to either quit it or get off the computer because "there are students waiting to use computers." He's always telling you to quiet down even when you're whispering. Basically, count on him bugging you at least once a week. Then there is a different employee who looks younger and walks around with an "Ask Me" tag on. I've asked for help with my computer from him twice and he was rude both times, not making eye contact with me, talking to me like I should never have asked him for help with my computer. The no food or drinks (except for in one corner of the library) policy is getting really old too. [[Financial Aid]] Now to be fair, financial aid offices suck at most schools. Here, it's quite apparent that there is a hostile relationship between students and financial aid employees. Don't be surprised if they try to rush your questions, finish your sentences for you, and give you incomplete or incorrect information. It was like this at CSUSB also. I've had friends who received financial aid only to be billed later for it because it was given to them by mistake. From other reviews, apparently this isn't so uncommon. [[Class availability]] If you aren't at the top of the priority registration totem pole, good luck getting any classes in summer or winter. I had to waste a semester getting into anything I could so that my priority registration would return and I could get the classes I needed (counselor in admissions told me to do this). [[The new Wheelock Stadium]] For some reason, we currently don't have warm water in the men's locker room showers. Also, there is only one real shower and the rest are like the showers at the beach where you have to push the button to get water to come out. Guys will wait and take turns using the nice shower instead of using the crappy ones. The physical fitness room is still tiny, and they have not updated their weight room at all. Benches and machines are old and rusty, there are plenty of dumbbells missing. It is SO frustrating. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I know this was a long rant, but I've held my angry feelings in for too long and they all just kind of poured out here. I used to love this school, and I hope it gets better and not worse from this point on. read more

I don't think this schools advising center is helpful at all. Especially by phone since they don't ever answer. I met up with a counselor once (I'm a new student at this school) and the information he gave me was very vague and not very helpful. He's a senior man so I don't even know if he knew what he was talking about. They need to step it up. Very unsatisfied. read more

I got my Associates from RCC in August 2010. They offer a lot of online courses, which is really great for my schedule. I would say 60% of my professors didn't give a crap about what they were teaching. I know the money isn't good, so I'm not really sure why some of them bothered at all. I only dropped one class because the professor was a complete idiot, though. The buildings are pretty old (although they are putting up a new nursing/sciences building this year)...too hot in the summer, too cold in the winter. But everybody utilizes what they have, and it's usually an okay experience. The prices can't be beat, so I would definitely recommend this school to anyone. Just be prepared to deal with inconveniences like financial aid staff that couldn't care less, older buildings, counselling staff that don't really know what they're talking about, etc. And make sure you read the reviews of professors on ratemyprofessors before signing up for the class! read more

To believe that PARKING SERVICES gives citations to staff is OUT OF MIND RIDICULOUS. And when a staff member fights it and LOSES that even worse. They can't and won't give them a damn a break. read more

This schools parking sucks balls!!! You have to arrive 2 hours early just to find parking!! But don't worry when you do find parking all they do is find ways to give you a ticket! And don't worry if you buy a parking pass you'll still end up searching for a parking spot for hours, and when you do find one it will be off campus. So save your money and just park off campus because you'll prob just park on campus when you arrive a day early for class. Also professor have the most parking spaces. Stay away from this school!!! read more

I have a love/hate relationship with RCC. More on the hate side, that's for sure. I attended RCC from 2004-2008 and paid $20-26 a unit. My last classes were $20 a unit in 2008. When I came back in 2014, units went up to $46. That's a pretty big jump and hard to afford for those coming out of high school or living on their own. Parking has increased too. If you don't have priority registration, it's often very hard to get the classes you need. Sometimes there will only be 2-4 classes available for a specific subject while the entire waitlist is completely full for all of them. Parking, even with the parking structure, is a nightmare. For $50 a semester, you'd think you'd have plenty of spots for you. If you have a night class, it's not as bad. For Fall 2014, I was registered for a class and got dropped for non-payment. I was not given any notice that my payment was due, everything was being sent to the student e-mail that is forced on you, NOT the e-mail on file. When I went to register, I was not notified of changes to when payment is due either. I lost my class and the waitlist was completely full, so I got delayed on my studies. I found out I was dropped when I went to make a payment before the class even started. I tried registering for this class for winter, it was completely full again. I finally made it for Spring 2015. The class is a web enhanced class and what they won't tell you is that you have to pay $75 extra for the class to use Web Assist. They will nickel and dime you here, that's for sure. That being said, I've had some wonderful teachers here. Joyce (Criminal Justice) and Brown (Sociology), stand out the most for me. I really liked Wigg for Public Speaking too. I do have my AA from here and came back last year to get a few extra classes out of the way before transferring to a university for my BA. I do like the Moreno Valley campus a little better, but it's not in an ideal location for me. It's less crowded than the Riverside campus. Overall, it's cheaper to get lower division classes out of the way through community college, but it is getting more expensive. Get it done now before tuition doubles again. read more