An Unparalleled Opportunity
De Anza College provides an academically rich, multicultural learning environment that challenges students of every background to develop their intellect, character and abilities; to realize their goals; and to be socially responsible leaders in their communities, the nation and the world.
– from the De Anza College mission statement
With an outstanding reputation for academic excellence and innovative student services, De Anza College is an institution that has deep roots in Silicon Valley, and a broad reach that extends around the world.
The college is located on 112 acres in Cupertino, California, in the heart of Silicon Valley. It serves a region that has been shaped by global influences, including the tech industry, venture capital and diverse communities of immigrants from around the globe. It is a paradoxical region with immense economic growth and opportunity on one hand, and deep-seated poverty and exclusion on the other. Within the region, De Anza College stands as an important hub for educating students who come from marginalized communities and for helping address the issues of exclusion and income inequality that increasingly affect our students and surrounding communities.
De Anza has flourished and grown since its founding in 1967, adding state-of-the art buildings, labs and other facilities made possible by community-supported bond measures in 1999, 2006 and 2020. The measures were sponsored by the Foothill-De Anza Community College District, which includes De Anza and Foothill College.
De Anza has flourished and grown since its founding in 1967, adding state-of-the art
buildings, labs and other facilities made possible by community-supported bond measures
in 1999, 2006 and 2020. Currently serving more than 15,500 students each quarter, De Anza is known for consistently ranking at or near the top statewide in community college student transfers to public universities. This reputation for being “Tops in Transfer” attracts students from communities within and outside the college’s geographic service area, including historically underserved neighborhoods of San José and other parts of the San Francisco Bay Area, and from more than 55 nations.
As the largest community college in Silicon Valley, De Anza is a vital educational, cultural, social and economic resource for the entire Bay Area.
Students at De Anza can choose from 80 associate degrees, 112 credit certificates and 23 noncredit certificates in a wide array of disciplines.
With 620 full- and part-time instructors teaching in 11 academic divisions, the college offers approximately 1,800 courses in academic subjects such as creative
arts, humanities, physical and life sciences, mathematics, liberal arts and intercultural
studies, as well as career training in fields such as automotive and manufacturing technologies, film and television,
computer science and information systems, nursing and health technologies.
Along with academic excellence, De Anza is committed to equity and student support. This begins with innovative outreach programs to assist and recruit high school students from historically underserved communities. Once on campus, students have access to extensive support services, including peer tutoring and options for academic counseling through embedded counselors assigned to a specific division or program, or through the General Counseling office.
Drawing on research that shows a connection between student success and having a sense of engagement and belonging, the college has established six Villages that offer resources and services that are relevant to groups of related academic majors. Each student is automatically enrolled in a Village, based on their major or subject area of interest.
The Villages build on De Anza’s experience with cohort programs known as Learning Communities, which provide supportive networks of classmates, instructors and advisers for students who share a common background or interest – including first-generation college students, men of color, LGBTQ+ students and more. The college now has more than 15 of these Learning Communities.
All of these programs and services are designed for a student body that is highly
diverse in ethnicities, cultural backgrounds, gender identities and life experiences.
About 75% of De Anza students identify as other than white, including nearly 45% who
identify as Asian American, Filipinx or Pacific Islander, 25% as Latinx and nearly
4% as Black – which is almost twice the percentage of Black residents in Santa Clara
County, where De Anza is based.
About 40% of De Anza’s students are considered extremely low-income for the region, while 25% are in their family’s first generation to attend college. Although 40% enroll directly after high school, a third are age 25 or older, and 14% already have a bachelor’s or advanced academic degree.
Many students balance jobs and family obligations with their studies, with 43% attending full-time. More than 80% of De Anza students reside outside the college service area – a result of longstanding efforts to provide access for students from communities with low college attendance.
De Anza also draws international students from around the world, with about 1,250 students attending on F-1 visas in the most recent quarter. These students enroll in a variety of classes and participate in the general life of the campus, while receiving specialized services from dedicated counselors and advisers in the office of International Student Programs.
Research at De Anza and other institutions has shown that student success improves when faculty and staff diversity is aligned with that of the student body. About half of the college’s full-time faculty members identify as other than white: 25% as Asian, 12% as Latinx, 7% as Black and 7% as multiethnic. The pool of adjunct faculty members is larger but less diverse than the full-time faculty, while the ranks of educational administrators and classified professionals are more diverse.
All of this diversity creates a vibrant atmosphere on campus. Students are active in 17 intercollegiate athletics teams (nine women’s teams and eight men’s), more than 60 campus clubs under the leadership of the Inter Club Council, and an award-winning campus newspaper, La Voz. Members of the De Anza Student Government (DASG) participate in shared campus governance and – along with the college's student representative to the Foothill-De Anza Board of Trustees – advocate for students at the campus, district and state levels.
De Anza is committed to a robust and inclusive shared governance process in which administrators, faculty members, classified professionals and students are stakeholders. This includes collective bargaining groups; academic, classified and student senates; and the various committees and work groups that guide these entities.
Along with the president of Foothill College and four vice chancellors, De Anza’s president is a key member of the district executive team led by Chancellor Lee Lambert. The chancellor is appointed by district trustees, who are elected by voters in the communities of Cupertino, Los Altos Hills, Mountain View, Palo Alto, Stanford, Sunnyvale and portions of San José, Santa Clara and Saratoga.
Both college presidents are voting members of the Foothill-De Anza Foundation board and work closely with the chancellor and the foundation to fundraise for college priorities. The foundation is among the largest nonprofit auxiliary organizations supporting California community colleges, with $55 million in total assets.
The Foothill-De Anza district is a founding member of the League for Innovation in the Community College and has continuously maintained its position on the league's board of directors. It is the only California district represented on that board.
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