Established in 1957, College of the Siskiyous is one of 116 publicly funded California community colleges and is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. The Fire/Emergency Response Technology Program is approved as an accredited regional academy for the State Fire Marshal's Office. The Paramedic/Emergency Medical Technician, Licensed Vocational Nursing and Registered Nursing Programs, and the POST Law Enforcement Academy are accredited by their respective state agencies.
COS is located at the base of majestic Mount Shasta (elevation 14,162 feet) in far northern California. Its 250-acre primary campus is centered in the historic lumber town of Weed, named after its founder Abner Weed, and is easily accessible from Interstate 5 and Highway 97. Classes began September 10, 1959 with 67 students and only three campus buildings. Since that humble beginning, College of the Siskiyous (COS) has greatly expanded its programs, services, and facilities.
The primary campus offers associate degrees and certificate programs in the arts, athletics, humanities, sciences, mathematics as well as career and technical programs in business/computer science, EMS-Paramedic, Fire, and Welding, to name but a few. Students have access to academic counseling, academic assessment, library services and resources, career counseling, personal counseling, financial aid assistance, Student Access Services (SAS), Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS), Student Support Services (SSS), textbook sales and buy backs, and tutoring services. COS is also one of only eleven community colleges in California to offer students on-campus housing.
In addition to its primary campus, COS operates a smaller campus in Yreka, 30 miles north of Weed, which is the site of the Rural Health Sciences Institute (RHSI) and the Technology Training Center. In Yreka, a variety of transfer, general education, vocational, continuing education, and distance education classes are available. Similar to the primary campus, the Yreka campus provides complete registration and advising services. Yreka Campus facilities also include a computer lab with full Internet access, general purpose classrooms, multiple classrooms with videoconferencing capabilities, and the Rural Health Sciences Institute, home to the College's Nursing (Certified Nurse Assistant, Vocational Nurse, and Registered Nurse) programs.
COS is widely recognized for its excellent programs in the humanities and arts, the sciences and technology, and in athletics. Over the years, COS students have gone on to achieve success in music, drama, science, fire technology, nursing, and athletics. Weed Campus facilities include a 562-seat theater, gymnasium and other sports facilities, a distance learning facility, spacious library, science complex, career and technical education labs, fire tower and tactical training center, and an emergency services training center in addition to general purpose classrooms.
Courses equivalent to college and university work are accepted for transfer by the California State University (CSU) and the University of California (UC) as noted in our college catalog.
The exceptional setting, a natural environment of mountains, forests, lakes, and streams, serves as an outdoor workshop for many classes such as art, geology, the life sciences, and physical and recreational education. Opportunities for outdoor recreation and sports abound: disc golf, hiking, camping, running, swimming, bicycle touring and mountain biking, rock and mountain climbing, hunting, fishing, and boating. Rafting and kayaking on nearby whitewater rivers such as the Klamath, McCloud, and Sacramento are special attractions. In the winter, there is superb downhill and cross-country skiing, and snowboarding on beautiful Mount Shasta or Mount Ashland to the north in southern Oregon.
Our students repeatedly express their feelings regarding their experience at College of the Siskiyous in terms of the warmth and friendliness of the faculty and staff, the availability of quality instruction in a caring atmosphere, and their level of preparedness for life beyond COS.
mySiskiyous
Athletics