San Mateo Colleges of Silicon Valley

SMCSV has expanded their successful Global Online Learning (GOL) program, which has been successfully operating for a number of years. Hundreds of students have graduated from the program and transferred to top universities in the U.S.

In 2020, for this continued effort, the U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross awarded SMCSV the nation's highest honor for export success, namely the JFK Presidential Award of Excellence in Export. The award recognizes the colleges' excellence in securing prosperous and fair-trade opportunities and upholding the rigorous and competitive standards for American industry.

This award signifies SMCSV's impact within the world market, and is testament to their adaptability and enterprise, exporting to some of the most challenging and rapidly changing worldwide markets.

SMCSV has built a reputation for delivering high-quality educational programs to their international community of students, by developing and maintaining an excellent standard of teaching and tuition at all three of their campus colleges, as well as designing a state-of-the-art distance learning model for its Global Online Learning (GOL) program.

Over 50 percent of the faculty are graduates from the world's top 100 universities. The colleges rely upon their highly qualified and widely experienced faculty staff, many of whom have worked in leading organizations within their field, in the hugely successful and innovative companies based in Silicon Valley such as YouTube, Google, Apple, Salesforce, Twitter, and Facebook. Many staff have also worked and taught internationally, and are able to communicate their experience and expertise to students from all international backgrounds.

Each college has a student to staff ratio of around 25:1, ensuring generous contact time and mentorship, as well as a personalized learning experience.

Since its inception in 2018, the colleges' GOL program has successfully guided hundreds of students on to achieving their aspirations of enrolment at top CUP universities. Each student is assigned a Dedicated Academic Counsellor and Success Navigator to ensure steady progress and support.

SMCSV offers alternative pathways into targeted-entry undergraduate study. Students have a huge range of degree subjects to choose from, with 105 programs offered across all three colleges. Additionally, international students are offered a choice of 42 Certificate Programs which may be completed within one or two years. Prospective students are advised to check the SMCSV website for the complete list of programs and host colleges.

SMCSV offers a selection of pathways into their range of subject departments. The Silicon Valley Intensive English Program (SVIEP) is a preparation program with a flexible choice of start dates, which provides an opportunity for international students to improve their English Language Proficiency test scores. Successful completion of SVIEP Level 4 guarantees admission into one of the many University Transfer Admission (UTA) courses at SMCSV.

Students on either of the college pathway programs will also develop transferable skills that will prove essential in their further studies and future careers, such as communication, presentation skills and project management.

SMCSV encourages applicants from all kinds of academic and international backgrounds. There are English language and academic entry requirements for enrolment on the colleges' three pathway courses: SVIEP, GOL, and SMCSV.

SVIEP - Applicants must be at least 16 years of age and must submit a copy of an original high school transcript with English translations. There is no minimum English Language Proficiency score required.

GOL - Applicants must have a high school diploma, a high school equivalency, or will be at least 18 years old at the beginning of the academic semester. Minimum English Language Proficiency scores of 5.5 on the IELTS test, 56 on the TOEFL test, 85 on the Duolingo English test, or completion of SVIEP Level 4.

SMCSV - Applicants must be at least 16 years of age and must submit a copy of an original high school transcript with English translations. Minimum English Language Proficiency scores of 5.5 on the IELTS test, 56 on the TOEFL test, or 85 on the Duolingo English test.

SMCSV students benefit from having three highly desirable campuses in California to choose from. Each campus is a self-contained learning environment, offering everything its students require for academic success and personal enrichment. The campuses are designed with the most modern facilities including state-of-the-art study spaces for individual and group work, computer laboratories, extensive library facilities with thousands of books, journals, digital resources and free, high-speed Wi-Fi throughout.

The campuses have cafes, coffee shops, student bookstores, fully equipped gymnasiums, and sports facilities to provide opportunities for students to develop skills and personal interests beyond the classroom, and to encourage a strong social element to their experience.

Distance learning students who do not attend campus classes, benefit from the use of SMCSV's bespoke online learning platform, with 24 hour access to course resources, reading lists, forums where they may communicate with peers and tutors, and the online international college community.

Tuition fees for international students in the 2021/22 academic year vary based on course type and length. Applicants must additionally demonstrate verification of available funds.

SVIEP - Cost of attendance: USD 7,322 (includes tuition, housing, expenses for eight weeks). Applicants must demonstrate access to funds of USD 7,322.

SMCSV - Cost of attendance: USD 25,400 (includes tuition, housing, expenses for ten weeks). Applicants must demonstrate USD 25,400 available.

GOL - Tuition and fees: USD 336 per unit (USD 288 tuition fee, USD 2 capital outlay fee, and USD 46 enrolment fee). A majority of student classes are three units, which are USD 1,088 per class.

The GOL program represents a 65 percent reduction in tuition fees, as well as no housing costs or visa expenses. There are financial support options available through the Global Beca Scholarship program for first time students, plus additional credit-based scholarships.

There are also financial incentives in place for returning SMCSV students, through the Aspiring Alumni scholarship scheme for returning students. Applications are submitted online, and prospective students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with application deadlines via the college website.