Visalia Campus

915 South Mooney Boulevard
Visalia, California 93277

College of the Sequoias in Visalia was originally established as Visalia Junior College (VJC) in 1926 at the site which later became Redwood High School. With demand growing for local opportunities to obtain college education, VJC opened in a small section of the high school campus to provide lower division curriculum to students in preparation for transfer to a public or private university. The local school superintendent oversaw administration, and several of the faculty members taught both high school and college courses. Initially, 63 students attended VJC, with bus service provided for students traveling from nearby towns – Dinuba, Tulare, Orosi, Exeter, Strathmore, and Woodlake.

As the college’s enrollment neared 500 students, leaders decided that it was necessary to open a campus exclusively for college students. The 50-acre campus on Mooney Boulevard was opened in 1940, which at the time was seen by many as too far out of town and too large for local demand. In 1949, the name of the “jaycee” was officially changed to College of the Sequoias. 

Today, the 62-acre Visalia campus enjoys the benefits anticipated by its prescient founders. State-of-the-art classrooms and learning centers complemented by ample athletic, vocational and performing arts facilities make the campus one of the premier, post-secondary institutions in the Central Valley.

Tulare College Center

4999 East Bardsley Avenue
Tulare, California 93274

The COS Tulare Campus is the newest of the three campuses in the COS District.  It offers a full range of General Education classes and includes all the classrooms, laboratories, library, student services, counseling, and support services to allow students to complete their goals for transfer, an associate’s degree, or a certificate.   

Over 30 full-time faculty and multiple adjuncts teach in disciplines such as architecture, math, English, chemistry, biology, political science, graphic design, drafting, and welding.    It also is home to the faculty in the Agriculture Division with courses in Ag business management, technology, animal science, horticulture, water management, plant science, and vet assisting.   

In 2023, COS Tulare broke ground on a new Applied Technology & Trades Building. The complex will be home to COS’s applied technology and skilled trades programs, including Agricultural Technology; Automotive Technology; Construction Technology; Environmental Control Technology (HVAC); Electrician Training;  Industrial Maintenance; and Industrial Automation.   The scheduled opening is August 2024.

The Tulare campus offers a full complement of student services. Students can get their transcripts, financial aid, Associated Student Body Cards (and bus passes), photo identification cards, counseling appointments, access and ability services, and more in Building A on the campus. Building A also includes a health center, bookstore, food service area, library, and tutorial center.

Sitting on 495 acres, the campus not only has the most up-to-date classrooms and science labs but also boasts a 12,000 sq. ft. welding lab and a working 320-acre farm with student laboratory facilities for students to get hands-on lab and work experiences required in the modern Ag and industrial workforce.  Students can engage in everything from fabrication, equipment operation, and new Ag and industrial technologies to integrated pest management, irrigation design, and greenhouse management.

Tulare Campus also hosts the Equestrian Team and livestock facilities that includes a reproductive physiology lab, pastures, riding arena, pavilion, and barns, all giving students hands-on experience in animal care, livestock, and equine production.   

Also located at COS Tulare is the Training Resource Center (TRC). With a mission to advance the economic growth and global competitiveness of business and industry in our region, the TRC provides training and consulting solutions to Tulare and Kings County organizations. 

Hanford Educational Center

925 13th Avenue
Hanford, California 93230

The COS Hanford Educational Center offers courses ranging from transfer courses to career technical education courses. The transfer classes include general education requirements such as history, political science, English, math, communications, sociology, psychology, and business/computers, foreign languages, and science. 

Career Technical Education programs offered the Hanford campus are Police Training, Fire Training, Industrial Maintenance, Electrician Training, and Certified Nursing Assistant. The two POST Basic Police academies are offered in an intensive format which meet typically Monday - Friday, with some exceptions. The firefighter academy is offered each Spring semester. 

Additionally, COS Hanford can meet a variety of student services needs at the Hanford Hub located in the Vocational Building. Services that can be obtained at the Hub include, but are not limited to: transcripts, financial aid, Student Body Identification Cards, Activity Benefit Stickers, transit passes, counseling appointments, and assessment tests.

Other services available for students at COS Hanford include the following: computers which are located in the library and available for student use, a Health Center, and regularly scheduled visits by personnel from the Access and Ability Center, Extended Opportunity Programs and Services, Work Experience, Veterans Resource Center, and Cal Works departments.