American River College
American River College at a Glance
Reviewed by James A. Barham, PhD, Vice President and Academic Editor. Influence ranks come from our InfluenceRanking™ methodology; other figures come from federal data, with the year shown under each section. Report an error
American River College Featured Rankings
- #3 Online Associate in French
- #4 Online Associate in American Sign Language (ASL)
- #12 Best Online Associate Degree Programs in California
- #15 Online Associate in Business Management
- #15 Online Associate in Small Business Management
- #29 Community Colleges in California
- #46 Best Community Colleges 2026
About American River College
According to Wikipedia, American River College is a public community college in unincorporated Sacramento, California. It is part of the California Community Colleges System. History The college was opened in 1955 as American River Junior College, on the site of the old Grant Technical College. It moved to its current location in 1958, occupying eight newly built office complexes and the original Cameron ranch house. In 1965 the college became a part of the Los Rios Community College District and became American River College. Today, along with Cosumnes River College, Folsom Lake College and Sacramento City College, ARC is directed by a seven-member board of trustees elected by voters residing in the district.
American River College's Online Degrees
AA in History of the Creative Arts
- Required Credits: 18
- Completion Time: 2-3 years
- Format: Fully online
AST in Business Administaration
Degree Concentrations
- Transfer
- Required Credits: 25
- Completion Time: 2-3 years
- Format: Fully online
AA in General Business
- Required Credits: 35
- Completion Time: 2-3 years
- Format: Fully online
AA in Management
- Required Credits: 24
- Completion Time: 2-3 years
- Format: Fully online
AA in Small Business Management
- Required Credits: 34
- Completion Time: 2-3 years
- Format: Fully online
Certificate in Computer Applications for Small Business
- Required Credits: 17
- Completion Time: 1 year or less
- Format: Fully online
Certificate in Conflict Management
- Required Credits: 12
- Completion Time: 1 year or less
- Format: Fully online
Certificate in Entrepreneurship
- Required Credits: 13
- Completion Time: 1 year or less
- Format: Fully online
Certificate in General Business - Introduction
- Required Credits: 13
- Completion Time: 1 year or less
- Format: Fully online
Certificate in Internet Marketing
- Required Credits: 14
- Completion Time: 1 year or less
- Format: Fully online
Certificate in Leadership in Action: Organizational Systems
- Required Credits: 9
- Completion Time: 1 year or less
Certificate in Leadership in Action: Organizational Variation
- Required Credits: 6
- Completion Time: 1 year or less
- Format: Fully online
Certificate in Management
- Required Credits: 15
- Completion Time: 1 year or less
- Format: Fully online
Certificate in Project Management
- Required Credits: 13
- Completion Time: 1 year or less
- Format: Fully online
Certificate in Retail Management (WAFC)
- Required Credits: 25
- Completion Time: 1 year or less
- Format: Fully online
AS in Computer Information System
Degree Concentrations
- PC Support Management
- Required Credits: 32
- Completion Time: 2-3 years
Certificate in Computer Information System
Degree Concentrations
- Microcomputer Applications
- PC Support
- Required Credits: 21
- Completion Time: 1 year or less
- Format: Fully online
Certificate in Network Administration Essentials - Windows
- Required Credits: 12
- Completion Time: 1 year or less
Certificate in Assistant Teacher
- Required Credits: 6
- Completion Time: 1 year or less
- Format: Fully online
AA in Language Studies
Degree Concentrations
- American Sign Language
- French
- German
- Italian
- Russian
- Spanish
- Required Credits: 18
- Completion Time: 2-3 years
- Format: Fully online
AA in The Individual and Society
- Required Credits: 18
- Completion Time: 2-3 years
- Format: Fully online
Certificate in Activity Leader
- Required Credits: 6.5
- Completion Time: 1 year or less
- Format: Fully online
AS in General Science
- Required Credits: 18
- Completion Time: 2-3 years
- Format: Fully online
American River College Admissions, Retention, and Graduation Information
| Retention Rate | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| 72% | 39% |
Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); acceptance rate for fall 2024; test scores for fall 2024; applications and enrollment for fall 2023; retention for students who started in fall 2023; graduation rate within six years for students who started in 2019.
How Much Does American River College Cost To Attend?
| Tuition and fees (in-state) |
|---|
| $1,288 |
| Income | Average Net Cost |
|---|---|
| 0 - 30K | $4,895 |
| 30K - 48K | $4,574 |
| 48K - 75K | $6,440 |
| 75K - 110K | $9,802 |
| 110K+ | $9,369 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); tuition and fees for 2025–26; net price for 2024–25, for first-time, full-time students receiving financial aid.
How Much Do American River College Graduates Make?
Ten years after starting college, former American River College students who received federal financial aid earn a median of $44,544 a year, and 80% of those not still in school are working.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard; students who started college in 2011–12 or 2012–13, measured in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars.
American River College's Demographics
Students enrolled at any time during the 2023–24 school year, including part-time and online students.
| Student Body | Under-Grads |
|---|---|
| 47,377 | 47,377 |
Source: National Center for Education Statistics; 12-month enrollment for 2023–24.
Where is American River College?
American River College is located at 4700 College Oak Dr, Sacramento, CA 95841-4286.
How Safe is American River College?
Relative to its enrollment, American River College has a violent crime rate of less than 0.01% and a property crime rate of 0.01%. Sacramento has a violent crime rate of 0.76% and a property crime rate of 2.62%. Sources: campus: U.S. Department of Education Campus Safety and Security data, on-campus offenses in 2024 (violent: murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault; property: burglary, motor vehicle theft and arson, which excludes ordinary theft); city: FBI Crime Data Explorer, offenses reported to the city police in 2024.
What Is American River College Known For?
American River College is known for its academic work in the following disciplines:
- Sociology
- Political Science
- Computer Science
- Mathematics
- Criminal Justice
- Earth Sciences
- Philosophy
- Medical
- Business
- History
- Communications
- Psychology
- Economics
- Education
- Literature
- Anthropology
- Biology
- Physics
- Engineering
American River College's Top Areas of Influence With Degrees Offered
Each rank compares how much American River College's faculty and alumni have shaped a field with other schools, using Wikipedia, Wikidata and scholarly citation databases such as Crossref and Semantic Scholar. World and U.S. ranks reflect modern influence; the historical rank counts influence across all time. How we rank influence
American River College ranks #767 in the U.S. and #2629 worldwide for influence in Sociology.
sociology DegreesAmerican River College ranks #1066 in the U.S. and #4602 worldwide for influence in Political Science.
political-science DegreesAmerican River College ranks #1114 in the U.S. and #4860 worldwide for influence in Computer Science.
computer-science DegreesAmerican River College ranks #1139 in the U.S. and #4397 worldwide for influence in Mathematics.
math DegreesAmerican River College ranks #1168 in the U.S. and #2290 worldwide for influence in Criminal Justice.
criminal-justice DegreesAmerican River College ranks #1180 in the U.S. and #4295 worldwide for influence in Earth Sciences.
earth-science DegreesAmerican River College ranks #1325 in the U.S. and #4380 worldwide for influence in Philosophy.
philosophy DegreesAmerican River College ranks #1426 in the U.S. and #4863 worldwide for influence in Medical.
medicine DegreesAmerican River College ranks #1514 in the U.S. and #5485 worldwide for influence in Business.
business DegreesAmerican River College ranks #1528 in the U.S. and #4943 worldwide for influence in History.
history DegreesAmerican River College ranks #1588 in the U.S. and #5895 worldwide for influence in Communications.
communications DegreesAmerican River College ranks #1867 in the U.S. and #4888 worldwide for influence in Psychology.
psychology DegreesAmerican River College ranks #1956 in the U.S. and #8303 worldwide for influence in Economics.
economics DegreesAmerican River College ranks #2028 in the U.S. and #7665 worldwide for influence in Education.
education DegreesAmerican River College ranks #2028 in the U.S. and #6351 worldwide for influence in Literature.
literature DegreesAmerican River College ranks #2148 in the U.S. and #5956 worldwide for influence in Anthropology.
anthropology DegreesAmerican River College ranks #2161 in the U.S. and #8682 worldwide for influence in Biology.
biology DegreesAmerican River College ranks #2536 in the U.S. and #8543 worldwide for influence in Physics.
physics DegreesAmerican River College ranks #2916 in the U.S. and #12232 worldwide for influence in Engineering.
engineering DegreesWho Are American River College's Most Influential Alumni?
American River College's most influential alumni include professors and professionals in the fields of Criminal Justice, Sociology, and Earth Sciences. Here are some of American River College's most famous alumni:
