West Valley College
West Valley 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
About West Valley College
According to Wikipedia, West Valley College is a public community college in Saratoga, California. It is part of the California Community College system. History The college was founded as West Valley Junior College in 1963. It was to serve the footprint of the Campbell Union High School District, the Los Gatos-Saratoga Joint Union High School District, and the Santa Clara Unified School District. The district was formed by voter approval in January 1963. The first classes began September 14, 1964. The first campus took over the space of the defunct Campbell Union Grammar School, at 1 East Campbell Avenue near Winchester Boulevard in Campbell across the street from Campbell High School. The grammar school itself was closed because its WPA era buildings were deemed unsafe in the event of an earthquake. While some of the existing buildings used, most of the classrooms were portable, parked on the former playgrounds.
West Valley College Admissions, Retention, and Graduation Information
| Retention Rate | Graduation Rate |
|---|---|
| 78% | 52% |
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 West Valley College Cost To Attend?
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 West Valley College Graduates Make?
Ten years after starting college, former West Valley College students who received federal financial aid earn a median of $55,251 a year, and 82% 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.
West Valley College's Demographics
Students enrolled at any time during the 2023–24 school year, including part-time and online students.
| Student Body | Under-Grads |
|---|---|
| 11,247 | 11,247 |
Source: National Center for Education Statistics; 12-month enrollment for 2023–24.
Where is West Valley College?
West Valley College is located at 14000 Fruitvale Ave, Saratoga, CA 95070.
How Safe is West Valley College?
No violent or property offenses were reported on West Valley College’s campus in 2024. Its figures can also be looked up in the U.S. Department of Education’s Campus Safety and Security database.
Relative to its enrollment, West Valley College has a violent crime rate of less than 0.01% and a property crime rate of less than 0.01%. Saratoga has a violent crime rate of 0.09% and a property (including theft) crime rate of 0.61%. 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 West Valley College Known For?
West Valley College is known for its academic work in the following disciplines:
- Philosophy
- Psychology
- Engineering
- Computer Science
- Biology
- Sociology
- Mathematics
- Communications
- Law
- Political Science
- Chemistry
- Business
- History
- Physics
- Medical
- Economics
- Education
- Earth Sciences
- Nursing
- Literature
West Valley College's Top Areas of Influence With Degrees Offered
Each rank compares how much West Valley 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
West Valley College ranks #727 in the U.S. and #2431 worldwide for influence in Philosophy.
philosophy DegreesWest Valley College ranks #805 in the U.S. and #2105 worldwide for influence in Psychology.
psychology DegreesWest Valley College ranks #1040 in the U.S. and #5536 worldwide for influence in Engineering.
engineering DegreesWest Valley College ranks #1040 in the U.S. and #4560 worldwide for influence in Computer Science.
computer-science DegreesWest Valley College ranks #1208 in the U.S. and #5024 worldwide for influence in Biology.
biology DegreesWest Valley College ranks #1237 in the U.S. and #3994 worldwide for influence in Sociology.
sociology DegreesWest Valley College ranks #1329 in the U.S. and #5083 worldwide for influence in Mathematics.
math DegreesWest Valley College ranks #1440 in the U.S. and #5422 worldwide for influence in Communications.
communications DegreesWest Valley College ranks #1502 in the U.S. and #5044 worldwide for influence in Law.
West Valley College ranks #1594 in the U.S. and #6741 worldwide for influence in Political Science.
political-science DegreesWest Valley College ranks #1598 in the U.S. and #6070 worldwide for influence in Chemistry.
chemistry DegreesWest Valley College ranks #1641 in the U.S. and #5898 worldwide for influence in Business.
business DegreesWest Valley College ranks #1688 in the U.S. and #5446 worldwide for influence in History.
history DegreesWest Valley College ranks #1765 in the U.S. and #6387 worldwide for influence in Physics.
physics DegreesWest Valley College ranks #2092 in the U.S. and #7278 worldwide for influence in Medical.
medicine DegreesWest Valley College ranks #2115 in the U.S. and #8764 worldwide for influence in Economics.
economics DegreesWest Valley College ranks #2203 in the U.S. and #8238 worldwide for influence in Education.
education DegreesWest Valley College ranks #2426 in the U.S. and #8369 worldwide for influence in Earth Sciences.
earth-science DegreesWest Valley College ranks #2499 in the U.S. and #6458 worldwide for influence in Nursing.
nursing DegreesWest Valley College ranks #2991 in the U.S. and #9996 worldwide for influence in Literature.
literature Degrees
