Extended Learning
Fast. Flexible. Tuition-Free.
Riverside City College's Extended Learning offers tuition-free noncredit courses and certificates for professional development, career skills, and English language fluency.
- Break through: Gain in-demand skills and career certificates to boost your income.
- Buckle up: Accelerate your current career or start a new one.
- Branch out: Explore flexible classes in business, technology, and more.
To enroll in Extended Learning (noncredit) classes only, complete the Noncredit RCC Application. Completing the regular RCC Application allows enrollment in both noncredit and credit classes.
Getting Started
Students interested in only taking noncredit Extended Learning courses can complete the Noncredit RCC Application. This application does not ask for a student’s SSN or TIN number. No residency, citizenship, documentation or age limits apply, and all Extended Learning courses are tuition-free.
Students interested in taking credit and noncredit courses should follow the steps outlined on the First-Time Students page.
After 24-48 hours, you will receive a Welcome Email with your new student ID number and instructions on how to activate your student email. RCC will send important information and correspondence to your student email, so it is important to check it regularly.
After you receive your Welcome Email, please fill out this quick form to register for noncredit (Extended Learning) courses, and our Admissions & Records team will enroll you. Please note that we can only register you for classes after your registration date (more information on registration dates can be found here).
Students who completed the Credit RCC Application should complete the registration procedures outlined on the First-Time Students page.
- Students interested in ESL courses should complete the RCCD ESL Guided Self-Placement Tool.
- You must have a current application on file. If you have not applied in the past year, please reapply.
- If a noncredit course is full, you may email the professor to request an "add code." Once received, email admissions@rcc.edu with the add code and section number from your RCC email.
Extended Learning Programs and Courses
RCC offers Extended Learning courses in multiple academic pathways and programs. To view a list of the noncredit courses and certificates, visit the RCC catalog. Current course offerings are listed at the bottom of the RCC class schedule.
- Applied Digital Media
- Automotive Technology
- Business Administration
- Computer Applications and Office Technology
- Computer Information Systems
- Culinary Arts
- Early Childhood Education
- English
- ESL
- Entrepreneurship
- Guidance
- Professional Development Studies
Frequently Asked Questions
Noncredit courses are designed for students interested in pursuing personal, professional, or academic goals. Noncredit courses focus on helping students build specific skills necessary for reaching their individual goals.
Any community member 18 years or older can take noncredit courses. Those under 18 must complete a concurrent enrollment form and return it to the college’s Admissions and Records office.
All noncredit courses are tuition-free, though students may have to pay for books and parking.
Yes, many students take credit and noncredit courses at the same time.
Yes, all students must fill out an application. Students that complete the Noncredit RCC Application can only enroll in Extended Learning (noncredit) classes. Students that complete the regular RCC Applicaiton will be able to enroll in both credit and noncredit classes.
Courses can fill, so it is important to register early.
No, since noncredit courses are tuition-free, students cannot receive financial aid. Students that are only taking noncredit courses thus do not need to complete the FAFSA or Dream Application, but students that are enrolling in both credit and noncredit should still apply for financial aid.
Most courses are either noncredit or credit, but some are "mirrored", which means the college might offer the student the choice to enroll in a credit or noncredit section. All students are taught in the same classroom and students enrolled in the noncredit section must complete the same work as those enrolled in the credit section. Students should enroll in the noncredit or credit section based on their educational goal.
Riverside City College offers many different noncredit certificates. Students can receive a physical certificate upon completing all required courses in a certificate program. Please visit the program pages to learn more.
Noncredit certificates are automatically awarded upon completing all necessary courses. Please allow 8 – 12 weeks for processing after grades have been posted. However, if you think that you have completed a certificate and the 8–12-week period after grades have been posted has elapsed, but you have not received your certificate, please email admissionsriverside@rcc.edu.
Yes, all students that park on campus must have a pass. Students can either purchase a daily parking permit or a semester long one. Students must park in the white spaces only (yellow spaces are for staff and faculty only). Parking is limited, so it is recommended to arrive 20 minutes early to class.
Students can take as many courses as they choose.
Most noncredit courses are repeatable.
Yes, undocumented community members can take noncredit courses and the noncredit CCC Apply college application does not ask for residency status. The hours earned in noncredit can count toward an individual's AB 540 status. Contact the college’s Admissions and Records office for more information.
No.
Yes, students do have to pay for textbooks, though many noncredit courses do not require textbooks.
Yes, the colleges offer noncredit courses in the community. Refer to the noncredit schedule of classes for a list of course locations this semester.
Yes, all community members can take noncredit courses, however, we strongly encourage all students to complete their high school diploma or earn a GED. High school diploma completion or GED programs are offered by our partner school districts. Please visit the RCC Adult Education page for more information.