Copyright Santa Clarita Valley Signal
Across America, “affordability” is on everyone’s lips. Politicians debate how to weaponize it, families agonize over it, and students worry about it. From housing to health care to groceries, the cost of living rises faster than most families can keep pace. Yet nowhere does affordability feel more personal — or more consequential — than in higher education: that vital bridge between dreams and careers for both recent high school grads and adults seeking to improve their futures. Every year, millions of families and individuals face the same gut-check: How will we afford college? The headlines tell the story. Tuition and expenses at many four-year universities now exceeds $40,000-$50,000 per year. Even the California State Universities, once the bastions of accessibility, have drifted upward in cost. The result is predictable: record student-debt burdens and too many bright young people deferring or abandoning college altogether. But here in the Santa Clarita Valley, we’ve quietly built something extraordinary — a model that makes higher education both accessible and affordable. At College of the Canyons, tuition for a full academic year runs about $1,200. And through a network of state and local programs — from California’s College Promise to the COC Foundation’s own scholarships and grants — most students can attend for little cost beyond living expenses. That’s not a political promise or campaign slogan. It’s proof that good public policy still works — right here in our own community. COC’s affordability is magnified by its quality. The college offers rigorous academics in the arts, sciences, and humanities, along with leading-edge training in high-demand fields: welding, construction management, nursing, firefighting, culinary arts, advanced manufacturing, and technology operations. Students graduate with both the skills employers need and the credits universities respect. And here’s the giant bonus many families don’t realize: Completion of a COC associate degree guarantees transfer admission to a California State University, with strong preferential admission to many University of California campuses and private institutions as well. For the price of a modest used laptop and a parking pass, students can complete their first two years of college right here at home — debt-free — and then step directly into a four-year university as juniors. That’s not just affordability. That’s smart planning. For families stretched by rising costs, those two years at COC can mean the difference between sending one child to college and sending all of them. It can mean the difference between debt and freedom, between anxiety and opportunity. The dollars saved in those first two years — often tens of thousands — can instead go toward a down payment, a small business, or the simple peace of mind that comes from knowing a child’s education won’t mortgage the family’s future. Affordability doesn’t happen by accident — it took decades of vision, leadership and partnership to build COC to what it is today. And here’s where the College of the Canyons Foundation steps in with an important assist. As the philanthropic arm of the college, our mission is simple but profound: to enhance student success by removing barriers to opportunity. We raise funds for scholarships, tuition assistance, basic-needs support, and program enhancement — everything from textbook grants to food-pantry programs to emergency aid that keeps a student in class when life intervenes. Our community has always understood that investing in education is investing in ourselves. Every scholarship awarded, every program funded, every graduate walking across the stage represents the return on that investment — a more skilled workforce, a stronger local economy, and a more resilient society. Accessible education is not just a personal benefit; it’s a public good. It strengthens our civic fabric, uplifts families, and expands the boundaries of what’s possible for generations to come. At College of the Canyons, we’re proving that affordability and excellence can coexist — that with continued community support, local and accessible higher education can again be a promise kept, not a debt deferred. As national conversations swirl about how to “fix” the cost and function of higher education, we might simply point to what’s already working here in the Santa Clarita Valley. COC is affordability made real. It is a college where cost is not a barrier, where pathways are clear, and where success is measured in every student who moves forward. To our families: Take advantage of it. To our community: Help us sustain it through your support of the COC Foundation. And to our students: your opportunity is right here — affordable, accessible and waiting. Because when every student succeeds, our entire community rises with them. Gary Horton is chairman of the College of the Canyons Foundation board. His “Full Speed to Port!” has appeared in The Signal since 2006. The opinions expressed in his column do not necessarily reflect the opinions of The Signal or its editorial board.
