About ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½

A College Built for You. Powered by Your Community.

At ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½, you don’t just go to school, you build a future. We provide affordable, flexible, career-focused education designed for the people of South Florida.

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Who We Are

ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ is a public college serving Broward County and South Florida, focused on helping students start, advance, or change careers through accessible education.

  • First-time college students
  • Adult learners returning to school
  • Working professionals upskilling
  • High school and dual enrollment students
  • Career changers and lifelong learners

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What You Can Do at ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½

You don’t need to figure everything out today—you just need to start.

Earn A Degree

Earn a Degree

Associate and bachelor’s programs designed for real careers.

Get Certified

Get Certified

Industry certifications and workforce training that lead to jobs fast.

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Advance Your Career

Advance Your Career

Upskill or re-skill with flexible, career-focused education.

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Transfer to a University

Transfer to a University

Start here, go anywhere.

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Dual Enrollment

Dual Enrollment

The Dual Enrollment Program at ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ is an accelerated program that allows eligible public/charter, private, and home school secondary students to take postsecondary coursework and simultaneously earn both high school and college credits, saving both time and money.

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College Academy

College Academy

The  offers high school juniors enrolled full-time in the program, the opportunity to receive a high school diploma from the School Board of Broward County, Florida, and an Associate of Arts (A.A.) degree from ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½. College Academy students are subject to additional eligibility criteria as published by the College Academy.

A Quality Education You Can Afford

College should open doors—not create financial stress. That’s why ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ is committed to keeping education accessible through low tuition rates, financial aid and scholarship opportunities, flexible pay-as-you-go options, and program pathways designed to help you reduce overall costs. You don’t have to take it all on at once—you can start small, move at your own pace, and build toward something bigger without overwhelming debt.

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Your Next Chapter Starts Here

Your journey starts with one step and ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ is here to help you take it.

History of ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½

1950s

The Vision

In 1957, Florida embarked on a program to create a network of two-year colleges at which Floridians could complete undergraduate education or pursue two-year technical programs leading to the workforce. When the state released its plan, Broward County was not among the highest-priority communities selected for the first wave of construction; however, by 1959, Broward County was placed at the top of the priority list and work on the Junior College of Broward County was underway.
1960s

The Grand Opening

Just 17 days after founding President Joe B. Rushing accepted his position, he was assembling staff. On September 6, 1960, the Junior College of Broward County opened its doors to its first class - 701 students. Classes were held at the former Naval Air Station Junior High on the western edge of what is now the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. A faculty of 28 and staff of 19 welcomed students on opening day. The Central Campus that we know today opened its doors to students in August of 1963.
1970s

An Evolving Campus

In the 1970s ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ offered its first television-based classes and reached an enrollment of 12,000 students. ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ received their very first gift from Ralph R. Bailey. Bailey Hall was named in honor of Mr. Bailey, a Hallandale engineer and real estate investor. The hall opened with a dedication gala in 1979; Governor Bob Graham was the guest of honor for the ceremony. There were two campuses and two centers that opened to students in this decade. North Campus opened its doors February 27, 1972 and the Willis Holcombe Center opened October 1, 1973. South Campus offered their first classes in August 1977 in a satellite center; the campus we know today opened its doors January 17, 1978. The Tigertail Lake Recreational Center first started in 1974 and was operated from a car until the building was complete.
1980s

Building Community Partnerships

John Payne Hall, Handleman Hall, Ferris Center, Joe B. Rushing Hall and the Meyer Hall were all named and dedicated for ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½'s 20th Anniversary in 1980. ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ offered weekend classes to students for the first time and combined sports from all campuses to one mutual team. Dr. Adams retired and was replaced by Dr. Willis Holcombe who involved the college in international education and built partnerships between the college and community organizations.
1990s

Creating Milestones

In 1995 ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ received their first donation from Edward Sees. The Sees donation was given to ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ to be given as scholarships to students known as the "C Scholarships". The first ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ website debuted in 1997. In 1998 the college held its first outdoor graduation ceremony on the Central Campus Library lawn. In 1999 another milestone for ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ was reached, the first online computer registration for students was available.
2000s

The New ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½

The first few years of the college's previous president, J. David Armstrong, Jr., saw the transformation of Broward Community College to ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ with the addition of baccalaureate programs to meet specific, targeted needs of the community. Broward's first class of baccalaureate students began attending classes in January 2009 on the Judson A. Samuels South Campus. This first baccalaureate class graduated in December 2010. Three of ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½'s centers were opened in this decade, the Pines Center on August 24, 2000, the Weston Center on February 16, 2006 and the Miramar Town Center on August 18, 2008.
2010s

Recognition by the Aspen Institute

ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½’s successes lead to multiple nominations for the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, culminating with a $100,000 award in 2017 as a Finalist with Distinction. The College also expanded its footprint with the opening of the state-of-the-art Health Sciences Simulation Center at Central Campus and the new Miramar West Center, operated in conjunction with Florida International University. The College also launched online degree programs that increased available options for students. In 2018, J. David Armstrong, Jr. stepped down as president and was replaced by Gregory A. Haile.
2020s

A New Era

In 2020, the College adapted to the COVID-19 pandemic by shifting to online instruction and hosting several virtual commencement ceremonies. The College also rolled out its Rapid Credentials program for accelerated job training and launched new health sciences programs while also expanding dual enrollment.
Today

Pursuit of Excellence

As ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ forges into its second half-century of service to Broward County, it does so as one of the nation's largest institutions of its type, with a reputation for the pursuit of excellence and service to its students. ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ serves more than 54,000 students annually and employs a faculty and staff of more than 3,000.

A special thanks to the ÀÖ²¥´«Ã½ Archives & Special Collections department for their contribution to the historical photographs.

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