OKANAGAN COLLEGE

Okanagan College respectfully acknowledges that our Penticton, Kelowna and Vernon campuses are located on the traditional and unceded territory of the Syilx Okanagan People, our Salmon Arm campus is located on the traditional and unceded territory of the Secwépemc, and our Revelstoke centre is located on the traditional and unceded territories of the Ktunaxa, Secwépemc, Sinixt and Syilx Okanagan Peoples.

Okanagan College draws on a rich heritage of post-secondary education and training in the region that can be traced to the early 1960s when the B.C. Vocational School was established in Kelowna. Growth, changes and mergers led to the development of Okanagan College and by 1968, the first university and career transfer students were registered in a full complement of academic and vocational programs.

Okanagan College began to offer third- and fourth-year university courses in co-operation with the University of British Columbia and the University of Victoria in 1989. By 1992 it had received its new mandate and was named Okanagan University College (OUC).

OUC offered joint degrees with UBC and UVic until 1995 when new legislation enabled university colleges to grant their own baccalaureate degrees. OUC conferred its first degrees on 123 grads at the Spring Convocation in 1998. At OUC’s last convocation ceremonies 900 degrees and diplomas were conferred.

On July 1, 2005, OUC evolved to become two new institutions, Okanagan College and UBC Okanagan. Okanagan College offers a broad array of diploma and certificate programs and two degree programs.

With campuses in Kelowna, Penticton, Vernon, and Salmon Arm (as well as regional education centres), Okanagan College is the largest college in the interior. It is an institution that serves the education and training needs of the region – stretching south to Osoyoos, west to Princeton, to Mica Creek in the north, and Revelstoke in the east.

Okanagan College has become a vital and integral component of the social and economic fabric of B.C.’s interior. It serves not only this region, but also the world through its programs, services, community activities and enterprises.

Okanagan College is dedicated to providing learning opportunities for people at every stage of life and educational experience. The College offers programs that lead to a full range of credentials, from basic literacy skills to bachelor’s degrees, and that cover a broad spectrum of subject matter, career opportunities and interests. Okanagan College transforms lives and communities.