Our Past
Yuba College was first conceived in 1911 by Marysville High School Principal, J.C. Ray. Marysville Junior college, one of the first junior colleges in California, opened its doors to 67 students. It was located in Marysville High School at Seventh and G streets and operated under the guidance of the Marysville High School Superintendent, Curtis E. Warren. In 1927 citizens formed the Yuba County Community College District — the first such district in California.
Overcrowding soon became a problem, with classes being held in stairwells and hallways. In 1928 the college moved to 18th and B Street, the site of the current Marysville High School. By 1937 a separate facility for Yuba College was built across the street from the high school on 18 acres of land at a cost of $60,000. The school contained six classrooms, an auditorium, a few offices, and served an enrollment of 354 students. That same year, Yuba College formed its own bus transportation system for students living in the outlying areas, another first in California. The new buses carried students from Oroville, Gridley, Yuba City, Colusa, Live Oak, Wheatland, and south Sutter County.
Beale Air Force Base began hosting Yuba College classes since the fall semester of 1960, and Yuba College has maintained an Outreach Center there since that time, offering a variety of general education and transfer courses in short term intervals.
Yuba College moved to its present location in Linda, on October 1, 1962. Thirteen buildings were constructed on a 160-acre site. In 1963, a 60-student dormitory for men was built and in 1965 a women’s residence hall was added. A third dormitory was built in 1966.
In 2006 voters passed Measure J, a $190 million facilities bond. With the passage of the bond, Yuba College received $88.8 million to renovate and upgrade existing facilities and build new ones. Included in the Measure J projects were the Athletic Complex, renovated Theater project, the remodeled Library, the new Health and Public Safety building, and the Sutter County Center, located in north Yuba City, off East Onstott Frontage Road and State Route (SR) 99.
In August 2012, Yuba College began offering courses to students at the Sutter County Center, a 53,373 Gross Square Feet two-story facility that holds 18 classrooms, a library, full registration service, counseling and financial aid services, dining services, open computer lab, and a duplication of student services available at the main campus. Sutter County was one of eight California counties with large rural populations that did not have a community college within its boundaries until the construction of the Sutter County Center.