Following the completion of major renovations to its campuses in Pottstown and Blue Bell, Montgomery County Community College (MCCC) is thrilled to invite prospective students and their families to its fall open house events, which will take place on both campuses and online.

MCCC kicks off the events at Pottstown Campus, Saturday, Oct. 14, from 10 a.m. to noon in the newly renovated South Hall Student Commons. The College will host an open house event on Blue Bell Campus, Saturday, Oct. 21, from 10 a.m. to noon, beginning in the newly renovated Science Center. MCCC also will host an online open house Thursday, Oct. 26, from 6-7 p.m. The events are free and open to the community. To register, visit the landing page.

“We are excited about the open houses,” said Michael Harcum, Director of Admissions and Recruitment. “We are looking forward to welcoming Montco prospective students, their families, and the community to our beautiful, renovated campuses, as well as online. We can’t wait to highlight our dynamic faculty and the many programs and support services available to help students succeed.”

MCCC also welcomes employers and employees to the open houses to learn more about its 100+ programs, flexible schedules and online courses. Through MCCC’s Prior Learning Assessment, working students may qualify for credits or waiver of courses, depending on experience and training, allowing them to get a head start on earning an associate’s degree.

At Pottstown Campus, open house guests will have a chance to explore the renovations made to South Hall and North Hall.

“This is the first time we’ll be hosting an open house in the South Hall Student Commons,” said Iain Campbell, Coordinator of Admissions and Recruitment. “There’s a tremendous amount of flexible learning space we’ve created in conjunction to the new Mustangs eSports facility, game room, and the Science on a Sphere, all of which are in close proximity to labs and classrooms in the building.”

In North Hall, visitors will be able to see the Wellness Center, machine shop, student theater and Sound Recording and Music Technology (SRT) studios, he said.

At Blue Bell Campus, the event begins in the freshly renovated Science Center, which includes the 563-seat theater. The theater is part of the Montco Cultural Center that includes all of arts and cultural programming and venues across both campuses.

“I think it’s really great to be able to be in the center of the Montco Cultural Center,” said Campbell. “We’re surrounded by state-of-the-art technology, with dynamic lighting and immersive sound acoustics. We’ll be able to show off the theater’s capabilities and how students can use the technology for experiential learning. We invite people to use our space, which is fully operational and will be available for the community to rent.”  

The open house’s resource fair will be located in the Science Center’s gallery space. College Hall will be completely open to visitors, academic units will be available for questions in Parkhouse Hall and the Health Sciences Center will be open for students interested in those respective fields, said Campbell. The Advanced Technology Center will feature the state-of-the-art recording center, The Mix Room at Montco, Montco Radio and the television studio.

Visitors will also be able to view the progress on the incoming Hospitality Institute, which is currently under construction and slated to open in the fall of 2024 for students in the baking and pastry, culinary arts and tourism and hospitality management programs.

The online open house will give prospective students a chance to connect with faculty via interactive Zoom rooms and learn more about student services. The hour-long presentation will remain published online after the event ends throughout the year for those unable to attend. 

“As always, the online open house is about the ease of accessibility,” said Harcum. “It’s a great option for those who aren’t able to make an in-person open house. There’s no substitute for getting on campus, but if there was, this would be it.”

Harcum encourages everyone to attend all three open houses to fully appreciate all that MCCC has to offer.

“We’re strategic about the dates of our open houses,” he said. “Whether you’re a prospective student thinking about college in the future or maybe you’re looking to decide right now, the spring semester registration opens Oct. 26 (Oct. 25 for veterans). We would love to have you join our Montco family.”

In addition to faculty, both the Pottstown and Blue Bell open house events will feature representatives from student services including Athletics, Student Life, Dual Enrollment/Early College, the University Center, ACT 101 Scholars Program/ Partnership on Work Enrichment and Readiness (POWER) Program, Keystone Education Yields Success (KEYS), Upward Bound, Veteran Services, Career & Alumni Engagement, Wellness Center, Adult Learner/Prior Learning Assessment, English as a Second Language, Libraries & Academic Support, International Students, Dental Hygiene (DHG) Clinic Services, DHG Students (to be located with Student Support), Financial Aid, Equity, Diversity, and Belonging, Enrollment services, Academic Advising and Workforce Development.

At the open houses, students and families can learn how MCCC makes college education affordable and accessible for everyone. Students who earn their associate degrees at a community college and transfer to a four-year school can see a substantial tuition savings.  Beyond lower tuition rates, MCCC also awards over 500 scholarships a year.

Also, through MCCC’s Two for One Tuition Program, Montgomery County employees, their spouses, domestic partners and dependents up to 26 years of age, are eligible to receive a tuition waiver for one free course for every course they take, both in-person or online, paid in full.

In addition, the new Advancing Montco Tuition Assistance Program provides a tuition grant by Montgomery County Pandemic Recovery Funds authorized by the American Rescue Plan Act. Students who are Montgomery County residents and enrolled in academic programs that are relevant to an industry sector hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic will be considered for the grant after all other grants, scholarships and/or workforce training funds are applied. 

For more information about paying for college, visit the landing page. For more information about the fall open house events, visit the landing page or contact the Admissions office.