City College of San Francisco works to lure back students

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- City College of San Francisco is trying to convince would-be students that it has the classes they need. This is after the school saw a decline in attendance of more than 25,000 students following its accreditation battle.

City College has always been about serving the needs of the community and now they want that community to come back to them. That's why City College has invested in a big campaign to attract more students.

The motorcycle repair program is being touted as one of five hidden gems City College of San Francisco has to officer.

"It prepares students to work as apprentices, to go right into fixing motorcycles," Motorcycle instructor Bobby Simon said.

Adrian Gomez saw an opportunity here to potentially start a new career. He said, "Everybody is always going to be driving cars, driving motorcycles."

City College had years of declining enrollment, in part because of its uncertainty over its accreditation status. The community college was given more time to fix its deficiencies and now the numbers are up once again.

"Our projected enrollment for fall, at the moment, is projected to be up about 3 percent," Jeff Hamilton City College of San Francisco said.

City College says besides courses like motorcycle maintenance, there is furniture making, field coastal geology, letterpress printmaking and even ethical hacking -- courses not usually offered at other institutions. Promoting them is part of the City College's campaign to attract students.

"We're in the middle of a year-long, million-dollar campaign which I think is really moving the needle and making a difference -- our future-focus campaign," Hamilton said.

For example, a year-ago City College started a hybrid-electric vehicle repair program -- one of the few in the nation. At $46 a credit, City College still has the lowest fees in the nation. There is still time to enroll for fall classes.