On September 23, 1963, the largest first-day enrollment for a community college in the nation’s history took place at Tri-C’s first home — the 19th-century Brownell School building in downtown Cleveland, leased from the Cleveland Board of Education. The initial enrollment was just over 3,000 students. Today, Tri-C serves more than 60,000 credit and noncredit students each year.
Now one of the largest colleges in Ohio and the largest in Greater Cleveland, Tri-C has expanded to four modern campuses in downtown Cleveland, Parma, Highland Hills and Westlake, as well as two Corporate College® sites in Westlake and Warrensville Heights. Other facilities include District Administrative Services in Cleveland and the Manufacturing Technology Center adjacent to the Metropolitan Campus. Tri-C opened its beautiful and spacious 50,000-square-foot Advanced Technology Training Center (ATTC) in October 2012. The ATTC features high-bay labs, multipurpose training areas and an energy-efficient environment for learning with state-of-the-art technology and curricula. The ATTC provides students with education, hands-on training and employment preparation for well-paying jobs and provides employers with a constant feeder system of job-ready candidates for the in-demand high-tech industry.
Eastern Campus
Since 1971, the Eastern Campus has served students who want to complete their first two years of college in a high-quality educational environment, as well as those seeking a direct route to a job with a family-sustaining wage.
Located just off I-271 in Highland Hills, the Eastern Campus features Associate of Arts and Associate of Science degrees for students wishing to transfer to a four-year institution. The campus has partnerships with more than 40 four-year colleges and universities, offering more than 400 pathways to earn a four-year degree
The campus offers a number of programs include Nursing, Information Technology, Massage Therapy, Sport and Exercise Studies, Visual Communication and Design, and an award-winning Plant Science and Landscape Technology program. The Eastern Campus is also home to the College’s only Interior Design program.
Our teams in the Enrollment Center, Financial Aid, Counseling, Career Center, Student Success Center, Learning Commons (Library, Tutoring, Testing Center and technology support), Writing Center and the Alfred Lerner Veterans Center take pride in providing a strong support system for students throughout their college experience.
The campus features the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Humanities Center, which provides a collaborative, problem-based learning environment with a focus on leadership development and community engagement for high-performing students. Additionally, the campus houses the 600-seat Simon and Rose Mandel Theatre and the Gallery East art gallery. Students and community members can also enjoy a healthy lifestyle with a gymnasium, indoor and outdoor tracks, pool, dance studio, fitness center and massage therapy student clinic.
Directions to Campus: http://www.tri-c.edu/campuses-and-locations/eastern/directions-to-eastern-campus.html
Campus Map: Interactive Campus Map or Downloadable Campus Map
Metropolitan Campus
Opened in 1969, the Metropolitan Campus is Tri-C’s first campus. Located near downtown Cleveland in the Campus District, the campus is easily accessible from Interstates 71, 77 and 90. Classes are offered during the day, evenings, on weekends and online. The Metropolitan Campus houses outstanding science, engineering and health careers labs. Students learn firsthand in labs similar to those in the work environments for nursing, information technology, manufacturing and recording arts. Newly updated health laboratories on the campus are equipped to replicate the high technology students will experience in the work environment for careers in the sciences and health care industry, including dental hygiene, health information management, surgical technology, emergency medical technology and occupational and physical therapy assisting technology.
A state-of-the-art center for nursing provides opportunities for hands-on learning. Students use a human patient simulator, a computer-driven mannequin that mirrors the physical characteristics of a human and allows students to respond to critical care issues. A simulated hospital care unit with 22 beds allows students to study and test simulated patients. The Preventative Care Center (PCC) is a professional, well-equipped health career classroom providing a high-quality educational experience for students. Low-cost services and screenings are available in the educational center, where students from the Dietetic Technology, Medical Assisting, Occupational Therapy Assistant and Physical Therapist Assistant programs gain valuable, hands-on experience in their fields. All students are under the direct supervision of licensed professionals when assisting community members, Tri-C faculty, staff and students over the age of 18. The PCC does not require a doctor’s referral to utilize its services. Additionally, the campus houses a Dental Hygiene Clinic providing low-cost preventive dental care and an Optical Clinic providing affordable lenses and limited frames to students and the community.
The Gill and Tommy LiPuma Center for Creative Arts presents the best in local, regional and international artists in the areas of music, dance, theater and performance art. Students can mix music, record and stage musicians as part of the Recording Arts and Technology program. The Visual Communication and Design program offers degrees and certificates in graphic design, illustration, web and interactive media, photography, digital video and digital filmmaking, 3D design and 3D animation.
Students with an interest in engineering technology can choose from nine degree programs recognized by the American Society for Engineering Education and the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology.
In 2020, the Metro Campus completed renovation of the campus plazas, opening the campus to the community with welcoming landscapes and walkways as well as inviting social areas and the central courtyard. In January 2019, the Metro Campus reopened the Campus Center building after a two-year renovation. The renovated Campus Center serves as a hub of the Metro Campus. It houses a food court, student gathering and study spaces, Early College programming, office space, Public Safety, Student Engagement, Student Government, conference rooms and event space, the Barnes & Noble Student Bookstore and Starbucks. The Campus Center was dedicated to the College's fourth president, Alex B. Johnson, in November 2022. The community also has access to the center’s interactive, creative learning spaces.
Those students successfully completing the associate degree can also take advantage of the on-campus Transfer Connection Center. The Transfer Connection Center helps students successfully navigate the process from degree completion at Tri-C to a four-year college or university.
Metropolitan Campus - Directions: http://www.tri-c.edu/campuses-and-locations/metropolitan-campus/directions-to-metropolitan-campus.html
Map: Interactive Campus Map or downloadable Campus Map
Western Campus
The Western Campus in Parma has served Cleveland’s southwest suburbs since 1966, operating in the former Crile Veterans Hospital.
The facilities were replaced in 1975 with a six-building interconnected campus. The sprawling, tree-lined campus offers more than 1,000 day, evening and weekend classes for associate degree programs. Students benefit from industry-standard laboratories and spacious learning environments, such as the Advanced Automotive Technology Center. The KeyBank Public Safety Training Center of Excellence was completed in Fall 2014. As the only such facility in Northeast Ohio, the center offers the latest in specialized training for EMTs, firefighters and police officers.
The Western Campus provides a full array of student services in the centralized Galleria. These services include the Enrollment Center, Admissions Office, Career Services, Barnes & Noble Bookstore, a library, computer labs, a cafeteria and a coffee shop. Students and community members also have access to numerous science, health career and technology labs, a 466-seat theater, an indoor pool, gymnasium, fitness center, outdoor track and athletic fields for soccer, softball and baseball. Senior residents can take free noncredit courses through the Encore program, and summer camps provide affordable, fun educational experiences for children and teens.
With the passage of Issue 61 in the fall of 2018, funds were secured for major campus updates. The College used $7 million to create 15,000 square feet of additional classroom space at the Automotive Technology Center, including additional lifts. It put $34 million toward the STEM addition, which includes 60,000 square feet of classroom space, new science and IT labs, and student study space. Finally, $17 million was used to create the Public Safety Training Center Phase II, which includes a scenario-based training and equipment center to meet the needs of a seven-county region.
The 236-acre Western Campus at 11000 Pleasant Valley Road is accessible from Interstates 71, 77 and 480. Greater Cleveland RTA buses provide public transportation services to the campus.
An extension of the Western Campus, the Brunswick University Center (BUC) was built in 2011 in Brunswick. Serving Medina County, BUC, located at 3605 Center Road (Route 303), is easily accessible from I-71. It is located next to Brunswick High School. The Brunswick Transit Authority provides public transportation to the center.
Western Campus: http://www.tri-c.edu/campuses-and-locations/western-campus/directions-to-western-campus.html
Map: Interactive Campus Map or downloadable Campus Map
Westshore Campus
The Westshore Campus is committed to meeting the educational needs of the residents of Cleveland’s Westshore communities. The campus is composed of the Health Careers and Sciences building, opened in 2011, and the Liberal Arts and Technology Building, opened in 2019. The Westshore Campus provides a centralized and full array of services for students to complete associate degrees for transfer to four-year institutions or earn certificates and degrees leading to careers in business and a variety of health careers. The Westshore Campus is a transfer-focused campus with an emphasis on Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Medical (STEMM) and Associate of Arts and Science programs and degrees.
The Westshore Campus offers a one-stop student services area and a variety of health career programs as well as courses in liberal arts, business, IT, engineering, nursing, emergency medical technology, creative arts, English as a second language and other subject areas. It offers a Technology Learning Center, a library, as well as food service and dedicated amenities for both veterans and honor students. The campus houses 12 different labs, including STEM, IT and health career labs (featuring a human patient simulator and an anatomage table).
The Westshore Campus has a strong commitment to sustainability as noted by the LEED Gold status of its initial facility.
The Westshore Campus is easily accessible from Interstates 90 and 480.
Westshore: http://www.tri-c.edu/campuses-and-locations/westshore-campus/directions-to-westshore.html
Campus Map: Interactive Campus Map or downloadable Campus Map
Hospitality Management Center of Excellence
Falling under the leadership of the Westshore Campus, the Hospitality Management Center is located across from Public Square in downtown Cleveland. This location is in the center of the culinary and hotel district, within walking distance of nationally recognized chef-run restaurants and expanding lodging and entertainment businesses. The program also features a student-run restaurant, Alere, located at the Jerry Sue Thornton Center.
Hospitality Management Center: http://www.tri-c.edu/campuses-and-locations/hospitality-management-center/directions-to-hospitality-management-center.html