Galveston College

Community college in Texas, U. S.

Galveston College (GC) is a public community college in Galveston, Texas.

On November 2, 1935, voters approved the creation of the Galveston Junior College District. However, a subsequent 1936 election to support the new district via a property tax failed, as did several other attempts. In the mid 1960s, the creation of a college district on the Galveston County mainland – which ultimately led to the opening of College of the Mainland – motivated Galveston citizens to revive attempts at constructing a campus on the Island. After obtaining an opinion from the Texas Attorney General that the district—though never funded—was legally still intact, in 1966 the citizens finally passed a vote for a tax rate to support the new institution. In September 1967—almost 32 years after the district was created—Galveston College opened its doors to students.

Galveston College originally operated in a building that had formerly been occupied by an orphanage—a building that is still part of the school and houses several auditoriums in addition to the college's administrative offices. Over the past 47 years the school has expanded several times through bond issues and grants by local families and foundations. At one point in the 1980s the college was composed of two campuses, the Main campus at 41st and Avenue Q and the Fort Crockett campus near 53rd Street and Avenue U. During the 1990s land around the main campus was purchased and additional classrooms and facilities were constructed. This allowed for the consolidation of the Fort Crockett campus into the main campus. A second campus was again established in 2013 when the Charlie Thomas Family Applied Technology Center was opened to house welding, electronics, HVAC, cosmetology, medical coding, and certified nursing assistant programs.

Galveston College offers two four year degrees. As of January 2023, the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing granted accreditation to Galveston College for a Bachelor's degree program in Nursing. The college also offers a Bachelor of Applied Science in Healthcare Management.

College athletic teams are nicknamed the Whitecaps. The college fields teams in baseball and softball.