Information for Parents
Tompkins Cortland Community College is one of 30 community colleges and 64 campuses in the State University of New York system. Located in Dryden, New York, the college serves more than three thousand students in credit programs and another three thousand in non-credit workshops and customized training.
Scenic Location in a Center of Education
Our campus is located in a peaceful Upstate New York village about four hours from New York City. Tourists and international students come to the beautiful Finger Lakes Region from around the world to experience the natural beauty, the food, and the wine and local products for which our region is known.
We are close to Cornell University, Ithaca College, SUNY Cortland, and numerous other colleges and universities – the Finger Lakes truly is a hub of higher education in the United States.
A True COMMUNITY College
The College campus community is built with student success in mind. Our facilities are modern and exceptional, but our people truly define the College's community.
A community college typically offers two-year degrees that prepare students for direct entry into the workforce, or for transfer to a four-year institution. Tompkins Cortland Community College offers more than 40 degree programs, and our students regularly transfer to four-year institutions in New York and around the country and world.
Our mission is student success, and the College's community is dedicated to helping students achieve their vision of success with the support of numerous people on campus. From the admissions office to the Dr. Lucille S. Baker Commons, the College offers an array of support services.
Living on Campus
Housing
Intensive English Program participants will be housed together in one of the seven residence halls on campus. Residence Hall are a 10-minute walk from the main building and the athletic center. Living together in apartments is one of the aspects of the program that students appreciate the most. Make lifelong friendships and practice your English with roommates from around the world!
Tompkins Cortland residence halls are apartment-style, containing:
- a shared kitchen
- shared bathroom
- shared living area
- four private bedrooms with locking doors
Transportation
The College is located on a peaceful, rural campus in a natural setting in the small town of Dryden, New York. Transportation via public bus is available during the week and on a limited basis on weekends. Because our students are busy in classes during the day, Tompkins Cortland also provides evening buses twice weekly in the evening for campus residents to shop for groceries and necessities. All required program-related transportation – places you go with your classes or that is required as a cultural experience is covered by the program fee. However, any trips that Tompkins Cortland organizes “for fun” may have a minimal cost of between $10-$30. For these optional trips, the cost of transportation will be included in the cost of the ticket you will purchase on campus. For more information, visit our transportation page.