About MWCC
You can succeed here — and you won’t do it alone.
At Mount Wachusett Community College, students and families immediately feel what makes “The Mount” special: genuine care, real connection, and a community dedicated to walking beside you from application to graduation. You are not just a number here. You are an important member of our community with goals, stories, and challenges — and we’re here to help you move forward.
An Affordable, Accessible Pathway
Founded in 1963 and accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE), MWCC is a public, two-year college with a 269-acre campus and satellite automotive facility in Gardner, and additional campuses in Fitchburg and Leominster.
With MassReconnect, MassEducate, and our already low tuition, college is now free for most Massachusetts residents. For many across North Central Massachusetts, this has been a life-changing opportunity.
We offer:
- Over 70 credit-bearing degree and certificate programs
- Non-credit, personal enrichment classes
- Workforce training, including customized employer partnerships
Flexible Learning That Fits Your Life
Most MWCC students balance college with work and family — and we’re built with that reality in mind. Choose from day, evening, hybrid, and online courses taught by university-caliber faculty who understand what adult and first-generation learners need to thrive.
A Community That Walks Beside You
What makes MWCC truly unique is the way our entire college rallies around students. Every member of our community — from faculty and advisors to facilities staff and the President — sees student success as our shared responsibility. Our programs are intentionally designed with local and regional workforce partners so students can clearly see the connection between what they’re learning and the careers waiting for them in North Central Massachusetts.
Whether you’re starting college for the first time, returning as an adult, or pursuing new workforce skills, we’re here to remove barriers and support your next step.
Student supports include:
- Campus food pantries and community refrigerators
- Child Watch services for student parents
- Personalized advising and financial aid guidance
- Proactive communication and check-ins to help you stay on track
A Personalized, High-Quality Experience
With small classes and a 15:1 student-to-faculty ratio, you’ll receive individualized attention in an environment where your success matters. Our programs are career-connected, hands-on, and developed in partnership with academic and industry experts.
Highlights of the MWCC Experience
Accessibility & Disability Services: MWCC is committed to access and inclusion. Students with disabilities can receive accommodations and support to fully participate in academic and campus life.
Adult Education: We offer free Adult Education, HiSET/GED preparation, and ESOL programs to help adult learners reach their educational and career goals.
Civic Learning & Community Engagement: MWCC students contribute over 100,000 hours each year to volunteer work, internships, and community projects on campus and across North Central Massachusetts.
Counseling & Wellness Services: We offer students and staff a range of mental health and wellness services — from free counseling (including sessions with our therapy dog) to connections to helpful resources.
Basic Needs Support: We connect students with the resources they need, including on-campus pantries and community fridges that help them stay focused on their education.
Early College & K-12 Partnerships: A statewide leader in Early College, MWCC helps high school students earn college credit — and sometimes an associate degree — before graduation.
Sustainability Leadership: MWCC’s Gardner campus produces most of its own energy through wind, biomass heating, and solar power. We are nationally recognized for our renewable energy innovations.
Veteran & Military Services: We proudly support active-duty service members, veterans, and their families with nationally recognized programs that ease the transition to college and civilian life.
Accreditation
Mount Wachusett Community College (MWCC) is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE), a non-governmental, nationally recognized organization whose affiliated institutions include elementary schools through collegiate institutions offering post-graduate instruction. Accreditation of an institution by the NECHE indicates that it meets or exceeds criteria for the assessment of institutional quality periodically applied through a peer group review process. An accredited school or college is one that has available the necessary resources to achieve its stated purposes through appropriate educational programs, is substantially doing so, and gives reasonable evidence that it will continue to do so in the foreseeable future. Institutional integrity is also addressed through accreditation. Accreditation by the NECHE is not partial but applies to the institution as a whole. As such, it is not a guarantee of the quality of every course or program offered or the competence of individual graduates. Rather, it provides reasonable assurance about the quality of opportunities available to students who attend the institution.
Inquiries regarding the status of an institution’s accreditation by the NECHE should be directed to the administrative staff of the school or college. Individuals may also contact the association:
New England Commission of Higher Education
3 Burlington Woods #100, Burlington, MA 01803
781-426-7785 | www.neche.org
Please note: certain programs have additional industry-specific accreditations. See individual program information.
Campus Locations
MWCC’s main campus is in Gardner and its satellite campuses are located in Leominster and Fitchburg.
MWCC’s facilities are accessible to persons with disabilities. Persons with disabilities who may require accommodations to participate fully in program activities should contact the program director or the Student Services office.
Our Mission
Mount Wachusett Community College transforms students by providing access to affordable, high-quality, innovative, civic-minded, and relevant education and training opportunities. With a focus on community, we are committed to diversity, equity and inclusion with a racial equity lens and value the dignity and worth of all individuals and believe opportunity and access to education transforms lives.
Our Vision
Mount Wachusett Community College aspires to be a model community-connected, student-ready institution providing affordable, inclusive, equity-minded transformative learning experiences dedicated to enriching student’s academic, personal, and professional lives through an array of degree and certificate programs, campus engagement, and customized student support.
Our Core and Shared Values
Learning is at the center of our core value system. While the themes of diversity, equity, and inclusion are among our highest priorities as we develop culturally responsive practices, creating knowledge and skills through teaching and learning is the core of what we do. The following core values hold true to our vision and shape how we carry out our mission:
Community
MWCC values community by developing shared and inclusive learning environments that cultivate personal and academic growth and interpersonal relationships. By cultivating and nurturing a welcoming environment of trust and belonging through collaboration and partnerships, we meet the education and workforce training needs of our community and build strong innovative partnerships that support the economic vitality of the region.
Diversity
MWCC understands that diversity is not an outcome and recognizes that diversity goes beyond race and even beyond demographics. We value the creativity and insight that emerges from multiple perspectives and we recognize the importance of diverse representation and thought in achieving our goals.
Equity
MWCC will work towards achieving equity (different from equality) in educational outcomes, disrupting and dismantling oppressive systems and rebuilding imbalanced social systems. We acknowledge that inequity is a consequence of intentional design and if we want to create equitable outcomes, we must focus on changing underlying systems, not just adding new programs or services.
Inclusion
MWCC recognizes that inclusion is more than intentionally creating environments and space in which individuals and/or groups feel “safe”*, welcomed, valued, respected, and heard. We view inclusivity more than just collaboration, rather as a tenet of mutual respect and shared governance, authentically and intentionally bringing traditionally excluded voices into processes, activities, and decision/policy making in a way that shares power and opinion.
*Note that we put the word “safe” in quotes. This is because people with some identities or personal experiences rarely feel safe in any room/space, and it’s important to acknowledge that and consider what safety means from a position of social, cultural, historical, and institutional power.
Institutional Collaboration and Collective Impact
MWCC believes a collective willingness to collaborate with empathy, respect, trust, and transparency is essential to teaching, learning, and creating a sense of belonging for all. We work and communicate collegially, creating working and learning environments which are conducive to the open exchange of ideas. In addition to collaboration, a collective impact approach is premised on the belief that no single department, person, or program can tackle or solve the increasingly complex social problems we face as a society (i.e., oppression, racial injustice, etc.)
Continuous Improvement and Transformative Action
MWCC is committed to inquiry, professional development, and reflection. We adjust our practices and embrace new tools and methods to provide equitable opportunities and outcomes. We are willing to make mistakes and learn from both our mistakes and successes in order to take purposeful action and propose transformative solutions.
Institutional Integrity
MWCC maintains public trust by being honest, fair, transparent, and equitable. We honor our commitments to our students, staff, and communities by holding ourselves and others accountable for supporting the vision, mission, and priorities of the college.
Student Success and Achievement
MWCC believes student success and achievement is as much about the student experience as it is about the education, and neither exists in a vacuum. We take a holistic approach to defining and supporting student success and achievement, determined by the goals of each individual student.
Goals
These five goals define and drive the strategic initiatives of MWCC:
- Equity and Inclusion in Opportunity, Access, and Affordability.
- Equitable and Inclusive Student Success and Achievement.
- Equitable and Inclusive Pedagogy, Facilitation, and Academic Programming.
- Regional and Economic Development Leader.
- Institutional Capacity Building for Equitable Decision-Making and Inclusive Engagement.