News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
2020-05-29-classof2020
June 1, 2020
Honoring the Class of 2020
They danced in their living rooms, composed music in their bedrooms, and got hands-on
nursing experience at a coronavirus testing site. The College of the Canyons Class
of 2020 is truly unlike any other in the college’s 50-year history.
College of the Canyons will honor its 2020 graduating class during the college’s 50th
anniversary commencement ceremony. The virtual event will begin promptly at 7 p.m.
Friday, June 5, on the college’s website.
“I wish to extend my sincerest congratulations to the Class of 2020 who have shown
themselves to be those rare individuals who can thrive in adversity,” said College
of the Canyons Chancellor Dr. Dianne G. Van Hook. “The success of our college is because
of our graduates. I look forward to seeing the records the Class of 2020 will break
and the change they will make in this world.”
The class of 2020 has 2,427 students who petitioned for graduation.
This class represents 102 majors, with liberal arts and sciences (576) ranking as
the leading field of study among graduates, followed by psychology (314), business
(308), accounting (178), and liberal arts and sciences (health science emphasis) (153).
There are also 945 students graduating with two or more degrees.
The class of 2020 is approximately 59.2 percent female (1,436) and 40.8 percent male
(991).
Academically, there are 746 students graduating with honors — which requires a 3.5
GPA or higher — and 80 students with perfect 4.0 GPAs, which grants them the status
of valedictorians at the college. The average GPA of the class of 2020 is 3.19.
The average age of a COC graduate is 24. The oldest student in the class is 81 years
old and the youngest graduates in the class are 48 students who are 17 years old.
Notably, there are also 77 veteran graduates in the college’s class of 2020.
There are 55 graduates from the school’s Mathematics, Engineering and Science Achievement
(MESA) program.
Additionally, 64.4 percent of this year’s graduates have completed at least one course
at the college’s Canyon Country campus, which first opened in 2007.
This year’s graduating class also includes 85 COC student-athletes, with a combined
GPA of 3.30, who will be earning an associate degree or transferring to a four-year
school.
Graduates from the class of 2020 will be heading to four-year schools including: UCLA,
UC Santa Barbara, UC Davis, UC Irvine, UC Berkeley, UC Santa Cruz, UC Merced, UC Riverside,
UC San Diego, USC, CSU Long Beach, CSU Northridge, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Cal Poly
Pomona, Stanford University, San Diego State University, Humboldt State University,
CSU Channel Islands, CSU East Bay, CSU Fullerton, CSU San Jose, CSU San Francisco,
CSU Sonoma, California Lutheran University, The Master’s University, Auburn University,
Washington State University, University of Nevada at Las Vegas, University of Hawai'i
at Manoa, Middle Tennessee State University, Arkansas State University, Abilene Christian
University, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, Mercer University, University
of Redlands, Dean College, Mt. Mercy University, Montana State University, Wagner
College, North Carolina Central University, Texas Wesleyan University, Southeastern
Oklahoma State University, CSU Los Angeles, Northeastern State University, University
of La Verne, and St. Mary’s University.