Urban College of Boston

Urban College of Boston (UCB) is a private, non-profit college granting Associate of Arts degrees in Early Childhood Education, General Studies, and Human Services Administration and offering nearly 20 certificates, including Criminal Justice, Business, and Management. UCB provides daytime, evening, and weekend classes to accommodate students’ schedules.

UCB exists to provide opportunity to every student seeking a college degree or professional advancement. The College supports students as they overcome economic, social, and language barriers to achieve academic, personal or professional aspirations. 

The College has grown substantially over the last six years, increasing its enrollment by 65% between the 2011-2012 and 2016-2017 academic years. Approximately 1,500 students now enroll at UCB each year; typically, 70% are Boston residents, 72% qualify for Pell Grants, and 93% are women. Determined and resilient, with an average age of 39, UCB students usually attend college half-time, while working full-time and raising a family.

UCB has long served an ethnically- and racially-diverse student body; currently, 57% identify as Hispanic or Latino, 20% as Black or African American, 11% as Asian, and 12% as White. In addition, approximately 67% of students speak English as a second language and UCB offers classes in English, Spanish, and Chinese, as well as a sequence of contextualized English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) courses, adding robust linguistic diversity to the College community.