Greenfield Community College, in the Pioneer Valley of western Massachusetts, was founded in 1962 by visionary community members who knew a community college would offer opportunities for growth to the people of Franklin County and southern Vermont and New Hampshire.

In GCC’s first year, just over 100 students attended classes in an old elementary school, a former factory and a remodeled warehouse in the center of Greenfield. The College moved to its main campus in the “The Meadows” area of Greenfield in 1974. In 1999, the College’s campus expanded with the addition of the East Building, which features a fitness center, laboratories, classrooms, the Creative Thinking and Learning Studio, and offices that include Workforce Development and Community Engagement. In 2011, GCC revitalized and redesigned the core of the main building. From the ground-level entrance up through the fourth floor, the new Core incorporates universal design principles to meet the needs of all our students. Students are able to move fluidly from the enlarged Cafeteria/Dining Commons and blended Enrollment Services on the first floor to the Student Activities Center on the second, up to the expanded Library and enhanced Learning Center on the upper floors.

GCC is the smallest of the 15 community colleges in the Massachusetts higher education system and is known for its caring and supportive faculty and staff and strong community support. GCC is fully accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education. GCC works closely with bachelor degree granting colleges of the Massachusetts public higher education system, including the University of Massachusetts, and with private colleges and universities, to offer diverse transfer opportunities to GCC students.

The College’s career programs prepare students to enter the workforce or update their skills, while non-credit workshops and seminars are offered for personal enrichment and job training. Day, evening and online classes are offered to accommodate a wide range of student schedules.