CCSF is Moving to "Start" — CCCStart Rolls Out This Fall 

City College of San Francisco is joining the transition to CCCStart, the California Community Colleges' new systemwide enrollment experience built to make the first step toward CCSF simpler, clearer, and more welcoming for prospective students. As part of this change, you'll start seeing "Apply" replaced with "Start" across the CCSF website and enrollment communications. As an open-access institution, this language shift is a better fit for who we are and how we serve students. "Apply" implies a decision — and the possibility of rejection — that doesn't reflect the reality of enrolling at a community college. "Start" removes that ambiguity and invites students to take their first step with confidence. 

What this means for CCSF staff:
If you work with prospective students — in outreach, counseling, or anywhere else students ask "how do I get started here?" — please begin using "Start" and "Get Started" instead of "Apply" when talking about CCSF's enrollment process. This applies to conversations, presentations, printed materials, and any communications you send directly to students. 

What this doesn't affect:
Currently enrolled students don't need to do anything differently. There's no new form, no re-application, and no change to their record. This is a change in language and framing, not in process. Our aim is simple: every student's first interaction with CCSF — whether it's a flyer, a phone call, or the website — should use the same clear, encouraging language, so that getting started here feels exactly as accessible as it should.