Engineering is one of the most challenging academic programs. To help engineering students be successful during their academic career, the college offers several programs where students can study and/or live in a community. These programs increase student retention rates through three strategies: immersion, community, and hands-on learning. (Some of these programs are for first-year students while other programs involve the students through the duration of their time at SJSU.)

Community for Engineering Learning and Living - CELL

Immersion. Success begins with building a strong support group. The Community for Engineering Learning and Living (CELL) makes building a strong support group easier for students by housing them together in the SJSU Campus Village, where they immerse themselves in all aspects of engineering life and get to know fellow peers studying the same disciplines in their own living communities. Throughout the semester there are facilitated study groups, tutoring, academic support services and social events.
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Engineering Learning Community for Academic Success - ELCAS

Community. Forming lifelong bonds instills confidence. The Engineering Learning Community for Academic Success (ELCAS) program provides engineering freshmen a supportive environment through a cohort system. Ten to twenty students are grouped and enrolled in the same class sections for selected courses, helping students form peer networks and create lifetime friendships. Throughout the semester there will be facilitated study groups, tutoring, academic support services and social events.
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MESA Engineering Program - MEP

For many students, to be the first in their family to attend college is both an achievement and a privilege. It can also be daunting since the experience is new to the entire family. The MESA Engineering Program (MEP) supports educationally disadvantaged and first-generation college students (first in family to attend college) to attain four-year degrees in engineering or computer science. While MEP welcomes all student participation, it strongly encourages participation of students stemming from groups with historically low participation rates in college admissions.
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