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Brand identity

Palmetto Ridge crest

Palmetto Ridge Junior College · Cypress Landing, South Carolina

Rooted since 1894. Built for what's next.

The crest brings the school's story into one mark. The palmetto and crescent come from the South Carolina flag. The ridge is the bluff above the river where the first schoolhouse stood. The open book stands for the students who made the bricks for Old Main in 1902. The star stands for the 1967 merger that brought two colleges together as one. The motto, Scientia · Virtus · Servitium, means "Knowledge · Character · Service."

Ridge Green#143426

Palmetto Green#22573F

Hawk Silver#C3CBD3

Heritage Brass#B8903A · accent

Libre Caslon for headings (historic, collegiate)  ·  Public Sans for body text (clean, very readable)

Palmetto RidgeJunior College
Palmetto RidgeJunior College
HAWKSATHLETICS
The college at a glance
  • Founded 1894 as the Palmetto Ridge Normal & Industrial Institute, a teacher-training school for Black students. Became a public junior college in 1938. Merged in 1967 with Cypress Landing Junior College, a formerly all-white school, making it one of the first integrated junior colleges in the state.
  • Two campuses, one story: the historic Old Main Quad (1902 handmade brick, restored after Hurricane Hugo) and the new LEED-Gold Ridgeview Campus, which opened in 2019.
  • 2,450 students: 58% students of color, 41% first-generation, students from 22 countries, and a strong military and veteran community.
  • Hawks athletics: 11 teams in the fictional Carolinas Junior College Athletic Conference.

Homepage · hover "Future Students" to see the mega-menu

📍 Cypress Landing, SC  ·  Fall 2026 classes are in session DirectoryCalendarGiveHawks Athletics🔒 Student Portal
Palmetto RidgeJunior College · Est. 1894

Palmetto Ridge Junior College · Est. 1894

Rooted in history. Built for what's next.

Small classes, big ambitions. Start a degree, earn a career credential, or transfer to a four-year university for a fraction of the cost.

Apply for Spring 2027Find your programSchedule a visit
132years of teaching
2,450students from 22 countries
15:1student-to-faculty ratio
42degrees & certificates
$4,980average in-county tuition per year

Start here

Where are you headed?

Whether you're choosing your first college, coming back after years away, or already a Hawk, here's where to begin.

📷 Prospective students touring Ridgeview Commons

Future Students

Apply free, explore programs, estimate costs and find scholarships.

Start your application →
📷 Students studying in the Learning Commons

Current Students

Registration, advising, tutoring, financial aid and your Student Portal.

Go to the portal →
📷 Family day on the Old Main Quad

Families & Community

Continuing education, events, the Heritage Center and ways to support students.

Get involved →

Academics

Six pathways. Forty-two programs.

Browse all programs
🩺

Health Sciences

Nursing (ADN), Radiologic Technology, EMT-Paramedic, Medical Assisting

8 programs →
🔬

STEM & Technology

Computer Science, Cybersecurity, Engineering Transfer, Marine Science

9 programs →
💼

Business & Hospitality

Accounting, Entrepreneurship, Hospitality & Tourism Management

7 programs →
🛠️

Skilled Trades

Welding, HVAC, Electrical Technology, Automotive, Boatbuilding

7 programs →
🎭

Arts & Humanities

Associate in Arts, Music, Digital Media, Gullah Geechee Studies

6 programs →
⚖️

Public Service

Criminal Justice, Early Childhood Education, Human Services

5 programs →
📷 Old Main, 1902 · restored 1992
📷 Ridgeview Campus, opened 2019

Our story

Two campuses. One story.

In 1902, students made the bricks for Old Main by hand. More than a century later, its clock tower looks out over the solar-powered Ridgeview Campus. Our history is part of daily life here, and so is our future.

1894Founded
1938Junior college
1967Merger & integration
2019Ridgeview opens
Read our history

News

Around the Ridge

All news →
📷 Nursing cohort in the simulation lab
Health Sciences

Nursing graduates post a 98% first-time NCLEX pass rate

The Class of 2026 is the program's best result yet. Every graduate who wanted a job had an offer within 90 days.

📷 Amara Okonkwo
Student Success

Amara Okonkwo named a Jack Kent Cooke Transfer Scholar

The first-generation student will transfer to Clemson to study bioengineering.

📷 Heritage Center exhibit
Heritage

New exhibit tells the stories of the 1902 brickmakers

Descendants of the students who built Old Main helped put the exhibit together.

Events

On the calendar

Full calendar →
  • Oct17

    Fall Open House

    9:00 AM · Ridgeview Commons

  • Oct22

    Hawks Volleyball vs. Lowcountry Tech

    6:30 PM · Freeman Fieldhouse

  • Oct30

    Día de los Muertos Ofrenda Celebration

    5:00 PM · Old Main Quad

  • Nov2

    Spring 2027 Registration Opens

    All day · Student Portal

  • Nov11

    Veterans Day Ceremony

    11:00 AM · Veterans Memorial Green

Hawks Athletics

Fly together.

11 teams, 3 conference titles in the last five years, and student-athletes with a 3.2 average GPA.

Men's Soccer · Final
Palmetto Ridge3
Coastal Carolina JC1
Oct 3 · Hawks Field
Volleyball · Final
Palmetto Ridge3
Piedmont State2
Oct 1 · Freeman Fieldhouse
Women's Soccer · Final
Palmetto Ridge0
Sandhills CC1
Sep 29 · Away
Cross Country
Women: 2nd of 14🥈
Men: 4th of 14
Sep 27 · Carolina Invitational

Student life

Find your people.

More than 60 clubs, residence halls on the Ridgeview Campus, and the Lowcountry right outside the door.

📷 Welcome Week on the Quad
📷 Black Student Union
📷 Latinx Student Alliance
📷 Kayak club on Cooper's Run
📷 Ridgeview residence hall

Your next chapter starts at the Ridge.

Applying is free. Talk to an admissions counselor, take a campus tour, or get started today.

Inside page · About › History

Palmetto RidgeJunior College · Est. 1894

Home › About › History

Our History

Since 1894, this college has believed that education belongs to everyone in the Lowcountry. Here's the story of how we got here.

Palmetto Ridge began in a one-room schoolhouse on a river bluff. Its founders were Rev. Josiah Freeman, a minister born into slavery who learned to read in secret, and Abigail Hollis Marsh, a Quaker teacher from Philadelphia. They opened the Palmetto Ridge Normal & Industrial Institute to train Black teachers for the Lowcountry's schools.

"Build it so it lasts, and teach so it matters."
— Rev. Josiah Freeman, 1901

Milestones

  • 1894Founded with 31 students and two teachers.
  • 1902Students make 400,000 bricks by hand and build Old Main.
  • 1938Becomes Palmetto Ridge Junior College, one of the state's first public two-year colleges.
  • 1967Merges with Cypress Landing Junior College and becomes one integrated institution. The star on the crest honors that day.
  • 1989Hurricane Hugo badly damages Old Main. The community raises $3.1M to restore it.
  • 2019The LEED-Gold Ridgeview Campus opens. Old Main becomes the Heritage Center & Welcome Center.
  • 2024The college celebrates 130 years with its largest and most diverse class ever.

Presidents of the College

Rev. Josiah Freeman1894–1921
Dr. Clara B. Whitfield1921–1949
Dr. Harold E. Simmons1949–1967
Dr. Lorenzo Gadsden1967–1990
Dr. Patricia Hwang-Ellison2003–2018
Dr. Renée Okafor-Bennett2018–present

Student Portal · only visible after a student signs in

Welcome back, Jordan

Fall 2026 · Associate in Science, Computer Science · Sophomore

JR
⚠️ Spring 2027 registration opens Nov 2. Meet with your advisor first to clear your advising hold.Book advising

Today's classes Full schedule

TimeCourseRoom
9:00 AMCSC 210 Data Structures · Prof. Mei-Ling ChouRidgeview STEM 214In person
11:00 AMMAT 240 Calculus II · Dr. Samuel AdeyemiRidgeview STEM 108In person
2:00 PMENG 102 Composition II · Prof. Rosa DelgadoRidgeLearnOnline

Quick links

🗓️Register for classes💳Pay tuition💵Financial aid status📄Unofficial transcript💻RidgeLearn📖Library🧑‍🏫Book tutoring🧠Counseling

Announcements See all

UrgentFAFSA 2027–28 is open: priority deadline Dec 1

Get free help filling it out at FAFSA Fridays in the Financial Aid Office, Ridgeview Commons 120.

All studentsFree flu shots at the Wellness Center

Oct 14–16, 10 AM–3 PM. Bring your student ID.

TransferTransfer Fair: 30+ universities on campus

Oct 28, 11 AM–2 PM, Ridgeview Commons Atrium.

Degree progress

68%
41 of 60 credits

On track to graduate May 2027 · GPA 3.47

Account balance

$412.50

Due Nov 15 · Pell Grant applied

Make a payment

To-do

  • ☐ Meet with advisor (clears hold)
  • ☐ Submit 2027–28 FAFSA
  • ☑ Upload immunization record
  • ☐ Apply for Hawks Promise Scholarship

Your advisor

Marcus Bellamy

STEM Pathway Advisor · Ridgeview STEM 102
m.bellamy@palmettoridge.test

Staff Dashboard · the first screen editors see after they log in (inside the Drupal admin)

Home › Administration

Dashboard

View website
Tuesday, October 6, 2026

Good afternoon, Maya.

Signed in as Communications. Here's what's happening on the website today.

118Live pages & storiesPublished on the website
3Waiting for approvalSomeone needs a review
14Upcoming eventsOn the calendar
5New inquiriesFuture students to contact

What would you like to do?

Pick a task. Each button opens a simple form, and nothing goes live until you publish it.

Post a news storyShows on the homepage & /news Add an eventGames, open houses, deadlines Message studentsAppears in the Student Portal only Edit a pageAdmissions, Housing, History… Add a programUpdates the program finder Update a teamCoach, record, roster note Add a personFaculty & staff directory Upload photosAdd to the media library

Needs your attention

Content sent for review, plus unfinished drafts.

Coming up on the calendar

The next events visitors and students will see.

  • Oct17

    Fall Open House

    9:00 AM · Ridgeview Commons

  • Oct22

    Hawks Volleyball vs. Lowcountry Tech

    6:30 PM · Freeman Fieldhouse

  • Oct28

    Transfer Fair

    11:00 AM · Ridgeview Commons Atrium

Enrollment inquiries

Sent in through the Request Info form. Open one to update its status after you follow up.

NameStudent typeInterested inStartReceivedStatus
Destiny GrantFirst-timeNursing (ADN)Spring 20271 hour agoNewOpen
Nguyen Thanh LongInternationalCybersecurityFall 20275 hours agoNewOpen
Carlos MendozaMilitary / VeteranHVAC TechnologySpring 2027yesterdayContactedOpen
Priya RamanDual EnrollmentAssociate in ScienceSpring 20272 days agoAppliedOpen

What's on the site

Click a type to manage everything of that kind.

  • Pages38
  • Programs32
  • News stories18
  • Events16
  • People24
  • Teams11
  • Announcements8

How publishing works

Every change follows the same three steps.

  1. DraftWrite or edit. Only staff can see it.
  2. Needs reviewCommunications gives it a second look.
  3. PublishedIt's live. Every earlier version is saved, so you can undo.