About PCC

Palau Community College is an accessible comprehensive public educational institution helping to meet the technical, academic, cultural, social, and economic needs of students and communities by promoting learning opportunities and developing personal excellence.

Palau Community College (PCC) was founded in 1969 as a two-year post-secondary vocational/technical institution. It grew out of a trade school that had its beginning in 1927 during the Japanese administration prior to World War II. PCC began with a small group of students enrolled in one vocational program on a campus with limited physical facilities. It was known at that time as Micronesian Occupational Center. The expansion of vocational education resulted from such factors as a growing political awareness, articulation among the states/republics of Micronesia, and a greater commitment to educational and economic development by the United States of America. Funding permitted the addition of facilities and staff so that by 1976, training programs were provided in more than twenty specific vocational areas grouped into ten trade clusters. The goal of a post-secondary institution for vocational education to prepare students with necessary skills and knowledge needed in a developing and expanding economy has not changed through the years. Until 1977, the Micronesian Occupational Center and the Community College of Micronesia were two autonomous post-secondary institutions serving Micronesia. On March 29, 1977, Trust Territory Public Law No. 7-29, amended later by Public Law 7-130, created the College of Micronesia as a public corporation under its own Board of Regents. The law, which took effect October 1, 1977, joined into a single post-secondary educational system the Micronesian Occupational Center and the Community College of Micronesia (which included the CCM-affiliated School of Nursing). In May 1978, Micronesian Occupational Center officially became Micronesian Occupational College, a distinct and complementary part of the College of Micronesia. In September 1987, a treaty among the Republic of Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of Palau regarding the College of Micronesia was executed establishing complete autonomy of each college in the COM system to local governments. The treaty was terminated on March 31, 1993, which laid the foundation for Palau Community College. On March 19, 1993, the Republic of Palau President Kuniwo Nakamura signed into law RPPL No.4-2, known as Higher Education Act of 1993, establishing Palau Community College as an independent college with its own governing board.. On April 2, 1993, Micronesian Occupational College officially became Palau Community College.

Palau Community College is an accredited institution by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) – Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC).  The College has been accredited for over 45 years (1977-2025).  The College was evaluated and has continued to receive reaffirmation from 1977, 1982, 1988, 1992, 1998, 2004, 2010, 2016, and 2022. The College’s Midterm Report is due in 2027, followed by a comprehensive review (ISER) in 2029, and conclude with a Focused Site Visit in 2030. More information can be obtained from the college Accreditation Liaison Officer at jayo@palau.edu; phone (680) 488-2470/2471 ext. 263.