Preparation for the establishment of Norco College began in the 1980s, when the Riverside Community College District paid the U.S. government one dollar to acquire a parcel of land. RCCD opened the Norco Campus in April 1991, with an intent to meet the needs of students in the rapidly growing cities of Corona and Norco. The campus enrolled 3,088 students in its first semester—an opening scheduled to coincide with the 75th anniversary of the parent Riverside institution. The Norco Campus experienced rapid growth in enrollment. By fall 1994, student headcount was 3,782; by fall 2000, it was 6,681. By 2003, the Board of Trustees of Riverside Community College District had begun to implement changes that would enable the Norco campus to achieve full college accreditation. Enrollment in fall 2008 exceeded 10,000 students. In January, 2010, Norco College received full accreditation from Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges, to become 112th accredited college in the state of California Community College System.
2004 Measure C
In March 2004, voters in the Riverside Community College District approved a $350 million bond measure to support the acquisition and modernization of classroom buildings and other facilities on RCCD sites. A portion of the RCCD Measure C funds were allocated to Norco College, and to date have funded the installation of an artificial turf soccer field and the construction of two new buildings:
Since 2009, Norco College has been awarded two separate multi-million U.S. Government Title V grants. The Title V program is designed to support Hispanic-serving institutions of higher education and help these institutions expand educational opportunities for Hispanic students. In October 2009, Norco College received a $2.8 million five-year grant to enable creation of a Game Art program with tracks for Game Design, Game Programming, and Game Audio. A second component of the grant is the integration of games, simulations, and electronic portfolios into other transfer and career tech programs to increase student success and retention. In October, 2011, Norco College was awarded an additional five-year $3.8 million Title V grant to support development of new programs. Norco College is partnering with California State University, San Bernardino, to create complementary academic programs in the fields of in commercial music, new media, game programming, and mobile application development—all structured to provide a seamless transition from the community college to baccalaureate level courses and degrees.
Mascot
The mascot of Norco College is the Mustang, an icon which reflects the "Horsetown USA" character of Norco.
