Classes began in 1963 with four faculty members serving 35 students at the 900 building at Kearny High while construction on the college’s campus was completed.

[6] In 2016, Mesa was one of the first California Community Colleges to be approved to offer a bachelor’s degree program.

Mesa also staffs a Transfer Center in its Student Support department, providing dedicated counseling and resources.

It is home to over 20 instructional buildings and athletic facilities and fields, the Learning Resource Center (LRC), Library, and Mesa Commons.

[11] In addition, the Mesa Woodland Nature and Interpretive Trail is the largest display of labeled native plants in San Diego county, with 41 native species, including four endangered plants: the San Diego Barrel Cactus, Chalk Dudleya.

[11] Mesa College is serviced at the Rosa Parks transit center by MTS route 44 at the eastern edge of campus.

The station’s name honors Rosa Parks, the groundbreaking civil rights leader who made three trips to Mesa in the 1990s.

[21] The college newspaper, The Mesa Press, is run by journalism students and covers Mesa-related news.

[25] San Diego Mesa College offers 19 competitive teams across men’s and women’s sports.

[28][29] The program has also been awarded the Pacific Coast Athletics Conference's highest honor, the Chet DeVore Trophy, four times.

The DeVore award is presented annually to the PCAC member college with the most successful men’s and women’s intercollegiate athletic program for the academic year.