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Public Community College

Butte College

Public Community College in Oroville, CA. Six-year graduation rate 45%. Median 10-year earnings $41,810.

Verdict Mixed outcomes
Butte College · Campus
Median earnings · 10 yr
$41,810
Median debt at grad
$10,500
Mobility score
2.0
% bottom→top quintile
Graduation rate
45.3%
Federal loan default
0%

Students who entered Butte College reach a median of $41,810 a decade later, a figure that trails the typical four-year outcome. Six-year completion sits at 45%, near the national average for undergraduate institutions. Borrowing stays contained, with median debt at graduation of $10,500.

Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.

Green Flags
  • Debt-to-income ratio 0.25 — healthy (below the 0.40 threshold)
  • 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
Red Flags

Academics

Full-time retention
68%
Transfer-out rate
9%
Student:faculty
21:1

Six-year completion sits at 45%, meaning about one in two students who enroll leave without finishing. 68% of full-time first-years come back for year two, so about one in three are gone before sophomore year. Retention and graduation track closely, so most of the attrition shows up in the first year rather than after it. The part-time picture is harder: 42% return, against 68% full-time. A 21:1 ratio is unremarkable; expect a mix of lecture halls and seminars.

Financial Aid

Average net price
$9,112
Full-time, first-time undergraduates paying the in-state rate who were awarded grant or scholarship aid
% receiving grants
69%
degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
% receiving federal loans
4%
degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates

IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 8,384 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates

Average net price is $9,112 a year after grant aid — low for a four-year institution, though your own figure depends on aid eligibility. Net price swings hard on family income here, from $4,944 at the $0–30k band to $13,051 at $110k+. About 69% get grants averaging $5,937, so plan on the possibility of paying closer to full price. Only 4% take federal loans. Private borrowing is not captured in this figure.

Entering first-year students

A different, smaller group than the rates above: full-time students in their first year of college anywhere. The grant series here also excludes the "other sources" counted in the all-undergraduate figure, so the two are not comparable.

% receiving grants
88%
Average grant
$6,677

IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · 1,173 students

Net price by family income

The same students as the headline above, limited to those who received Title IV federal aid — a narrower group, with a lower overall average. IPEDS publishes no combined figure across these bands, so they should not be averaged into one.

Family income band Average net price
$0–30k $4,944
$30–48k $4,206
$48–75k $6,503
$75–110k $10,570
$110k+ $13,051

IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24

Federal student loans went to 310 of these 8,384 students, totalling $1,998,779 — an average of $6,448 each.

IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24

Local housing costs

Typical rents near campus (Butte County) — budget these against any cost-of-attendance housing estimate.

Studio
$1,155/mo
1 bedroom
$1,270/mo
2 bedroom (whole unit)
$1,625/mo

HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026

Veterans & GI Bill

GI Bill students
297
Yellow Ribbon
No
Principles of Excellence
Yes

VA GI Bill Comparison Tool (Veterans Affairs GIDS)

Compare Butte College with peer institutions

How we evaluate Butte College

IPEDS
US Department of Education
College Scorecard
Post-grad earnings
Census PSEO
Earnings by major
Opportunity Insights
Mobility by institution
Read our full methodology →