Central Coast College
For-profit College in Salinas, CA. Six-year graduation rate 67%. Median 10-year earnings $40,823.
Ten-year median earnings of $40,823 are on the low side, which raises the bar for what this degree needs to cost. 67% graduate within six years, so most students who start here finish here. Borrowing stays contained, with median debt at graduation of $7,476.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ Debt-to-income ratio 0.18 — healthy (below the 0.40 threshold)
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
Academics
Six-year completion runs to 67% — students who start here overwhelmingly finish here. First-year retention of 89% shows the cohort holds together through the hardest year. Retention and completion are close, which places the gap between entering and finishing almost entirely in year one. Part-time students fare worse, returning at 57% — relevant if you plan to work while enrolled. At 30:1, instructor access is thin — worth probing on a campus visit.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 700 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Net price lands at $27,133 a year on average, neither cheap nor punishing. Net price varies modestly by income — $25,956 at $0–30k against $30,594 at $110k+ — so the average is a fair guide for most families. About 70% get grants averaging $5,263, so plan on the possibility of paying closer to full price. 64% of students borrow federally, so debt is the norm rather than the exception.
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.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · 356 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 | $25,956 |
| $30–48k | $25,986 |
| $48–75k | $26,668 |
| $75–110k | $29,329 |
| $110k+ | $30,594 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 450 of these 700 students, totalling $3,923,569 — an average of $8,719 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Monterey County) — budget these against any cost-of-attendance housing estimate.
HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026
Veterans & GI Bill
VA GI Bill Comparison Tool (Veterans Affairs GIDS)