College of Alameda
Public Community College in Alameda, CA. Six-year graduation rate 33%. Median 10-year earnings $42,563.
Ten years after entry, the median College of Alameda student earns $42,563 — a solidly middle-of-the-pack result for an undergraduate institution. Only 33% finish within six years, so roughly two in three students leave without the credential they enrolled for.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
- ! Graduation rate 33% — below national average
Academics
Completion is the problem here: 33% graduate within six years. First-year retention is 62% — the single largest point of attrition on this campus. That gap between coming back and finishing is where this school loses people — after the first year, not during it. Retention drops to 32% for part-time students, a gap worth weighing if full-time study is not realistic. A 38:1 ratio means students need to be deliberate about getting faculty time.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 4,274 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Students pay an average of $12,506 annually, well below typical undergraduate net price. Income makes less difference than usual: $7,947 at $0–30k, $15,603 at $75–110k. Grant aid reaches 70% of students at an average of $1,777. Federal borrowing is uncommon here at 1% of students.
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 · 140 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 | $7,947 |
| $30–48k | $6,829 |
| $48–75k | $11,225 |
| $75–110k | $15,603 |
| $110k+ | — |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 27 of these 4,274 students, totalling $223,704 — an average of $8,285 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Alameda 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)