College of
San Mateo
Public Community College in San Mateo, CA. Six-year graduation rate 61%. Median 10-year earnings $54,172.
The median ten-year earnings figure of $54,172 sits near the national middle rather than at either extreme. The six-year graduation rate is 61%, meaning about two in five students who start do not finish. Median debt at graduation is $14,695, a light load against those earnings.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ Debt-to-income ratio 0.27 — healthy (below the 0.40 threshold)
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
Academics
61% graduate within six years — average, but that average still hides a large group who do not. First-year retention is 73% — the single largest point of attrition on this campus. The two rates sit near each other: few students who return for a second year are missing from the six-year completion figure. Part-time students fare worse, returning at 48% — relevant if you plan to work while enrolled. The 24:1 student-faculty ratio is high, so large classes and limited faculty contact should be the expectation.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 7,358 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
At $5,831 a year on average after grant aid, cost is low here relative to most undergraduate institutions. The income table below is the number that matters — $-1,310 at $0–30k versus $7,818 at $110k+. Grant aid reaches 67% of students at an average of $2,461. 1% borrow federally — a low rate, though it covers federal loans only.
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 · 690 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 | $-1,310 |
| $30–48k | $-902 |
| $48–75k | $3,342 |
| $75–110k | $6,342 |
| $110k+ | $7,818 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 53 of these 7,358 students, totalling $347,811 — an average of $6,562 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (San Mateo 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)