College of
the Canyons
Public Community College in Santa Clarita, CA. Six-year graduation rate 45%. Median 10-year earnings $49,022.
Students who entered College of the Canyons land at a median of $49,022 a decade later, close to what most four-year schools deliver. Six-year completion sits at 45%, near the national average for undergraduate institutions. Graduates leave owing a median of $9,612 — modest by four-year standards.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ Debt-to-income ratio 0.20 — healthy (below the 0.40 threshold)
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
Academics
45% graduate within six years — average, but that average still hides a large group who do not. 70% of full-time first-years come back for year two, so about one in three are gone before sophomore year. Retention runs well ahead of completion, which means students are not leaving immediately; they are leaving somewhere between the second year and the finish line. Part-time students fare worse, returning at 27% — relevant if you plan to work while enrolled. The 25:1 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 15,365 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Students pay an average of $5,760 annually, well below typical undergraduate net price. Income makes less difference than usual: $2,522 at $0–30k, $9,240 at $110k+. 46% get grants, which means the net price above will not apply to most applicants. 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 · 1,555 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 | $2,522 |
| $30–48k | $3,075 |
| $48–75k | $4,980 |
| $75–110k | $7,406 |
| $110k+ | $9,240 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 180 of these 15,365 students, totalling $1,101,949 — an average of $6,122 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Los Angeles 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)