Compton College
Public Community College in Compton, CA. Six-year graduation rate 27%. Median 10-year earnings $34,181.
Median earnings ten years after entry come to $34,181, below what most undergraduate institutions return — the central fact to weigh against cost here. Only 27% finish within six years, so roughly three in four 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 27% — below national average
Academics
Completion is the problem here: 27% graduate within six years. Retention is weak: only 50% of full-time first-years return, so roughly one in two leave after one year. Retention and completion are close, which places the gap between entering and finishing almost entirely in year one. The part-time picture is harder: 26% return, against 50% full-time. A 17:1 ratio is unremarkable; expect a mix of lecture halls and seminars.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 2,881 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Average net price is $14,449 a year after grant aid — low for a four-year institution, though your own figure depends on aid eligibility. The gap between the $0–30k and $75–110k bands is narrow ($12,528 versus $16,689), meaning aid is not strongly need-weighted. About 64% get grants averaging $5,417, so plan on the possibility of paying closer to full price. 4% 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 · 271 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 | $12,528 |
| $30–48k | $12,773 |
| $48–75k | $12,319 |
| $75–110k | $16,689 |
| $110k+ | — |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 126 of these 2,881 students, totalling $975,829 — an average of $7,745 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)