Fresno City College
Public Community College in Fresno, CA. Six-year graduation rate 24%. Median 10-year earnings $37,361.
Median earnings ten years after entry come to $37,361, below what most undergraduate institutions return — the central fact to weigh against cost here. The six-year graduation rate is 24% — low enough that finishing cannot be treated as the default outcome. Borrowing stays contained, with median debt at graduation of $4,058.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ Debt-to-income ratio 0.11 — healthy (below the 0.40 threshold)
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
- ! Graduation rate 24% — below national average
Academics
Completion is the problem here: 24% graduate within six years. The 29:1 student-faculty ratio is high, so large classes and limited faculty contact should be the expectation. Judge these figures against other institutions of the same type — sector explains more of the variation in completion than any single campus factor. The undergraduate body runs to 25,285, large enough that student experience varies widely by program.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 18,774 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
At $9,618 a year on average after grant aid, cost is low here relative to most undergraduate institutions. Net price varies modestly by income — $7,450 at $0–30k against $13,965 at $110k+ — so the average is a fair guide for most families. 67% of students receive grant aid, averaging $5,206 — common but not automatic.
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 · 1,744 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 | $7,450 |
| $30–48k | $8,107 |
| $48–75k | $10,285 |
| $75–110k | $13,774 |
| $110k+ | $13,965 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 73 of these 18,774 students, totalling $246,326 — an average of $3,374 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Fresno 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)