Imperial Valley College
Public Community College in Imperial, CA. Six-year graduation rate 45%. Median 10-year earnings $34,487.
Ten-year median earnings of $34,487 are on the low side, which raises the bar for what this degree needs to cost. Six-year completion sits at 45%, near the national average for undergraduate institutions. On economic mobility, 4.8% of students travel from the bottom income quintile to the top.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
Academics
45% graduate within six years — average, but that average still hides a large group who do not. 76% of full-time first-years come back for year two, so about one in four are gone before sophomore year. That gap between coming back and finishing is where this school loses people — after the first year, not during it. Part-time students fare worse, returning at 55% — relevant if you plan to work while enrolled. At 31:1, instructor access is thin — worth probing on a campus visit.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 6,891 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Average net price is $1,890 a year after grant aid — low for a four-year institution, though your own figure depends on aid eligibility. Net price varies modestly by income — $1,112 at $0–30k against $2,221 at $75–110k — so the average is a fair guide for most families. Grant aid reaches 84% of students at an average of $6,810.
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 · 989 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 | $1,112 |
| $30–48k | $5,387 |
| $48–75k | $4,421 |
| $75–110k | $2,221 |
| $110k+ | — |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Imperial 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)