Los Angeles
Mission College
Public Community College in Sylmar, CA. Six-year graduation rate 20%. Median 10-year earnings $39,834.
Ten-year median earnings of $39,834 are on the low side, which raises the bar for what this degree needs to cost. Only 20% finish within six years, so roughly four in five students leave without the credential they enrolled for. Borrowing stays contained, with median debt at graduation of $12,678.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ Debt-to-income ratio 0.32 — healthy (below the 0.40 threshold)
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
- ! Graduation rate 20% — below national average
Academics
Only 20% finish within six years, so roughly four in five students leave without the credential. A 32:1 ratio means students need to be deliberate about getting faculty time. 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 10,425, large enough that student experience varies widely by program.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 8,031 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Students pay an average of $15,357 annually once grants are applied. Net price varies modestly by income — $12,586 at $0–30k against $12,128 at $110k+ — so the average is a fair guide for most families. About 68% get grants averaging $3,171, so plan on the possibility of paying closer to full price. 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 · 586 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 | $12,586 |
| $30–48k | $12,673 |
| $48–75k | $15,149 |
| $75–110k | $17,280 |
| $110k+ | $12,128 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 89 of these 8,031 students, totalling $681,589 — an average of $7,658 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)