Mission College
Public Community College in Santa Clara, CA. Six-year graduation rate 39%. Median 10-year earnings $50,936.
Students who entered Mission College land at a median of $50,936 a decade later, close to what most four-year schools deliver. Completion is the weak point: 39% graduate within six years.
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
Academics
Only 39% finish within six years, so roughly three in five students leave without the credential. Retention of 73% means a meaningful slice of each entering class does not return. 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 30% — relevant if you plan to work while enrolled. At 26:1, instructor access is thin — worth probing on a campus visit.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 5,557 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
At $7,646 a year on average after grant aid, cost is low here relative to most undergraduate institutions. Net price varies modestly by income — $3,463 at $0–30k against $7,049 at $110k+ — so the average is a fair guide for most families. About 50% get grants averaging $3,244, so plan on the possibility of paying closer to full price.
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 · 440 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 | $3,463 |
| $30–48k | $4,927 |
| $48–75k | $6,463 |
| $75–110k | $9,974 |
| $110k+ | $7,049 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 23 of these 5,557 students, totalling $165,006 — an average of $7,174 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Santa Clara 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)