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Public Community College

Modesto Junior College

Public Community College in Modesto, CA. Six-year graduation rate 30%. Median 10-year earnings $42,368.

Verdict Mixed outcomes
Modesto Junior College · Campus
Median earnings · 10 yr
$42,368
Graduation rate
29.6%
Federal loan default
0%

The median ten-year earnings figure of $42,368 sits near the national middle rather than at either extreme. Only 30% finish within six years, so roughly two in three 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.

Green Flags
  • 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
Red Flags
  • ! Graduation rate 30% — below national average

Academics

Full-time retention
71%
Transfer-out rate
9%
Student:faculty
32:1

Only 30% finish within six years, so roughly two in three students leave without the credential. 71% of full-time first-years come back for year two, so about one in three 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 43% — relevant if you plan to work while enrolled. The 32:1 student-faculty ratio is high, so large classes and limited faculty contact should be the expectation.

Financial Aid

Average net price
$5,605
Full-time, first-time undergraduates paying the in-state rate who were awarded grant or scholarship aid
% receiving grants
67%
degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
% receiving federal loans
degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates

IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 14,714 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates

Students pay an average of $5,605 annually, well below typical undergraduate net price. Net price varies modestly by income — $1,658 at $0–30k against $8,681 at $110k+ — so the average is a fair guide for most families. 67% of students receive grant aid, averaging $4,703 — 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.

% receiving grants
73%
Average grant
$5,984

IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · 1,968 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 $1,658
$30–48k $1,623
$48–75k $4,809
$75–110k $6,508
$110k+ $8,681

IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24

Federal student loans went to 48 of these 14,714 students, totalling $282,628 — an average of $5,888 each.

IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24

Local housing costs

Typical rents near campus (Stanislaus County) — budget these against any cost-of-attendance housing estimate.

Studio
$1,255/mo
1 bedroom
$1,356/mo
2 bedroom (whole unit)
$1,758/mo

HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026

Veterans & GI Bill

GI Bill students
213
Yellow Ribbon
No
Principles of Excellence
Yes

VA GI Bill Comparison Tool (Veterans Affairs GIDS)

Compare Modesto Junior College with peer institutions

How we evaluate Modesto Junior College

IPEDS
US Department of Education
College Scorecard
Post-grad earnings
Census PSEO
Earnings by major
Opportunity Insights
Mobility by institution
Read our full methodology →