Sacramento City College
Public Community College in Sacramento, CA. Six-year graduation rate 33%. Median 10-year earnings $42,214.
Ten years after entry, the median Sacramento City College student earns $42,214 — a solidly middle-of-the-pack result for an undergraduate institution. Only 34% finish within six years, so roughly two in three students leave without the credential they enrolled for. Median debt at graduation is $10,500, a light load against those earnings.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ Debt-to-income ratio 0.25 — healthy (below the 0.40 threshold)
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
- ! Graduation rate 33% — below national average
Academics
A six-year graduation rate of 34% means finishing is closer to the exception than the rule. First-year retention is 69% — the single largest point of attrition on this campus. The distance between those two figures is the part worth noticing — students return for a second year at a much higher rate than they graduate, so attrition here is spread across the middle years rather than concentrated in the first. Part-time students fare worse, returning at 39% — relevant if you plan to work while enrolled. A 26:1 ratio means students need to be deliberate about getting faculty time.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 16,952 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
At $8,624 a year on average after grant aid, cost is low here relative to most undergraduate institutions. Income makes less difference than usual: $5,739 at $0–30k, $9,906 at $110k+. 66% of students receive grant aid, averaging $3,572 — common but not automatic. Federal borrowing is uncommon here at 5% of students.
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 · 1,281 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 | $5,739 |
| $30–48k | $5,509 |
| $48–75k | $8,567 |
| $75–110k | $11,609 |
| $110k+ | $9,906 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 841 of these 16,952 students, totalling $6,201,765 — an average of $7,374 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Sacramento 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)