San Bernardino
Valley College
Public Community College in San Bernardino, CA. Six-year graduation rate 28%. Median 10-year earnings $39,676.
Median earnings ten years after entry come to $39,676, below what most undergraduate institutions return — the central fact to weigh against cost here. Only 28% finish within six years, so roughly three in four 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.
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
- ! Graduation rate 28% — below national average
Academics
A six-year graduation rate of 28% means finishing is closer to the exception than the rule. First-year retention of 81% shows the cohort holds together through the hardest year. That gap between coming back and finishing is where this school loses people — after the first year, not during it. The part-time picture is harder: 27% return, against 81% full-time. A 25:1 ratio means students need to be deliberate about getting faculty time.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 11,046 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Average net price after grant aid is $19,091 a year — mid-range for a four-year institution. Net price varies modestly by income — $18,446 at $0–30k against $21,390 at $110k+ — so the average is a fair guide for most families. About 59% get grants averaging $3,880, so plan on the possibility of paying closer to full price. Only 1% take federal loans. Private borrowing is not captured in this figure.
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 · 699 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 | $18,446 |
| $30–48k | $18,753 |
| $48–75k | $20,058 |
| $75–110k | $20,743 |
| $110k+ | $21,390 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 80 of these 11,046 students, totalling $284,046 — an average of $3,551 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (San Bernardino 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)