Yakima Valley College
Public Community College in Yakima, WA. Six-year graduation rate 29%. Median 10-year earnings $43,499.
The median ten-year earnings figure of $43,499 sits near the national middle rather than at either extreme. The six-year graduation rate is 29% — low enough that finishing cannot be treated as the default outcome. Borrowing stays contained, with median debt at graduation of $13,966. Mobility is where this school separates itself: 2.2% of students move from the bottom income quintile to the top.
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 29% — below national average
Academics
Only 29% finish within six years, so roughly three in four students leave without the credential. A 17% transfer-out rate accounts for part of that gap: those students left for another institution rather than dropping out, and the graduation rate above counts them as non-completers here. At 15:1, students get materially more instructor contact than at a typical public university. As a public four-year university, the relevant comparison is other four-year schools rather than the national average across all institutions. With 3,523 undergraduates, the school sits in the middle of the size distribution.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 2,539 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Students pay an average of $12,862 annually, well below typical undergraduate net price. Aid is steeply need-based: families in the $0–30k band pay $10,543 while those at $110k+ pay $20,259. About 77% get grants averaging $8,352, so plan on the possibility of paying closer to full price. Federal borrowing is uncommon here at 10% 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 · 556 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 | $10,543 |
| $30–48k | $10,955 |
| $48–75k | $13,029 |
| $75–110k | $14,851 |
| $110k+ | $20,259 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 255 of these 2,539 students, totalling $1,691,227 — an average of $6,632 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Yakima 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)