Start with a plan
at Chaffey College in Rancho Cucamonga
You're deciding whether to spend your first two years at Chaffey College before finishing a bachelor's elsewhere in California. The choice involves real numbers: transfer rates, earnings after graduation, and what it actually costs you out of pocket.
22,460 undergrads, 26% transfer out by year 8, median $43k 10-yr earnings, $5,672 net price.
A solid Rancho Cucamonga CC with a real transfer track record and low cost
Chaffey College enrolls 22,460 undergrads in Rancho Cucamonga and sends 26% to a four-year institution within eight years — at the top of the national community college range. Median earnings reach $43k ten years out, and the three-year loan default rate is 0%. In-state tuition is $1,104 and the average net price is $5,672. Liberal Arts, Business Administration, and Psychology each drive hundreds of completions annually, giving transfer-bound students well-developed paths. The 68% part-time enrollment rate extends timelines, but the transfer signal is real.
Chaffey College sits in Rancho Cucamonga, California, and enrolls 22,460 undergraduates — a mid-large community college where 68% of students attend part-time. That part-time majority matters: most students here are balancing work or family alongside coursework, and completion timelines reflect that reality. The college's top program by volume is Liberal Arts and Sciences, with 383 completions, followed by Business Administration at 326 and Psychology at 208 — all fields with direct transfer-prep applications at California's four-year institutions. The eight-year transfer-out rate is 26%, sitting at the top of the national community college range and a meaningful signal that Chaffey functions as a real pipeline. Median earnings ten years out are $43k, the three-year loan default rate is 0%, and median debt data is not reported. In-state tuition is $1,104 annually, with a net price of $5,672. For a cost-conscious student in the Inland Empire with transfer intentions, the fundamentals are solid — but arrival with a specific plan matters more here than at a school with a lower part-time share.
What this CC teaches at scale
| Program | Completions |
|---|---|
| Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies. | 383 |
| Business Administration and Management, General. | 326 |
| Psychology, General. | 208 |
| Humanities/Humanistic Studies. | 180 |
| Criminal Justice/Police Science. | 116 |
| Speech Communication and Rhetoric. | 89 |
| Biological and Physical Sciences. | 89 |
| Child Care Provider/Assistant. | 67 |
| Sociology, General. | 66 |
| Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse. | 66 |
Source · IPEDS completions (all undergraduate credentials).
Where California transfers tend to go
Reflects state-aggregated IPEDS transfer-in volume — CC-specific destinations are not publicly available from IPEDS or the College Scorecard.
Frequently asked
- Is Chaffey College a good place to start a bachelor's degree?
- The data supports it for students with a clear transfer plan. Twenty-six percent of Chaffey students transfer to a four-year institution within eight years — at the top of the national community college range, which typically runs 15–25%. In-state tuition is $1,104 and the average net price is $5,672, so upfront costs are manageable. Median earnings ten years after enrollment are $43k, and the three-year loan default rate is 0%. Median debt data is not available for Chaffey, so the full debt picture is incomplete. That said, the combination of a functional transfer rate, low tuition, and clean default record makes Chaffey a reasonable starting point — provided you arrive with specific transfer goals.
- How does Chaffey College's transfer-out rate compare to typical community colleges?
- Chaffey's eight-year transfer-out rate is 26%. National research typically places the average community college transfer rate between 15% and 25%, putting Chaffey at the upper edge of that range. The 26% figure is measured over eight years — relevant context given that 68% of Chaffey students attend part-time, which routinely extends completion timelines. An additional 1.8% were still enrolled at the eight-year mark, and 30% had completed a credential at Chaffey itself. The numbers suggest Chaffey is functioning as an active feeder into the four-year system rather than a stopgap — though the high part-time share means most students will need more than two calendar years to complete the transfer-prep sequence.
- What programs does Chaffey College offer at meaningful scale?
- Chaffey's highest-volume programs by completions are Liberal Arts and Sciences (383), Business Administration and Management (326), Psychology (208), Humanities (180), and Criminal Justice (116). Speech Communication and Rhetoric produced 89 completions, as did Biological and Physical Sciences. Child Care (67), Sociology (66), and Registered Nursing (66) round out the top ten. The concentration in Liberal Arts and Business is worth noting: those are the most common starting points for students planning a four-year transfer in California, and Chaffey runs both at enough volume that course sections and advising infrastructure are genuinely developed. Nursing and allied health appear at modest but real scale.
Methodology — Transfer signals reflect IPEDS Outcome Measures 8-year cohorts; earnings and debt come from the College Scorecard. Destinations are state-aggregated; we do not claim CC-specific transfer destinations without authoritative per-student tracking data.