A real transfer path
from Santa Clarita
You're deciding whether to start your college education at College of the Canyons before finishing a bachelor's elsewhere in California. That decision comes down to real numbers: what transfer actually looks like here, what you'll owe, and what you can expect to earn.
18,075 undergrads, 27% transfer out by year 8, median $49k 10-yr earnings, $9,612 median debt.
Santa Clarita's affordable CC moves a solid share of students toward four-year degrees
College of the Canyons enrolls 18,075 undergrads in Santa Clarita and transfers 27% of students to a four-year institution within eight years — a real result for a campus where 70% attend part-time. Median earnings sit at $49k ten years out, median debt is $9,612, and the three-year loan default rate is 0%. Liberal Arts and Sciences leads completions at 1,225, with Social Sciences and Business programs adding significant volume. In-state tuition is $1,104 and net price is $3,702, keeping out-of-pocket cost low. The earnings-to-debt profile is clean.
College of the Canyons sits in Santa Clarita, California, and enrolls 18,075 undergraduates — a solid regional campus where 70% of students attend part-time. That part-time majority is the single most important context for reading any outcome number here: timelines stretch, completion rates are measured over eight years, and transfer is a longer game than it looks on paper. The college's top program by completions is Liberal Arts and Sciences at 1,225, a direct transfer-prep track for students aiming at a four-year degree. Social Sciences follows at 529 completions, Business Administration and Management at 263, and Psychology at 219. The eight-year transfer-out rate is 27% — above the national community college norm. Median earnings ten years out are $49k, median debt is $9,612, and the three-year loan default rate is 0%. In-state tuition is $1,104 with a net price of $3,702. For a cost-conscious California student planning a transfer path, the combination of low cost, clean debt numbers, and a functioning transfer rate makes College of the Canyons worth taking seriously.
What this CC teaches at scale
| Program | Completions |
|---|---|
| Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies. | 1,225 |
| Social Sciences, General. | 529 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness, General. | 323 |
| Accounting Technology/Technician and Bookkeeping. | 284 |
| Business Administration and Management, General. | 263 |
| Psychology, General. | 219 |
| Biological and Physical Sciences. | 102 |
| Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse. | 102 |
| Emergency Medical Technology/Technician (EMT Paramedic). | 99 |
| Mathematics, General. | 92 |
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 College of the Canyons a good place to start a bachelor's degree?
- The data supports it for most transfer-focused students. Twenty-seven percent of students transfer to a four-year institution within eight years — a meaningful rate given that 70% of undergrads attend part-time, which stretches timelines. In-state tuition is $1,104 and net price is $3,702, so you're unlikely to build serious debt here — median borrower debt is $9,612. Median earnings ten years after enrollment are $49k, and the three-year loan default rate is 0%. That profile — low cost, functional transfer rate, clean debt numbers, and solid eventual earnings — makes Canyons a reasonable starting point toward a bachelor's, provided you enter with a defined transfer plan.
- How does College of the Canyons' transfer-out rate compare to typical community colleges?
- College of the Canyons' eight-year transfer-out rate is 27%. National research places the average community college transfer rate in the 15–25% range, so Canyons sits at or above that benchmark. Context matters: 70% of students here attend part-time, which extends the typical timeline to transfer. The 27% figure is measured over a full eight years and reflects students who actually reached a four-year institution. An additional 2.7% were still enrolled at the eight-year mark, and the overall completion rate at Canyons itself was 32%. That combination of transfer activity and credential completion suggests the college is functioning as a real pipeline, not just a holding pattern.
- What programs does College of the Canyons offer at meaningful scale?
- Canyons' highest-volume programs by completions are Liberal Arts and Sciences (1,225), Social Sciences (529), Sports and Kinesiology (323), Accounting Technology and Bookkeeping (284), Business Administration and Management (263), and Psychology (219). Biological and Physical Sciences and Registered Nursing each produced 102 completions, and Emergency Medical Technology added 99. The breadth across transfer-prep, health, and business fields means that students aiming at a wide range of four-year majors will find relevant coursework at volume — not thin or underdeveloped offerings. Liberal Arts in particular, at 1,225 completions, signals that the transfer infrastructure for that path is well-established.
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.