Starting out
in Visalia, California
You're deciding whether to spend your first two years at College of the Sequoias before finishing a bachelor's elsewhere in California. That choice involves real numbers: transfer rates, earnings after graduation, and what it actually costs you out of pocket.
~14,500 undergrads, 21% transfer out by year 8, median $39k 10-yr earnings, $4,500 median debt.
A mid-size Visalia CC with a functioning transfer rate and rock-bottom costs
College of the Sequoias enrolls about 14,500 undergrads in Visalia, California, with 62% attending part-time. Twenty-one percent transfer to a four-year institution within eight years — a real signal, not noise. Median earnings land at $39k ten years out, and median debt is just $4,500. Liberal Arts and Sciences leads completions at 593, followed by Child Care Provider at 478 and Automotive Mechanics at 225. In-state tuition is $1,288 and net price drops to just $480, making cost almost a non-issue for local students.
College of the Sequoias sits in Visalia, California — the agricultural heart of the San Joaquin Valley — and enrolls about 14,500 undergraduates. Sixty-two percent attend part-time, which is the norm for community colleges serving working students and families in lower-income regions. The largest program by completions is Liberal Arts and Sciences at 593, a clear signal that a significant share of the student body is on a transfer-prep track. The eight-year transfer-out rate is 21%, placing this CC at or just above the lower bound of functioning transfer pipelines. Median earnings ten years out are $39k, median debt is $4,500, and the three-year loan default rate is 0%. In-state tuition is $1,288, and net price is just $480 — among the lowest in the state. If you're cost-sensitive and transfer-focused, those numbers remove the financial risk from the equation; what remains is the execution.
What this CC teaches at scale
| Program | Completions |
|---|---|
| Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies. | 593 |
| Child Care Provider/Assistant. | 478 |
| Automobile/Automotive Mechanics Technology/Technician. | 225 |
| Psychology, General. | 133 |
| Business Administration and Management, General. | 126 |
| Electrician. | 111 |
| Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement Administration. | 108 |
| Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse. | 96 |
| Architectural Technology/Technician. | 90 |
| Sociology, General. | 81 |
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 Sequoias a good place to start a bachelor's degree?
- It depends on your plan and how disciplined you are about following it. The 21% eight-year transfer-out rate is a functional — if modest — signal that students do reach the transfer step. In-state tuition is $1,288 and net price is just $480, so you can get through two years here with almost no debt; median borrower debt is $4,500. Median earnings ten years after enrollment sit at $39k, and the three-year loan default rate is 0%. The cost profile is exceptional. The transfer rate is real but not exceptional. If you go in with a clear transfer goal and course map, this CC gives you a low-cost, low-debt runway to a four-year institution.
- How does College of the Sequoias' transfer-out rate compare to typical community colleges?
- College of the Sequoias' eight-year transfer-out rate is 21%. National community college transfer rates typically fall in the 15–25% range, so this CC sits near the middle of that band. Given that 62% of students attend part-time — which extends timelines and introduces more points of dropout — a 21% transfer-out rate reflects genuine momentum rather than an outlier result. An additional 2% of students were still enrolled at the eight-year mark, and 34% had completed a credential at the CC itself. The data suggests a real, if not dominant, pipeline into four-year institutions.
- What programs does College of the Sequoias offer at meaningful scale?
- The highest-volume programs by completions are Liberal Arts and Sciences (593), Child Care Provider/Assistant (478), Automotive Mechanics Technology (225), Psychology (133), and Business Administration and Management (126). Electrician (111), Criminal Justice (108), and Registered Nursing (96) also operate at moderate volume. Architectural Technology produced 90 completions and Sociology 81. The mix is notable: Liberal Arts — the standard transfer-prep track — is the top program by a wide margin, but vocational and technical programs collectively account for a large share of completions, reflecting COS's dual role as both a transfer feeder and a direct-to-workforce institution.
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.