Start close to home
in Torrance, California
You're deciding whether to spend your first two years at El Camino Community College District before finishing a bachelor's elsewhere in California. That decision turns on real numbers: transfer rates, ten-year earnings, and what the college actually costs you out of pocket.
21,664 undergrads, 28% transfer out by year 8, median $42k 10-yr earnings, 0% loan default rate.
A solid South Bay CC with a 28% transfer-out rate and low-cost access
El Camino Community College District enrolls 21,664 undergraduates in Torrance, California, with 64% attending part-time. The eight-year transfer-out rate is 28% — a real, above-average signal for a CC where most students juggle outside responsibilities. Median earnings sit at $42k ten years out, and the three-year loan default rate is 0%. Liberal Arts, Business Administration, and Biological and Physical Sciences each produce hundreds of completions annually. In-state tuition is $1,104 and net price is $5,968. No median debt figure is available, but the 0% default rate is a meaningful proxy for manageable borrowing.
El Camino Community College District sits in Torrance, in Los Angeles County, and enrolls 21,664 undergraduates — a large campus where 64% of students attend part-time. That part-time majority shapes everything: completion timelines stretch, and the eight-year frame is the right lens for reading the transfer data. The eight-year transfer-out rate is 28%, which places El Camino at or above the national community college average and signals a functioning pipeline into four-year institutions. The top program by completions is Liberal Arts and Sciences, with 685, followed by Business Administration and Management at 316 and Biological and Physical Sciences at 303 — all transfer-applicable fields at genuine volume. Median earnings ten years out are $42k, and the three-year loan default rate is 0%. In-state tuition is $1,104, with a net price of $5,968. For a cost-conscious California student in the South Bay with transfer intentions, the fundamentals here are solid.
What this CC teaches at scale
| Program | Completions |
|---|---|
| Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies. | 685 |
| Business Administration and Management, General. | 316 |
| Biological and Physical Sciences. | 303 |
| Humanities/Humanistic Studies. | 291 |
| Psychology, General. | 217 |
| Child Care Provider/Assistant. | 162 |
| Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General. | 152 |
| Sociology, General. | 99 |
| Mathematics, General. | 96 |
| Physical Sciences, General. | 86 |
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 El Camino Community College District a good place to start a bachelor's degree?
- The data makes a reasonable case. El Camino's eight-year transfer-out rate is 28%, above the national community college average even though 64% of students attend part-time — a demographic that historically depresses transfer numbers. In-state tuition is $1,104 and the net price is $5,968, which is low enough that most students can avoid heavy borrowing. The three-year loan default rate is 0%, a meaningful signal. Median earnings ten years after enrollment are $42k. If you enter with a clear transfer plan and use the Liberal Arts, Business, or Sciences pathways at volume, El Camino gives you a legitimate, affordable two-year foundation for a California bachelor's.
- How does El Camino's transfer-out rate compare to typical community colleges?
- El Camino's eight-year transfer-out rate is 28%. National research consistently places the average community college transfer rate between 15% and 25%, so El Camino sits above that range. The figure is measured over eight years, and given that nearly two-thirds of students attend part-time — which naturally extends timelines — it reflects genuine transfer momentum rather than a favorable cohort effect. An additional 1.3% were still enrolled at the eight-year mark, and 30% had completed a credential at El Camino itself. Taken together, these numbers indicate the college is functioning as an active feeder into the four-year system.
- What programs does El Camino Community College District offer at meaningful scale?
- El Camino's highest-volume programs by completions are Liberal Arts and Sciences (685), Business Administration and Management (316), Biological and Physical Sciences (303), Humanities (291), and Psychology (217). Child Care Provider/Assistant produced 162 completions, Health Sciences 152, Sociology 99, Mathematics 96, and Physical Sciences 86. The volume in Liberal Arts, Business, and Sciences matters specifically for transfer-bound students: these programs have enough completions that advising infrastructure, course availability, and articulation pathways are genuinely developed. If your transfer target requires a STEM foundation or a business track, El Camino's completion numbers suggest those pipelines are real.
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.