Build your foundation
in Long Beach before transferring
You're deciding whether to spend your first two years at Long Beach City College before completing a bachelor's elsewhere in California. That choice comes down to real data: how many students actually transfer, what they earn after, and what it costs you out of pocket.
~25,000 undergrads, 27% transfer out by year 8, median $39k 10-yr earnings, $10,500 median debt.
A large Long Beach CC that moves a real share of students toward four-year degrees
Long Beach City College enrolls nearly 25,000 undergrads and transfers 27% of students to a four-year institution within eight years — a rate that holds up against national norms even though 63% of its students attend part-time. Liberal Arts and Sciences leads by a wide margin at 1,803 completions, with Business Administration and Psychology also at meaningful scale. In-state tuition is $1,472 and net price is $6,202. Median earnings sit at $39k ten years out, median debt is $10,500, and the three-year loan default rate is 0%. Cost is low, the transfer signal is real.
Long Beach City College sits in Long Beach, California, and enrolls nearly 25,000 undergraduates — one of the larger community colleges in the state, though 63% of students attend part-time. That part-time majority matters when reading the numbers: it extends timelines and shapes who ends up transferring. The college's top program by completions is Liberal Arts and Sciences at 1,803, a volume that reflects its core transfer-prep function. Business Administration and Management produced 324 completions, Psychology 282, and Biology 199 — each a field with a direct path toward a bachelor's. The eight-year transfer-out rate is 27%, a solid signal that this CC moves students forward rather than stalling them. Median earnings ten years out are $39k, median debt is $10,500, and the three-year loan default rate is 0%. In-state tuition is $1,472 and net price is $6,202. For a Long Beach student planning to transfer, the fundamentals here are sound.
What this CC teaches at scale
| Program | Completions |
|---|---|
| Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies. | 1,803 |
| Business Administration and Management, General. | 324 |
| Psychology, General. | 282 |
| Biology/Biological Sciences, General. | 199 |
| Child Care Provider/Assistant. | 184 |
| Business/Commerce, General. | 170 |
| Sociology, General. | 157 |
| Speech Communication and Rhetoric. | 145 |
| Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement Administration. | 132 |
| Electrical/Electronics Equipment Installation and Repair Technology/Technician, General. | 113 |
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 Long Beach City College a good place to start a bachelor's degree?
- The data is reasonably encouraging. Twenty-seven percent of LBCC students transfer to a four-year institution within eight years, a real result given that 63% attend part-time and timelines stretch accordingly. In-state tuition is $1,472 and the average net price is $6,202 — low enough that significant debt accumulation here is unlikely. Median borrower debt is $10,500, higher than some California CCs but still manageable, and the three-year loan default rate is 0%. Median earnings ten years after enrollment are $39k. That combination — functional transfer rate, controlled cost, clean debt profile — makes LBCC a reasonable foundation for a bachelor's, as long as you enter with a clear transfer plan.
- How does Long Beach City College's transfer-out rate compare to typical community colleges?
- LBCC's eight-year transfer-out rate is 27%. National research generally places the average community college transfer rate in the 15–25% range, so LBCC sits above that benchmark. The 27% figure is measured over eight years, and with 63% of students attending part-time — which extends completion timelines — it reflects genuine forward motion rather than a statistical artifact. An additional 2.5% were still enrolled at the eight-year mark, and roughly 26% had completed a credential at LBCC itself. Together, these figures suggest the college is functioning as an active pipeline into the four-year system.
- What programs does Long Beach City College offer at meaningful scale?
- LBCC's highest-volume programs by completions are Liberal Arts and Sciences (1,803) — by far the largest, reflecting its transfer-prep backbone — followed by Business Administration and Management (324), Psychology (282), Biology (199), and Child Care Provider/Assistant (184). Business/Commerce produced 170 completions, Sociology 157, Speech Communication and Rhetoric 145, Criminal Justice 132, and Electrical/Electronics Technology 113. The Liberal Arts volume in particular matters: a large, well-resourced liberal arts pathway means strong course availability and advising infrastructure for students building a transfer-ready transcript across multiple disciplines.
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.