Low cost, real transfer
momentum in the San Gabriel Valley
You're deciding whether to start your college path at Mt San Antonio College before completing a bachelor's degree elsewhere in California. The answer depends on transfer rates, what you'll earn after, and what you'll owe along the way.
~30,000 undergrads, 26% transfer out by year 8, median $46k 10-yr earnings, $5,880 median debt.
A large Walnut CC with a 26% transfer-out rate and low debt
Mt San Antonio College enrolls nearly 30,000 undergrads in Walnut, California — two-thirds of them part-time. Twenty-six percent transfer to a four-year institution within eight years, a solid rate for a campus this size. Median earnings sit at $46k ten years out, and median debt is just $5,880. Business Administration leads completions at 642, followed by Kinesiology and Social Sciences. In-state tuition is $1,288 and net price is $6,490. The 0% three-year loan default rate signals that students are managing debt well after leaving.
Mt San Antonio College sits in Walnut, California, and enrolls just under 30,000 undergraduates — one of the larger community colleges in the Los Angeles region. About 67% attend part-time, which is a meaningful backdrop: most students here are threading coursework around jobs or family, and that shapes how long completion takes. Business Administration is the college's top program by volume, with 642 completions, followed by Kinesiology and Physical Education at 389 and Social Sciences at 320. The eight-year transfer-out rate is 26%, which puts Mt. SAC above the national community college average and signals a functioning pipeline to four-year institutions. Median earnings ten years out land at $46k — above typical CC outcomes — and median borrower debt is $5,880, among the lowest you'll see. In-state tuition is $1,288 annually, with a net price of $6,490. The three-year loan default rate is 0%. For a student in the San Gabriel Valley with transfer intentions, the numbers are genuinely encouraging.
What this CC teaches at scale
| Program | Completions |
|---|---|
| Business Administration and Management, General. | 642 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness, General. | 389 |
| Social Sciences, General. | 354 |
| Psychology, General. | 320 |
| Child Care Provider/Assistant. | 249 |
| Sociology, General. | 196 |
| Business/Commerce, General. | 135 |
| Accounting Technology/Technician and Bookkeeping. | 128 |
| Architectural Technology/Technician. | 125 |
| Substance Abuse/Addiction Counseling. | 120 |
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 Mt San Antonio College a good place to start a bachelor's degree?
- For transfer-focused students in Southern California, the data supports it. Mt. SAC's eight-year transfer-out rate is 26%, above the 15–25% range typical of community colleges nationally. In-state tuition is $1,288, and the average net price is $6,490, which is modest given California's cost environment. Median borrower debt is $5,880 — low by any measure — and the three-year loan default rate is 0%. Median earnings ten years out are $46k. The one caveat: 67% of students attend part-time, which extends timelines. If you go in with a clear transfer plan and take the coursework seriously, Mt. SAC offers a cost-efficient, outcome-supported path toward a four-year degree.
- How does Mt San Antonio College's transfer-out rate compare to typical community colleges?
- Mt. SAC's eight-year transfer-out rate is 26%. National benchmarks for community college transfer rates typically fall between 15% and 25%, placing Mt. SAC at or above that range. The figure is measured over eight years — relevant because 67% of students attend part-time, which naturally extends timelines compared to full-time programs. An additional 1.7% were still enrolled at the eight-year mark, and 36% had completed a credential at Mt. SAC itself. That completion rate is separately meaningful: many students achieve a terminal credential without transferring, and that group is not counted in the 26%. The overall picture suggests a campus actively moving students toward outcomes, whether through transfer or direct completion.
- What programs does Mt San Antonio College offer at meaningful scale?
- Mt. SAC's highest-volume programs by completions are Business Administration and Management (642), Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education (389), Social Sciences (354), Psychology (320), and Child Care Provider/Assistant (249). Sociology added 196 completions, Accounting Technology 128, Architectural Technology 125, and Substance Abuse/Addiction Counseling 120. Business is the clearest standout: 642 completions in a single CIP code, plus another 135 in general Business/Commerce, means advising resources, course sections, and curriculum infrastructure in that area are well-developed. Kinesiology and the social sciences cluster also operate at real volume, giving students in those transfer paths a practical advantage over thinner programs elsewhere.
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.