A Riverside CC
with real transfer momentum in California
You're deciding whether to spend your first two years at Riverside City College before finishing a bachelor's elsewhere. That decision turns on real numbers: what the transfer-out rate actually looks like, what you'll owe when you leave, and what earnings look like a decade out.
21,730 undergrads, 27% transfer out by year 8, median $41k 10-yr earnings, $8,000 median debt.
A mid-sized Riverside CC with above-average transfer momentum and low debt
Riverside City College enrolls 21,730 undergraduates in Riverside, California, with 74% attending part-time. The eight-year transfer-out rate is 27% — above the typical community college band — and another 31% complete a credential at RCC itself. Median earnings ten years after enrollment are $41,091, median borrower debt is $8,000, and the three-year loan default rate is 0%. Humanities leads program volume at 791 completions, with Business Administration at 361 and Biological and Physical Sciences at 359. In-state tuition is $1,380 and net price is $8,377, keeping the first two years affordable for Inland Empire students weighing a transfer path.
Riverside City College enrolls 21,730 undergraduates in Riverside, California, making it a mid-sized community college in the Inland Empire. Part-time students make up 74% of the headcount, which extends completion timelines and shapes every outcome number in the packet. The eight-year transfer-out rate is 27% — above the typical community college range — and another 31% of students complete a credential at RCC itself. Humanities leads program volume at 791 completions, with Business Administration and Management at 361 and Biological and Physical Sciences at 359. Median earnings ten years after enrollment are $41,091. Median borrower debt is $8,000 with a 0% three-year loan default rate — a clean debt profile. In-state tuition is $1,380 and net price is $8,377. For an Inland Empire student weighing the transfer path, RCC offers above-average transfer momentum and manageable cost, but the 74% part-time population means you should plan your timeline with that reality in mind.
What this CC teaches at scale
| Program | Completions |
|---|---|
| Humanities/Humanistic Studies. | 791 |
| Business Administration and Management, General. | 361 |
| Biological and Physical Sciences. | 359 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies. | 285 |
| Child Care Provider/Assistant. | 231 |
| Nursing Assistant/Aide and Patient Care Assistant/Aide. | 195 |
| Psychology, General. | 171 |
| Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse. | 171 |
| Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering Technology/Technician. | 125 |
| Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement Administration. | 119 |
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 Riverside City College a good place to start a bachelor's degree?
- The numbers make a solid case. Riverside City College's eight-year transfer-out rate is 27% — above the typical 15–25% community college range — and another 31% of students complete a credential at RCC itself. Net price is $8,377 annually and in-state tuition is $1,380, so the cost side is manageable. Median borrower debt is $8,000 with a 0% three-year loan default rate, and median earnings ten years after enrollment are $41,091. The 74% part-time attendance rate is the main caveat: part-time schedules reliably stretch timelines beyond two years. For an Inland Empire student who enters with a clear transfer plan and can maintain academic momentum, RCC is a credible, low-cost starting point toward a bachelor's.
- How does Riverside City College's transfer-out rate compare to typical community colleges?
- RCC's eight-year transfer-out rate is 27%, which sits above the 15–25% range national research typically reports for community colleges. An additional 1% of students were still enrolled at the eight-year mark, and 31% had completed a credential at RCC itself — so roughly six in ten students had either transferred, finished, or were still in progress. That's a stronger signal than you see at the median CC. The 74% part-time attendance rate is still a drag on the aggregate: part-time students consistently transfer at lower rates nationally, so the 27% figure is being held down by a large part-time cohort. For full-time, transfer-intent students, the underlying rate is likely meaningfully higher.
- What programs does Riverside City College offer at meaningful scale?
- RCC's largest programs by completions are Humanities (791), Business Administration and Management (361), Biological and Physical Sciences (359), Liberal Arts and Sciences (285), and Child Care Provider (231). Nursing Assistant came in at 195, Psychology and Registered Nursing each at 171, Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering Technology at 125, and Criminal Justice at 119. The program mix leans heavily toward transfer-prep academic tracks — Humanities, Liberal Arts, Business, Sciences, Psychology — with substantive health and technical programs alongside. That breadth gives students aiming at a four-year bachelor's path, students pursuing licensed health credentials, and students targeting a skilled technical field all viable infrastructure at RCC.
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.