Transfer-ready in
Santa Monica, California
You're deciding whether to start your bachelor's at Santa Monica College or pay more to begin at a four-year school right now. That choice has real dollar consequences — and SMC's transfer and earnings data give you a concrete basis for the decision.
23,453 undergrads, 31% transfer out by year 8, median $42k 10-yr earnings, median debt just $6,450.
One of California's strongest transfer springboards — the numbers back it up
Santa Monica College enrolls more than 23,000 undergrads on the west side of Los Angeles. Nearly 31% of students transfer out within eight years — well above the national CC average. Median 10-year earnings land at $42,193, and median debt is just $6,450. Liberal Arts and Sciences alone generated 7,134 completions, showing genuine scale behind transfer-prep work. The 0% three-year loan default rate rounds out a picture of a CC that moves students forward without burying them in debt.
Santa Monica College sits in Santa Monica, California, and enrolls more than 23,000 undergrads — making it one of the larger community colleges in the state. About 60% of students attend part-time, which is typical for a CC serving working adults and recent high school grads alike. Liberal Arts and Sciences is the dominant program here, with 7,134 completions recorded — a volume that signals serious transfer-prep infrastructure, not just a program name on paper. The transfer-out rate sits at 31%, which is meaningfully higher than most community colleges nationally. Median 10-year earnings for students who passed through SMC reach $42,193, and median debt is only $6,450. In-state tuition runs $1,104 per year, and the average net price is $2,779. For a student whose goal is a four-year degree, these numbers make SMC a serious starting point — not a fallback.
What this CC teaches at scale
| Program | Completions |
|---|---|
| Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies. | 7,134 |
| Humanities/Humanistic Studies. | 2,535 |
| Business Administration and Management, General. | 382 |
| Biological and Physical Sciences. | 374 |
| Child Care Provider/Assistant. | 288 |
| Speech Communication and Rhetoric. | 254 |
| Accounting Technology/Technician and Bookkeeping. | 244 |
| Psychology, General. | 198 |
| Cosmetology/Cosmetologist, General. | 182 |
| Art/Art Studies, General. | 152 |
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 Santa Monica College a good place to start a bachelor's degree?
- The data makes a solid case. SMC's eight-year transfer-out rate is 31% — well above the national CC average, which typically hovers in the low-to-mid teens. Median 10-year earnings for students who attended reach $42,193. Median student debt is just $6,450, and the three-year loan default rate is 0%. In-state tuition is $1,104 per year with an average net price of $2,779. If your plan is to transfer to a four-year school, SMC's scale and transfer signal suggest the infrastructure exists to help you get there without taking on serious debt in the process.
- How does Santa Monica College's transfer-out rate compare to typical community colleges?
- SMC's eight-year transfer-out rate is approximately 31%. National benchmarks for community college transfer-out rates typically fall in the 15–20% range, depending on the measurement window and methodology. SMC's rate is notably higher. It's worth noting that 29% of students at SMC also complete a credential within eight years, and only about 1% remain enrolled — meaning the vast majority of students have resolved their enrollment one way or another by year eight. That combination of a high transfer rate and a near-zero lingering enrollment figure suggests SMC is genuinely moving students forward rather than keeping them in limbo.
- What programs does Santa Monica College offer at meaningful scale?
- Liberal Arts and Sciences is SMC's dominant program by a wide margin — 7,134 completions recorded, which is an unusually high volume and reflects how many students use that pathway to prepare for transfer. Humanities follows with 2,535 completions. Beyond those two, Business Administration and Management logged 382 completions, Biological and Physical Sciences 374, Child Care Provider/Assistant 288, Speech Communication and Rhetoric 254, and Accounting Technology 244. Psychology, Cosmetology, and Art Studies round out the top ten. The concentration in Liberal Arts and Sciences tells you something concrete: SMC's model is built around broad transfer preparation, not narrow vocational specialization.
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.