Sonoma County's flagship CC
as your California transfer launchpad
You're deciding whether to spend your first two years at Santa Rosa Junior 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.
17,854 undergrads, 20% transfer out by year 8, median $47k 10-yr earnings, $9,500 median debt.
A mid-size Sonoma County CC with real transfer momentum and low debt
Santa Rosa Junior College enrolls 17,854 undergrads in the North Bay, with 72% attending part-time. The eight-year transfer-out rate is 20% and another 38% complete a credential at SRJC itself — a combined outcome picture that outruns many California CCs. Median earnings ten years out are $47,224, median borrower debt is $9,500, and the three-year loan default rate is 0%. Liberal Arts and Sciences leads program volume at 1,558 completions, with EMT/Paramedic training at 681 and Criminal Justice at 367. In-state tuition is $1,242 and net price $6,331, making SRJC a cost-manageable first two years for Sonoma County students aiming at a four-year degree.
Santa Rosa Junior College is the flagship community college of Sonoma County, enrolling 17,854 undergraduates in California's North Bay with 72% attending part-time. The eight-year transfer-out rate is 20% and the SRJC credential completion rate is 38% — a combined outcome profile that puts it ahead of many California CCs by both measures. Liberal Arts and Sciences dominates program volume with 1,558 completions, followed by EMT/Paramedic at 681 and Criminal Justice at 367, so both transfer-prep academic tracks and career-technical programs operate at meaningful scale. Median earnings ten years out are $47,224, median borrower debt is $9,500, and the three-year loan default rate is 0%. In-state tuition is $1,242 and net price $6,331. For a North Bay student weighing the transfer path, SRJC offers a credible starting point with low cost and measurable momentum — plan around the heavy part-time population, which tends to stretch timelines beyond two years.
What this CC teaches at scale
| Program | Completions |
|---|---|
| Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies. | 1,558 |
| Emergency Medical Technology/Technician (EMT Paramedic). | 681 |
| Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement Administration. | 367 |
| Social Sciences, General. | 366 |
| Biological and Physical Sciences. | 306 |
| Automobile/Automotive Mechanics Technology/Technician. | 185 |
| Psychology, General. | 173 |
| Administrative Assistant and Secretarial Science, General. | 158 |
| Business Administration and Management, General. | 154 |
| Humanities/Humanistic Studies. | 130 |
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 Rosa Junior College a good place to start a bachelor's degree?
- The numbers make a solid case. Santa Rosa Junior College's eight-year transfer-out rate is 20%, and an additional 38% of students complete a credential at SRJC itself — a combined momentum profile that beats many California community colleges. Net price is $6,331 annually and median borrower debt is $9,500 with a 0% three-year loan default rate, so the cost side is firmly manageable. Median earnings ten years after enrollment are $47,224, which is notably above the typical CC earnings baseline. That combination — functional transfer rate, strong completion rate, low debt profile, above-average earnings — makes SRJC a credible starting point for a bachelor's. Plan for the reality that 72% of students attend part-time, which reliably extends timelines beyond the two-year ideal.
- How does Santa Rosa Junior College's transfer-out rate compare to typical community colleges?
- SRJC's eight-year transfer-out rate is 20%, which places it at the upper end of the typical community college range. National research puts the average CC transfer rate in the 15–25% band, so SRJC sits toward the top of that window. The context matters: 72% of SRJC students attend part-time, and part-time students transfer at lower rates nationally because life circumstances compete with academic momentum. Another 38% of SRJC students complete a credential at SRJC itself and 1.9% were still enrolled at the eight-year mark, so the aggregate picture is one of genuine completion and transfer activity. Translation: SRJC functions as a real transfer pipeline for students who stay on track, and the part-time-heavy population means the headline 20% understates what motivated, full-time transfer-bound students actually achieve.
- What programs does Santa Rosa Junior College teach at meaningful scale?
- SRJC's largest programs by completions are Liberal Arts and Sciences (1,558), Emergency Medical Technology/Paramedic (681), Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement (367), Social Sciences (366), and Biological and Physical Sciences (306). Automobile Mechanics Technology produced 185 completions, Psychology 173, Administrative Assistant and Secretarial Science 158, Business Administration 154, and Humanities 130. That mix spans serious transfer-prep academic volume — Liberal Arts, Social Sciences, Sciences, Psychology, Humanities — alongside substantive career-technical programs in EMT/Paramedic, Criminal Justice, and Auto Mechanics. For a CC of this scale, the breadth is genuine: students aiming at a four-year transfer and students pursuing a direct-to-work credential both have real program infrastructure here, with EMT/Paramedic in particular operating at a volume most CCs can't match.
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.