Public · COLLEGE PAYOFF

Cerro Coso Community College

⌖ Ridgecrest, CA · 0 reportable field-and-credential outcomes

10-year estimate · Negative payoff

−$130,224 over 10 years

Modeled from observed year-4 institution earnings and the institution-wide average net price over four years.

With these assumptions, the added earnings do not recover the cost within ten years.

20.6 yrsModeled economic break-even
−51%Modeled 10-year ROI
$57,300Observed earnings · year 4
Not reachedMaximum annual price for positive 10-year payoff
Includes direct price and earnings forgone while studying. Assumes $45,000 in alternative annual earnings and no wage growth. How we calculate it
A QUICK READ

What the numbers say about Cerro Coso Community College

What does Cerro Coso Community College cost?

Cerro Coso Community College reports an average annual net price of $18,306 after grants and scholarships. This is an institution-wide average, not an individual aid offer.

What do Cerro Coso Community College graduates earn?

The observed median earnings figure is $57,300 4 years after completion. It describes a federal cohort, not a guaranteed starting salary.

How much federal debt do Cerro Coso Community College graduates have?

Median federal debt for completer borrowers is not reportable in the current record.

Is every degree at Cerro Coso Community College worth the same?

The current release does not contain reportable field-and-credential outcomes for Cerro Coso Community College, so this page cannot compare its individual degrees.

ECONOMIC INVESTMENT → PAYBACK

Estimated payoff over ten years.

The scenario counts direct price and earnings forgone upfront, then applies the reported annual earnings premium.

10-YEAR PAYOFF CURVECumulative economic payoff after graduation
−$130,224at year 10
Net gainInvestment not yet recovered
NET GAIN$0UNRECOVERED
−$253,2240
2
4
6
8
−$130,22410
Years after graduationBreak-even: 20.6 years
FEDERAL COST DATA

Four ways to read college price.

Annual college-wide figures from the current College Scorecard release. Average net price covers full-time, first-time undergraduates receiving federal aid; public-college figures use in-state students. Program tuition and individual aid offers may differ.

Published in-state tuition$1,384
Sticker price
Published out-of-state tuition$11,254
Sticker price
Average net price$18,306
Title IV student average
Cost of attendance$25,300
Tuition + living budget
PRICE SOURCECollege reported · annual amount · federal dataset
PRICE SENSITIVITY

The price can change the verdict.

Hold observed earnings constant and see how the modeled ten-year payoff changes as annual price rises.

What stays fixed$57,300 observed annual earnings · 4 years of study · $45,000 alternative annual earnings · ten-year horizonThe marked price is this college’s institution-wide average net price, not your personal aid offer. This is a sensitivity test, not a tuition quote or earnings forecast.
COLLEGE AT A GLANCE

Institution details

Current federal characteristics describing the college, not the outcomes of a specific program.

Accreditor
Western Association of Schools and Colleges Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges
Main award level
Associate degrees
Campus setting
Rural
Admissions
Open admission
Delivery
Campus or mixed delivery
Federal designation
No special designation reported
Sources: College Scorecard June 2026 release and IPEDS 2024 institutional characteristics.
OBSERVED FEDERAL MEASURES

Cost, debt, completion and earnings context

$18,306Average net price / year
$25,300Cost of attendance
Not availableMedian federal student debt · completer borrowers
Not availablePublished 10-year payment estimate
$57,300Median earnings · year 4 after completion
24.7%Completion rate
Not availableAdmission rate
3,171Student size

Institution debt covers federal student-loan borrowers who completed. Parent PLUS and private loans are excluded; missing and privacy-suppressed values remain unavailable.

PRICE BY FAMILY INCOME

Average net price is not one price

Federal averages for aided students in each family-income band. Your aid offer can differ.

$0–30k$18,595
$30–48k$13,761
$48–75k$17,054
$75–110k$21,891
$110k+Not available
LONGER-TERM CONTEXT

What happens beyond the first earnings measure

Year 5Not available
Year 6$29,462
Year 10$34,963
Full-time retention
27.4%
Part-time retention
15.5%
Completion within 200% of normal time
29.6%

Earnings timepoints may use different historical cohorts and should not be read as one group’s guaranteed salary growth.

NATIONAL CONTEXT

How this college compares

Percentiles compare this institution with currently operating colleges that report the same federal measure.

76thEarnings percentile
7thCompletion percentile
EARNINGS PATH

Reported earnings over time

Not availableYear 1
$57,300Year 4
Not availableYear 5

Separate federal cohorts may underlie different measurement years.

BUILD A REAL SHORTLIST

Comparable colleges in CA

Currently operating public institutions with the closest combination of annual net price and observed year-5 earnings. Similarity is descriptive, not a quality ranking.

Fountain Valley, CA

Coastline Community College

Annual net price
$16,341
Observed earnings · year 5
$57,681
Modeled 10-year ROI
-48%
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Seaside, CA

California State University, Monterey Bay

Annual net price
$13,663
Observed earnings · year 5
$58,786
Modeled 10-year ROI
-41%
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Napa, CA

Napa Valley College

Annual net price
$14,644
Observed earnings · year 5
$60,424
Modeled 10-year ROI
-35%
Open college profile →
Santa Cruz, CA

University of California, Santa Cruz

Annual net price
$17,890
Observed earnings · year 5
$64,162
Modeled 10-year ROI
-24%
Open college profile →
PROGRAM OUTCOMES

No field-level outcomes are currently reportable.

This college remains in the national directory because it appears in the College Scorecard. Program outcomes may be unavailable, privacy-suppressed or outside the reported cohorts.

Earnings, price, completion and enrollment are observed federal measures. ROI, payoff and break-even are modeled scenarios built from those measures and fixed assumptions. College payoff is not the payoff of every degree at this school; use the program table for a more precise comparison.