Public · COLLEGE PAYOFF

Gavilan College

Gilroy, CA · 9 reportable field-and-credential outcomes

10-year estimate · Negative payoff

−$169,748 over 10 years

Modeled from observed year-5 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.

56.6 yrsModeled economic break-even
−82%Modeled 10-year ROI
$48,642Observed earnings · year 5
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
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
−$169,748at year 10
Net gainInvestment not yet recovered
NET GAIN$0UNRECOVERED
−$206,1680
2
4
6
8
−$169,74810
Years after graduationBreak-even: 56.6 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$1,508
Sticker price
Published out-of-state tuition$12,249
Sticker price
Average net price$6,542
Title IV student average
Cost of attendance$15,161
Tuition + living budget
PRICE SOURCECollege reported · annual amount · federal dataset
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

$6,542Average net price / year
$15,161Cost of attendance
Not availableMedian federal student debt · completer borrowers
Not availablePublished 10-year payment estimate
$48,642Median earnings · year 5 after completion
42.5%Completion rate
Not availableAdmission rate
4,786Student 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$5,507
$30–48k$5,759
$48–75k$7,716
$75–110k$10,512
$110k+$11,091
LONGER-TERM CONTEXT

What happens beyond the first earnings measure

Year 5$48,642
Year 6$37,804
Year 10$47,169
Full-time retention
68.7%
Part-time retention
39.1%
Completion within 200% of normal time
51.1%

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.

58thEarnings percentile
27thCompletion percentile
WHAT STANDS OUT

A faster read on this college

These summaries use only reportable field-and-credential records at this institution. They do not fill privacy-suppressed outcomes.

$55,655Median year-4 earnings across reportable program categories
$5,939Median federal debt across categories that report debt
89%Of earnings-reporting categories above their same-field national benchmark
EARNINGS PATH

Reported earnings over time

$44,388Year 1
$56,285Year 4
$48,642Year 5

Separate federal cohorts may underlie different measurement years.

PROGRAM PAYOFF SPREAD

The college average is not the whole story.

Observed earnings vary substantially by field and credential at the same institution.

1Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing · Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma$133,7632Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing · Associate's Degree$128,4913Business Administration, Management and Operations · Associate's Degree$71,5484Health/Medical Preparatory Programs · Associate's Degree$58,3445Criminal Justice and Corrections · Associate's Degree$55,6556Psychology, General · Associate's Degree$54,5857Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities · Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma$51,9388Communication and Media Studies · Associate's Degree$49,070

Observed year-4 earnings · compare like fields and credentials before deciding

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.

San Jacinto, CA

Mt San Jacinto Community College District

Annual net price
$6,806
Observed earnings · year 5
$47,953
Modeled 10-year ROI
-86%
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Moreno Valley, CA

Moreno Valley College

Annual net price
$6,483
Observed earnings · year 5
$47,604
Modeled 10-year ROI
-87%
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San Marcos, CA

Palomar College

Annual net price
$5,763
Observed earnings · year 5
$48,173
Modeled 10-year ROI
-84%
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El Cajon, CA

Grossmont College

Annual net price
$5,311
Observed earnings · year 5
$48,599
Modeled 10-year ROI
-82%
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ALL REPORTABLE PROGRAM CATEGORIES

Explore exact field-and-credential outcomes

Federal fieldCredentialEarnings, year 4Federal debt2023–24 awards
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingUndergraduate Certificate or Diploma$133,763Not available20
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingAssociate's Degree$128,491Not availableNot reported
Business Administration, Management and OperationsAssociate's Degree$71,548Not availableNot reported
Health/Medical Preparatory ProgramsAssociate's Degree$58,344Not availableNot reported
Criminal Justice and CorrectionsAssociate's Degree$55,655Not availableNot reported
Psychology, GeneralAssociate's Degree$54,585Not availableNot reported
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesUndergraduate Certificate or Diploma$51,938$5,939405
Communication and Media StudiesAssociate's Degree$49,070Not availableNot reported
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssociate's Degree$39,018Not availableNot reported

Awards use first-major IPEDS completions aggregated to the same four-digit field and credential.

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.