Public · COLLEGE PAYOFF

San Diego City College

San Diego, CA · 15 reportable field-and-credential outcomes

MODELED SCENARIO · Negative payoff

−$250,960 over 10 years

Modeled from observed year-5 institution earnings and the institution-wide average net price over four years.

At these assumptions, the estimated earnings premium does not recover the modeled economic investment within ten years.

Modeled economic break-even
−119%Modeled 10-year ROI
$41,078Observed earnings · year 5
Economic ROI includes direct price and earnings forgone during study · $45,000 comparison earnings · values held flat · see the formula
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
−$250,960at year 10
Net gainInvestment not yet recovered
NET GAIN$0UNRECOVERED
−$211,7400
2
4
6
8
−$250,96010
Years after graduationBreak-even: 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$1,146
Sticker price
Published out-of-state tuition$10,002
Sticker price
Average net price$7,935
Title IV student average
Cost of attendance$21,202
Tuition + living budget
PRICE SOURCECollege reported · annual amount · federal dataset
OBSERVED FEDERAL MEASURES

Cost, debt, completion and earnings context

$7,935Average net price / year
$21,202Cost of attendance
$7,689Median federal student debt · completer borrowers
$82/moPublished 10-year payment estimate
$41,078Median earnings · year 5 after completion
30.4%Completion rate
Not availableAdmission rate
10,441Student 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$7,181
$30–48k$8,159
$48–75k$10,265
$75–110k$15,594
$110k+$17,766
LONGER-TERM CONTEXT

What happens beyond the first earnings measure

Year 5$41,078
Year 6$31,504
Year 10$38,503
Full-time retention
60.9%
Part-time retention
35.9%
Completion within 200% of normal time
31.3%

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.

40thEarnings percentile
12thCompletion 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.

$50,465Median year-4 earnings across reportable program categories
$9,500Median federal debt across categories that report debt
60%Of earnings-reporting categories above their same-field national benchmark
EARNINGS PATH

Reported earnings over time

$27,254Year 1
$40,124Year 4
$41,078Year 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 · Associate's Degree$113,2442Biological and Physical Sciences · Associate's Degree$77,0943Fine and Studio Arts · Associate's Degree$71,3024Design and Applied Arts · Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma$63,3595Communication and Media Studies · Associate's Degree$60,7166Business Administration, Management and Operations · Associate's Degree$51,0017Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions · Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma$50,9498Biology, General · Associate's Degree$50,465

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.

Eureka, CA

College of the Redwoods

Annual net price
$6,904
Observed earnings · year 5
$40,720
Modeled 10-year ROI
-121%
Open college profile →
El Cajon, CA

Cuyamaca College

Annual net price
$6,618
Observed earnings · year 5
$41,432
Modeled 10-year ROI
-117%
Open college profile →
Reedley, CA

Reedley College

Annual net price
$6,814
Observed earnings · year 5
$39,652
Modeled 10-year ROI
-126%
Open college profile →
Coalinga, CA

Coalinga College

Annual net price
$10,477
Observed earnings · year 5
$41,250
Modeled 10-year ROI
-117%
Open college profile →
ALL REPORTABLE PROGRAM CATEGORIES

Explore exact field-and-credential outcomes

Federal fieldCredentialEarnings, year 4Federal debt
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingAssociate's Degree$113,244Not available
Biological and Physical SciencesAssociate's Degree$77,094Not available
Fine and Studio ArtsAssociate's Degree$71,302Not available
Design and Applied ArtsUndergraduate Certificate or Diploma$63,359Not available
Communication and Media StudiesAssociate's Degree$60,716Not available
Business Administration, Management and OperationsAssociate's Degree$51,001$10,625
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied ProfessionsUndergraduate Certificate or Diploma$50,949Not available
Biology, GeneralAssociate's Degree$50,465$9,500
Human Services, GeneralAssociate's Degree$44,787Not available
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesUndergraduate Certificate or Diploma$44,078$7,935
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssociate's Degree$39,081$8,933
Psychology, GeneralAssociate's Degree$37,754$10,575
Public Administration and Social Service Professions, OtherUndergraduate Certificate or Diploma$36,712Not available
English Language and Literature, GeneralAssociate's Degree$28,005Not available
Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming ServicesUndergraduate Certificate or Diploma$22,671Not available

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.