10-YEAR PAYOFF CURVECumulative economic payoff after graduation
−$178,736at year 10Net gainInvestment not yet recovered
NET GAIN$0UNRECOVERED
San Diego Mesa College
⌖ San Diego, CA · 14 reportable field-and-credential outcomes
MODELED SCENARIO · Negative payoff
−$178,736 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.
82.9 yrsModeled economic break-even
−88%Modeled 10-year ROI
$47,452Observed earnings · year 5
ECONOMIC INVESTMENT → PAYBACK
Estimated payoff over ten years.
The scenario counts direct price and earnings forgone upfront, then applies the reported annual earnings premium.
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.
Cost, completion and earnings context
$5,814Average net price / year
$19,371Cost of attendance
$47,452Median earnings · year 5 after completion
34.8%Completion rate
Not availableAdmission rate
16,098Student size
NATIONAL CONTEXT
How this college compares
Percentiles compare this institution with currently operating colleges that report the same federal measure.
EARNINGS PATH
Reported earnings over time
$33,074Year 1
$50,709Year 4
$47,452Year 5
Separate federal cohorts may underlie different measurement years.
The college average is not the whole story.
Observed earnings vary substantially by field and credential at the same institution.
1Mathematics · Associate's Degree$62,6162Business Administration, Management and Operations · Associate's Degree$59,2203Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services · Associate's Degree$57,5924Communication and Media Studies · Associate's Degree$56,3215Veterinary/Animal Health Technologies/Technicians · Associate's Degree$53,9126Biological and Physical Sciences · Associate's Degree$51,9367Health and Medical Administrative Services · Associate's Degree$50,8728Biology, General · Associate's Degree$49,919Observed year-4 earnings · compare like fields and credentials before deciding
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.
Sacramento, CA
Cosumnes River College
- Annual net price
- $5,981
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $47,829
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -86%
Palomar College
- Annual net price
- $5,763
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $48,173
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -84%
Moreno Valley College
- Annual net price
- $6,483
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $47,604
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -87%
Orange Coast College
- Annual net price
- $7,203
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $47,536
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -88%
Explore exact field-and-credential outcomes
| Federal field | Credential | Earnings, year 4 | Federal debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | Associate's Degree | $62,616 | Not available |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | Associate's Degree | $59,220 | $8,000 |
| Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services | Associate's Degree | $57,592 | Not available |
| Communication and Media Studies | Associate's Degree | $56,321 | Not available |
| Veterinary/Animal Health Technologies/Technicians | Associate's Degree | $53,912 | Not available |
| Biological and Physical Sciences | Associate's Degree | $51,936 | $7,785 |
| Health and Medical Administrative Services | Associate's Degree | $50,872 | Not available |
| Biology, General | Associate's Degree | $49,919 | $7,611 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | $49,676 | $6,125 |
| Psychology, General | Associate's Degree | $48,650 | $7,597 |
| Sociology | Associate's Degree | $46,618 | Not available |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | Associate's Degree | $44,652 | $4,875 |
| English Language and Literature, General | Associate's Degree | $41,826 | Not available |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics | Associate's Degree | $36,098 | Not 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.