10-YEAR PAYOFF CURVECumulative economic payoff after graduation
−$200,046at year 10Net gainInvestment not yet recovered
NET GAIN$0UNRECOVERED
Santa Monica College
⌖ Santa Monica, CA · 4 reportable field-and-credential outcomes
MODELED SCENARIO · Negative payoff
−$200,046 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
−105%Modeled 10-year ROI
$44,107Observed 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
$2,779Average net price / year
$11,162Cost of attendance
$44,107Median earnings · year 5 after completion
36.3%Completion rate
Not availableAdmission rate
21,440Student 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
$27,769Year 1
$46,731Year 4
$44,107Year 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.
1Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing · Associate's Degree$95,8312Business Administration, Management and Operations · Associate's Degree$49,0913Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities · Associate's Degree$46,8644Communication and Media Studies · Associate's Degree$29,371Observed 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.
Salinas, CA
Hartnell College
- Annual net price
- $2,039
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $43,536
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -108%
Cerritos College
- Annual net price
- $2,424
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $45,070
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -100%
Yuba College
- Annual net price
- $2,576
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $46,100
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -94%
Norco College
- Annual net price
- $5,169
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $43,887
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -106%
Explore exact field-and-credential outcomes
| Federal field | Credential | Earnings, year 4 | Federal debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | Associate's Degree | $95,831 | Not available |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | Associate's Degree | $49,091 | Not available |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | Associate's Degree | $46,864 | Not available |
| Communication and Media Studies | Associate's Degree | $29,371 | 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.