Public · Community college
Allan Hancock College
Santa Maria, California · Midsize city
- 5%
- Transfer rate
- $5,383
- Avg net price
- 26%
- Grad / completion
- $42,786
- Median earnings
Allan Hancock College is a public certificate-granting institution in Santa Maria, California (midsize city setting), enrolling 8,052 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). Admission is open to all applicants.
About Santa Maria, California
Santa Maria is a city in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. The Santa Maria Valley, stretching from the Sierra Madre (California) Mountains toward the Pacific Ocean, was the homeland of the Chumash people for several thousand years. They had unique plank-built boats, called Tomol, which they used for ocean fishing. Santa Maria-style barbecue is a regional culinary tradition rooted in the Santa Maria Valley. The tri-tip steak has its roots in Santa Maria. Tri-tip is a cut of beef from the bottom sirloin. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Midsize city
- Highest degree offered
- Associate
- Nearest big city
- 55 miles to Santa Barbara, CA
- To the ocean
- 13 miles
- Nearest airport
- 4 miles to Santa Maria Public Airport Captain G Allan Hancock Field (SMX)
How Allan Hancock College compares
Higher than 9% · #370 of 382 in California
Higher than 39%
Higher than 79% · #90 of 326 in California
Cheaper than 89% · #40 cheapest of 377 in California
Lower than 7%
Larger than 95%
Percentiles compare Allan Hancock College with the nation's 3,519 two-year and certificate schools, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count two-year and certificate schools in California.
Student body
Undergraduates by gender
- Women4,32454%
- Men3,72846%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White19%
- Black2.2%
- Hispanic70%
- Asian3.4%
- Other or multiracial5.4%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 8,052
- Student–faculty ratio
- 28 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 24%
- First-generation students
- 59%
- Students over 25
- 25%
- Median family income
- $23,452
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $96,696
- Endowment
- $22,149,054
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Where students come from
Home state of the 1,143 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From California96%
- Other U.S. states2.7%
- International1.1%
Most first-years stay in state — Allan Hancock College draws overwhelmingly from California.
1% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $1,156
- Out-of-state tuition
- $9,892
- Room & board
- —
- Books & supplies
- $938
- Total cost of attendance
- $13,214
- Average net price
- $5,383
Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.
Outcomes
- Graduated
- 26%
- First-year retention
- 68%
- Transferred to another college
- 5%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $33,531
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $42,786
- Median debt at graduation
- —
- Students with federal loans
- 1%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 21%
Campus life & athletics
- On-campus housing
- No
- Application fee
- Free
- Athletics
- CCCAA
- Varsity athletes
- 287 (189 men · 98 women)
Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.
Varsity sports (10)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- B
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 0.5 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 2
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 16
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 2 campuses (11,463 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.
Reported offenses in an average year
The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.
By offense type, per year
Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.
What you'll actually pay, by family income
Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.
College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.
Does the school pay you to attend?
Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.
Modest institutional aid: 1% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $279. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.
Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 750 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.
Is it worth it?
A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.
- Median earnings (10 years)
- $42,786
- Typical debt at graduation
- —
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- —
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 42%
The payoff is less clear-cut here — weigh the debt against the earnings and your intended field before borrowing heavily.
Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.
The pay gap here
Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.
Men out-earn women by $10,084 (26%) a decade out.
Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.
Campus climate
- Summer high
- 75°F
- Winter low
- 40°F
- Annual rain
- 13.3″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Santa Maria Public AP, CA US station (3.4 mi from campus).
What Allan Hancock College graduates study — and earn
Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.
Colleges similar to Allan Hancock College
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Allan Hancock College side by side →
Butte College
Oroville, California · Distant rural · 74 mi to Sacramento
- Students
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- Tuition
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- Transfer
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Golden West College
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- Transfer
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Folsom Lake College
Folsom, California · Small city · 21 mi to Sacramento
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- Transfer
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Solano Community College
Fairfield, California · Midsize suburb · 36 mi to San Francisco
- Students
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- Tuition
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- Transfer
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Citrus College
Glendora, California · Large suburb · 21 mi to Los Angeles
- Students
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- Tuition
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- Transfer
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Grossmont College
El Cajon, California · Large suburb · 11 mi to San Diego
- Students
- 12,163
- Tuition
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- Transfer
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- Earnings
- $40k
Colleges near Allan Hancock College
San Joaquin Valley College-Santa Maria
Santa Maria, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 114 students
CET-Santa Maria
Santa Maria, CA · Private nonprofit · Certificate · 142 students
Central California School of Continuing Education
San Luis Obispo, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 41 students
Laurus College
San Luis Obispo, CA · Private for-profit · Associate · 1,116 students
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo, CA · Public · Bachelor's · 21,996 students
Cuesta College
San Luis Obispo, CA · Public · Certificate · 7,180 students
University of California-Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, CA · Public · Bachelor's · 23,113 students
Design's School of Cosmetology
Paso Robles, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 73 students
Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.