Public · Community college

Barstow Community College

Barstow, California · Distant town

8%
Transfer rate: $12,773
Avg net price: 39%
Grad / completion: $35,104
Median earnings

Barstow Community College is a public certificate-granting institution in Barstow, California (distant town setting), enrolling 2,657 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicMidsize · 2,657 undergradsDistant townCCCAA

About Barstow, California

Barstow is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States, in the Mojave Desert of Southern California. The written history of the Mojave Valley dates back to the 1700s and the missionary excursions of Spanish Franciscan friar Francisco Garcés. Barstow has a series of murals along Main Street, depicting scenes from the city's history. These murals were created by Main Street Murals, a local non-profit organization. (Wikipedia)

Setting: Distant town
Highest degree offered: Associate
Nearest big city: 65 miles to Riverside, CA
To the ocean: 100 miles
Nearest airport: 55 miles to San Bernardino (SBD) · major hub

How Barstow Community College compares

#3 · Cheapest Community Colleges

Graduation rate39%

Higher than 24% · #308 of 382 in California

First-year retention67%

Higher than 39%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$35,104

Higher than 50% · #208 of 326 in California

Average net price$12,773

Cheaper than 59% · #127 cheapest of 377 in California

Median debt at graduation$3,500

Lower than 99%

Student–faculty ratio26 : 1

Lower than 9%

Undergraduate enrollment2,657

Larger than 85%

Percentiles compare Barstow Community 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

Women1,66963%
Men98837%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

White20%
Black22%
Hispanic46%
Asian2.4%
Other or multiracial10%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment: 2,657
Student–faculty ratio: 26 : 1
Pell Grant recipients: 49%
First-generation students: 53%
Students over 25: 49%
Median family income: $15,011
Avg faculty salary (academic year): $102,438
Endowment: $1,235,174

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 516 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

From California98%
Other U.S. states1.7%
International0.8%

Most first-years stay in state — Barstow Community 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: $1,104
Out-of-state tuition: $9,744
Room & board: —
Books & supplies: $1,062
Total cost of attendance: $22,193
Average net price: $12,773

Outcomes

Graduated: 39%
First-year retention: 67%
Transferred to another college: 8%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry: $30,462
Median earnings, 10 years after entry: $35,104
Median debt at graduation: $3,500
Students with federal loans: 12%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students

39%

First-generation

12%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing: No
Application fee: Free
Athletics: CCCAA
Varsity athletes: 47 (39 men · 8 women)

Varsity sports (2)

Baseball24

Basketball23

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade: A
Reported offenses per 1,000 students: 0.1 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024): 0
Property offenses (2022–2024): 1

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

0.3reported offenses a year

0 violent a year0.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary

0.3

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.

< $30k

$12,239

$30–48k

$11,957

$48–75k

$14,229

$75–110k

$17,963

$110k+

$20,351

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.

of first-years get a grant from the school

$1,587

average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 2% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $1,587. 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 256 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): $35,104
Typical debt at graduation: $3,500
Debt vs. one year's pay: 10%
Out-earn a HS grad: 37%

Typical debt would take roughly under a year to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

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.

Women

$30,734

Men

$43,181

Men out-earn women by $12,447 (40%) 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: 102°F
Winter low: 35°F
Annual rain: 5″
Annual snow: 0.3″

Average temperature

HighLow

Average precipitation (inches)

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Barstow, CA US station (1.6 mi from campus).

What Barstow Community College graduates study — and earn

Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssoc.

77 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

77———Business Administration, Management and OperationsAssoc.

51 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

51———Psychology, GeneralAssoc.

48 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

48———Biological and Physical SciencesAssoc.

46 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

46———Social Sciences, GeneralAssoc.

43 grads$22k 1 yr$25k 5 yr$6k debt

43$22,398$24,659$5,588 Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming ServicesCert.

33 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

33———Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance Technologies/TechniciansCert.

31 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

31———Criminal Justice and CorrectionsAssoc.

25 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

25———Human Development, Family Studies, and Related ServicesAssoc.

20 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

20———Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, GeneralAssoc.

20 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

20———Business/Commerce, GeneralAssoc.

17 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

17———Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralCert.

14 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

14———

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 Barstow Community College

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Barstow Community College side by side →

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Colleges near Barstow Community College

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University of Redlands

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San Bernardino Valley College

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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.