Private for-profit · Community college
Bellus Academy-Poway
Poway, California · Large suburb
- 6%
- Transfer rate
- $32,767
- Avg net price
- 73%
- Grad / completion
- $25,223
- Median earnings
Bellus Academy-Poway is a private for-profit certificate-granting institution in Poway, California (large suburb setting), enrolling 324 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.
About Poway, California
Poway is a city in San Diego County, California, United States. The Kumeyaay people lived in the area for centuries before the Spanish colonization of the region. Artifacts such as arrowheads, spear points, metates, grinding stones, and pottery found along the bed of Poway Creek all indicate an early Kumeyaay presence. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Large suburb
- Highest degree offered
- Certificate
- Nearest big city
- 18 miles to San Diego, CA
- To the ocean
- 13 miles
- Nearest airport
- 18 miles to San Diego (SAN) · major hub
How Bellus Academy-Poway compares
Higher than 67% · #142 of 382 in California
Higher than 76%
Higher than 19% · #281 of 326 in California
Cheaper than 5% · #339 cheapest of 377 in California
Lower than 75%
Lower than 56%
Larger than 55%
Percentiles compare Bellus Academy-Poway 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
- Women29390%
- Men3110%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White34%
- Black4.3%
- Hispanic36%
- Asian8.0%
- Other or multiracial18%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 324
- Student–faculty ratio
- 15 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 48%
- First-generation students
- 44%
- Students over 25
- 36%
- Median family income
- $23,753
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Cost
- In-state tuition
- —
- Room & board
- —
- Total cost of attendance
- —
- Average net price
- $32,767
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
- 73%
- First-year retention
- 87%
- Transferred to another college
- 6%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $23,546
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $25,223
- Median debt at graduation
- $7,917
- Students with federal loans
- 46%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 51%
Campus life & athletics
- On-campus housing
- No
- Application fee
- Free
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%.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- A
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 0.0 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 0
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 0
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (324 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.
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: 42% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $209. 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 106 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)
- $25,223
- Typical debt at graduation
- $7,917
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 31%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 35%
Typical debt would take roughly 3.1 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
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 out-earn men by $1,125 (5%) 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
- 83°F
- Winter low
- 44°F
- Annual rain
- 14.2″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Rancho Bernardo, CA US station (5 mi from campus).
What Bellus Academy-Poway 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 Bellus Academy-Poway
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Bellus Academy-Poway side by side →
Paul Mitchell the School-Sherman Oaks
Sherman Oaks, California · Large city · 15 mi to Los Angeles
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- Tuition
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- Transfer
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Paul Mitchell the School-San Diego
San Diego, California · Large city · < 1 mi to San Diego
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Associated Technical College-Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California · Large city · 2 mi to Los Angeles
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- Tuition
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- Transfer
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Milan Institute-Merced
Merced, California · Small city · 56 mi to Fresno
- Students
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- Tuition
- —
- Transfer
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Paul Mitchell the School-Temecula
Temecula, California · Midsize city · 35 mi to Riverside
- Students
- 320
- Tuition
- —
- Transfer
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- Earnings
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Palomar Institute of Cosmetology
San Marcos, California · Large suburb · 29 mi to San Diego
- Students
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- Tuition
- —
- Transfer
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- Earnings
- $23k
Colleges near Bellus Academy-Poway
Poway Adult School
Poway, CA · Public · Certificate · 1,459 students
Alliant International University-San Diego
San Diego, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 391 students
San Diego Miramar College
San Diego, CA · Public · Associate · 11,271 students
San Diego Christian College
Santee, CA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 87 students
Design Institute of San Diego
San Diego, CA · Private for-profit · Bachelor's · 77 students
Grossmont College
El Cajon, CA · Public · Associate · 12,163 students
National University
San Diego, CA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 10,794 students
ATA College
El Cajon, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 80 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.