Private for-profit · Community college

Capstone College

Pasadena, California · Midsize city

0%
Transfer rate
$16,012
Avg net price
64%
Grad / completion
$35,348
Median earnings

Capstone College is a private for-profit certificate-granting institution in Pasadena, California (midsize city setting), enrolling 148 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

Private for-profitSmall · 148 undergradsMidsize cityNear the coast

About Pasadena, California

Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, 10 miles (16 km) northeast of downtown Los Angeles. The earliest known inhabitants of present-day Pasadena and its surroundings were members of the Hahamog-na tribe, a branch of the Tongva Nation. They spoke the Tongva language, belonging to the Northern subfamily of the Uto-Aztecan language group. Pasadena is home to the Tournament of Roses Parade, held each year on January 1 (or on January 2, if the 1st falls on a Sunday). The first parade was held in 1890 and was originally sponsored by the Valley Hunt Club, a Pasadena social club. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Midsize city
Highest degree offered
Certificate
To the ocean
22 miles
Nearest airport
12 miles to Hollywood Burbank/Bob Hope (BUR) · major hub

How Capstone College compares

Graduation rate64%

Higher than 54% · #197 of 382 in California

First-year retention93%

Higher than 86%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$35,348

Higher than 50% · #206 of 326 in California

Average net price$16,012

Cheaper than 47% · #159 cheapest of 377 in California

Median debt at graduation$9,500

Lower than 57%

Student–faculty ratio24 : 1

Lower than 16%

Undergraduate enrollment148

Larger than 37%

Percentiles compare Capstone 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

148undergrads
  • Women2718%
  • Men12182%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White14%
  • Black3.4%
  • Hispanic72%
  • Asian10%
  • Other or multiracial0.7%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
148
Student–faculty ratio
24 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
46%
First-generation students
59%
Students over 25
58%
Median family income
$18,250

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
$16,012

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
64%
First-year retention
93%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$39,597
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$35,348
Median debt at graduation
$9,500
Students with federal loans
48%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
39%

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
No
Application fee
$100

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%.

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
$14,472
$30–48k
$16,981
$48–75k
$14,014
$75–110k
$19,223
$110k+
$20,809

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?

Capstone College funds essentially no grants of its own — almost all aid here comes from federal (Pell), state, or outside sources rather than the school's own discount. Its sticker price is what it is.

Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid, 2022–23 full-time first-year undergraduates.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$35,348
Typical debt at graduation
$9,500
Debt vs. one year's pay
27%
Out-earn a HS grad
44%

Typical debt would take roughly 2.7 years 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
$31,161
Men
$38,489

Men out-earn women by $7,328 (24%) 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
91°F
Winter low
45°F
Annual rain
20.1″

Average temperature

HighLow
40°70°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.65.2JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Pasadena, CA US station (1.2 mi from campus).

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 Capstone College

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

Colleges near Capstone College

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.