Public · Community college

Cerritos College

Norwalk, California · Large suburb

9%
Transfer rate: $2,424
Avg net price: 31%
Grad / completion: $41,156
Median earnings

Cerritos College is a public certificate-granting institution in Norwalk, California (large suburb setting), enrolling 18,870 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicLarge · 18,870 undergradsLarge suburbCCCAANear the coast

About Norwalk, California

Norwalk is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. In the late 1760s, settlers and missions flourished under Spanish rule with the famous El Camino Real trail traversing the area. Manuel Nieto, a Spanish soldier, received a Spanish land grant (Rancho Los Nietos) in 1784 that included Norwalk. (Wikipedia)

Setting: Large suburb
Highest degree offered: Associate
Nearest big city: 14 miles to Los Angeles, CA
To the ocean: 9 miles
Nearest airport: 6 miles to Long Beach (LGB) · major hub

How Cerritos College compares

#81 · Cheapest Community Colleges

Graduation rate31%

Higher than 13% · #355 of 382 in California

First-year retention67%

Higher than 38%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$41,156

Higher than 73% · #118 of 326 in California

Average net price$2,424

Cheaper than 97% · #14 cheapest of 377 in California

Median debt at graduation$8,447

Lower than 70%

Student–faculty ratio26 : 1

Lower than 9%

Undergraduate enrollment18,870

Larger than 99%

Percentiles compare Cerritos 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

Women10,43355%
Men8,43745%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

White12%
Black6.6%
Hispanic68%
Asian7.1%
Other or multiracial6.0%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment: 18,870
Student–faculty ratio: 26 : 1
Pell Grant recipients: 36%
First-generation students: 60%
Students over 25: 40%
Median family income: $19,002
Avg faculty salary (academic year): $132,669

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 4,176 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

From California98%
Other U.S. states0.9%
International1.6%

Most first-years stay in state — Cerritos College draws overwhelmingly from California.

2% 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: $1,364
Out-of-state tuition: $12,004
Room & board: —
Books & supplies: $1,062
Total cost of attendance: $10,236
Average net price: $2,424

Outcomes

Graduated: 31%
First-year retention: 67%
Transferred to another college: 9%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry: $32,581
Median earnings, 10 years after entry: $41,156
Median debt at graduation: $8,447
Students with federal loans: 3%
Paying down their loans (1 year in): 29%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students

31%

Low-income (Pell)

First-generation

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: 603 (392 men · 211 women)

Varsity sports (12)

Football115

Wrestling99

Track and Field (Outdoor)89

Soccer63

Baseball37

Cross Country36

Water Polo36

Swimming35

Basketball30

Beach Volleyball23

Volleyball21

Softball19

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

Campus safety

Safety grade: A
Reported offenses per 1,000 students: 0.2 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024): 1
Property offenses (2022–2024): 14

Reported offenses in an average year

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

5.0reported offenses a year

0.3 violent a year4.7 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary

2.7

Motor vehicle theft

2.0

Fondling

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

$1,538

$30–48k

$1,784

$48–75k

$3,774

$75–110k

$6,599

$110k+

$7,901

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.

34%

of first-years get a grant from the school

$116

average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 34% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $116. 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 2,282 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): $41,156
Typical debt at graduation: $8,447
Debt vs. one year's pay: 21%
Out-earn a HS grad: 42%

Typical debt would take roughly 2.1 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

$37,688

Men

$45,860

Men out-earn women by $8,172 (22%) 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: 47°F
Annual rain: 12″

Average temperature

HighLow

Average precipitation (inches)

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Long Beach Daugherty Fld, CA US station (5.9 mi from campus).

What Cerritos College graduates study — and earn

Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesCert.

1,815 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

1,815———Business Administration, Management and OperationsCert.

804 grads$57k 1 yr$46k 5 yr$8k debt

804$56,738$45,562$8,021 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssoc.

667 grads$18k 1 yr$39k 5 yr$10k debt

667$18,208$38,638$9,750 Business Administration, Management and OperationsAssoc.

423 grads— 1 yr$50k 5 yr$8k debt

423—$49,951$7,975 Biological and Physical SciencesAssoc.

259 grads$25k 1 yr$62k 5 yr$9k debt

259$25,221$61,587$8,945 Human Development, Family Studies, and Related ServicesCert.

249 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

249———Psychology, GeneralAssoc.

166 grads— 1 yr$38k 5 yr— debt

166—$37,641—Human Development, Family Studies, and Related ServicesAssoc.

132 grads— 1 yr$30k 5 yr— debt

132—$30,470—SociologyAssoc.

103 grads— 1 yr$44k 5 yr— debt

103—$43,979—Criminal Justice and CorrectionsAssoc.

94 grads— 1 yr$44k 5 yr— debt

94—$44,073—Precision Metal WorkingCert.

93 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

93———Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming ServicesCert.

70 grads$13k 1 yr$15k 5 yr— debt

70$13,133$14,752—

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 Cerritos College

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

Santa Monica College

Public

Santa Monica, California · Small city · 13 mi to Los Angeles

Students: 21,440
Tuition: $1k
Transfer: 15%
Earnings: $42k

San Joaquin Delta College

Public

Stockton, California · Large city · 3 mi to Stockton

Students: 15,781
Tuition: $1k
Transfer: 8%
Earnings: $43k

Modesto Junior College

Public

Modesto, California · Midsize city · 26 mi to Stockton

Students: 15,109
Tuition: $1k
Transfer: 9%
Earnings: $42k

Santa Ana College

Public

Santa Ana, California · Large city · 29 mi to Los Angeles

Students: 22,485
Tuition: $1k
Transfer: 7%
Earnings: $44k

Santiago Canyon College

Public

Orange, California · Midsize city · 26 mi to Riverside

Students: 10,579
Tuition: $1k
Transfer: 12%
Earnings: $45k

Hartnell College

Public

Salinas, California · Midsize city · 47 mi to San Jose

Students: 9,453
Tuition: $1k
Transfer: 6%
Earnings: $44k

Colleges near Cerritos College

PCI College

Cerritos, CA · Private for-profit · Associate · 149 students

1 mi

Angeles Institute

ARTESIA, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 113 students

1 mi

Fremont University

Cerritos, CA · Private for-profit · Associate · 157 students

1 mi

ABC Adult School

Cerritos, CA · Public · Certificate · 173 students

2 mi

Downey Adult School

Downey, CA · Public · Certificate · 875 students

2 mi

California Prestige University

Santa Fe Springs, CA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 55 students

3 mi

Medical Allied Career Center

Santa Fe Springs, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 48 students

3 mi

Healthcare Career College

Paramount, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 447 students

3 mi

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.