Public · Community college

Cerro Coso Community College

Ridgecrest, California · Fringe rural

13%
Transfer rate: $18,306
Avg net price: 25%
Grad / completion: $34,963
Median earnings

Cerro Coso Community College is a public associate-granting institution in Ridgecrest, California (fringe rural setting), enrolling 3,171 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicMidsize · 3,171 undergradsFringe ruralCCCAACold winters

About Ridgecrest, California

Ridgecrest is a city in Kern County, California, United States, along U.S. Route 395 in the Indian Wells Valley in northeastern Kern County, adjacent to the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake (NAWS, or China Lake). The Shoshone tribe left behind petroglyphs in the Coso Range that can be found in Big and Little Petroglyph Canyons. Their petroglyphs and artwork are displayed in the Maturango Museum and Petroglyph Park. In a 1996 Sony commercial, Ridgecrest is known as the "Earthquake Capital of the World". (Wikipedia)

Setting: Fringe rural
Highest degree offered: Associate
Nearest big city: 77 miles to Bakersfield, CA
To the ocean: 117 miles
Nearest airport: 79 miles to Meadows Field (BFL)

How Cerro Coso Community College compares

#89 · Cheapest Community Colleges

Graduation rate25%

Higher than 7% · #372 of 382 in California

First-year retention27%

Higher than 3%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$34,963

Higher than 49% · #212 of 326 in California

Average net price$18,306

Cheaper than 38% · #183 cheapest of 377 in California

Student–faculty ratio24 : 1

Lower than 16%

Undergraduate enrollment3,171

Larger than 87%

Percentiles compare Cerro Coso 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

Women2,10967%
Men1,06233%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

White35%
Black7.1%
Hispanic45%
Asian3.9%
Other or multiracial8.4%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment: 3,171
Student–faculty ratio: 24 : 1
Pell Grant recipients: 15%
First-generation students: 51%
Students over 25: 44%
Median family income: $13,834
Avg faculty salary (academic year): $115,641

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Cost

In-state tuition: $1,384
Out-of-state tuition: $11,254
Room & board: —
Books & supplies: $1,062
Total cost of attendance: $25,300
Average net price: $18,306

Outcomes

Graduated: 25%
First-year retention: 27%
Transferred to another college: 13%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry: $29,462
Median earnings, 10 years after entry: $34,963
Median debt at graduation: —
Students with federal loans: 1%

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing: No
Application fee: Free
Athletics: CCCAA
Varsity athletes: 114 (68 men · 46 women)

Varsity sports (5)

Baseball48

Basketball30

Softball15

Volleyball12

Cross Country9

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): 2

Reported offenses in an average year

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

0.7reported offenses a year

0 violent a year0.7 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary

0.7

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

$18,595

$30–48k

$13,761

$48–75k

$17,054

$75–110k

$21,891

$110k+

—

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

$905

average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 3% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $905. 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 185 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): $34,963
Typical debt at graduation: —
Debt vs. one year's pay: —
Out-earn a HS grad: 33%

Weigh it value

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.

Women

$33,424

Men

$40,183

Men out-earn women by $6,759 (20%) 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: 105°F
Winter low: 30°F
Annual rain: 4.7″
Annual snow: 0.5″

Average temperature

HighLow

Average precipitation (inches)

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, China Lake Naf, CA US station (8.4 mi from campus).

What Cerro Coso Community College graduates study — and earn

Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssoc.

474 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

474———Human Development, Family Studies, and Related ServicesCert.

67 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

67———Business Administration, Management and OperationsAssoc.

60 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

60———Psychology, GeneralAssoc.

45 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

45———Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralCert.

43 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

43———Precision Metal WorkingCert.

39 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

39———Criminal Justice and CorrectionsAssoc.

31 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

31———Health and Medical Administrative ServicesCert.

28 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

28———Graphic CommunicationsCert.

26 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

26———Allied Health and Medical Assisting ServicesCert.

25 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

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

18 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

18———Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralAssoc.

17 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

17———

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 Cerro Coso Community College

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

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Students: 2,834
Tuition: $1k
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Lassen Community College

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Students: 1,741
Tuition: $1k
Transfer: 14%
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Colleges near Cerro Coso Community College

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Antelope Valley Community College District

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San Joaquin Valley College-Lancaster

Lancaster, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 257 students

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Bakersfield College

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Bridges Beauty 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.