Private nonprofit · Community college
CET-El Centro
El Centro, California · Small city
- 0%
- Transfer rate
- $11,405
- Avg net price
- 93%
- Grad / completion
- $32,986
- Median earnings
CET-El Centro is a private nonprofit certificate-granting institution in El Centro, California (small city setting), enrolling 130 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.
About El Centro, California
El Centro is a city in and the county seat of Imperial County, California, United States. Spanish explorer Melchor Díaz was one of the first Europeans to visit the area around El Centro and Imperial Valley in 1540. The explorer Juan Bautista de Anza also explored the area in 1776 (an elementary school in El Centro now bears his name). In the winter, residents race on nearby sand dunes using four-wheel-drive buggies. During the summer, residents spend time indoors instead of outside. Spanish is a dominant language among residents and over the radio. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Small city
- Highest degree offered
- Certificate
- Nearest big city
- 94 miles to San Diego, CA
- To the ocean
- 64 miles
- Nearest airport
- 3 miles to Imperial County (IPL)
How CET-El Centro compares
Higher than 92% · #29 of 382 in California
Higher than 61%
Higher than 42% · #221 of 326 in California
Cheaper than 65% · #110 cheapest of 377 in California
Lower than 83%
Lower than 67%
Larger than 34%
Percentiles compare CET-El Centro 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
- Women4434%
- Men8666%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White1.5%
- Hispanic98%
- Other or multiracial0.8%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 130
- Student–faculty ratio
- 13 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 31%
- First-generation students
- 69%
- Students over 25
- 69%
- Median family income
- $13,272
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
- $11,405
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
- 93%
- First-year retention
- 79%
- Transferred to another college
- 0%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $33,264
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $32,986
- Median debt at graduation
- $7,041
- Students with federal loans
- 7%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 29%
Graduating on time
By student background (4 years)
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
- $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.
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?
CET-El Centro 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)
- $32,986
- Typical debt at graduation
- $7,041
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 21%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 33%
Typical debt would take roughly 2.1 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.
Men out-earn women by $12,396 (48%) 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
- 107°F
- Winter low
- 43°F
- Annual rain
- 2.5″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, EL Centro 2 Ssw, CA US station (1.8 mi from campus).
What CET-El Centro 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 CET-El Centro
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare CET-El Centro side by side →
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Colleges near CET-El Centro
Imperial Valley College
Imperial, CA · Public · Associate · 7,652 students
Arizona Western College
Yuma, AZ · Public · Certificate · 6,374 students
CET-Coachella
Coachella, CA · Private nonprofit · Certificate · 96 students
MJ Barber & Beauty Academy
La Quinta, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 66 students
Southern California Seminary
El Cajon, CA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 32 students
Palo Verde College
Blythe, CA · Public · Certificate · 3,381 students
Elite Cosmetology School
PALM DESERT, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 115 students
Cuyamaca College
El Cajon, CA · Public · Associate · 7,177 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.