Private nonprofit · Community college
CET-Salinas
Salinas, California · Midsize city
- 0%
- Transfer rate
- $6,924
- Avg net price
- 68%
- Grad / completion
- $32,986
- Median earnings
CET-Salinas is a private nonprofit certificate-granting institution in Salinas, California (midsize city setting), enrolling 171 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.
About Salinas, California
Salinas is a city in and the county seat of Monterey County, California, United States. The Rumsen-Ohlone remained as the inhabitants of the area for approximately another 1,200 years, and in the 1700s, were the group of native inhabitants contacted and recorded by the first Spanish explorers of the Salinas area. Salinas has an emerging arts scene led by the First Fridays Art Walk and the innovative use of non-traditional or business venues to exhibit art and host live local music. The oldest gallery in Salinas, the Valley Art Gallery, has been active for over 30 years. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Midsize city
- Highest degree offered
- Certificate
- Nearest big city
- 45 miles to San Jose, CA
- To the ocean
- 6 miles
- Nearest airport
- 14 miles to Monterey (MRY)
How CET-Salinas compares
Higher than 58% · #182 of 382 in California
Higher than 71%
Higher than 42% · #221 of 326 in California
Cheaper than 82% · #66 cheapest of 377 in California
Lower than 83%
Lower than 23%
Larger than 41%
Percentiles compare CET-Salinas 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
- Women5834%
- Men11366%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White0.6%
- Black0.6%
- Hispanic98%
- Asian0.6%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 171
- Student–faculty ratio
- 21 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 41%
- First-generation students
- 69%
- Students over 25
- 26%
- 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
- $6,924
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
- 68%
- First-year retention
- 84%
- 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
- 9%
- 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-Salinas 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
- 75°F
- Winter low
- 40°F
- Annual rain
- 15.4″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Salinas #2, CA US station (3.4 mi from campus).
What CET-Salinas 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-Salinas
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare CET-Salinas side by side →
CET-Santa Maria
Santa Maria, California · Midsize city · 56 mi to Santa Barbara
- Students
- 142
- Tuition
- —
- Transfer
- 0%
- Earnings
- $33k
CET-Watsonville
Watsonville, California · Small city · 29 mi to San Jose
- Students
- 142
- Tuition
- —
- Transfer
- 0%
- Earnings
- $33k
CET-Soledad
Soledad, California · Distant town · 71 mi to San Jose
- Students
- 155
- Tuition
- —
- Transfer
- 0%
- Earnings
- $33k
CET-El Centro
El Centro, California · Small city · 94 mi to San Diego
- Students
- 130
- Tuition
- —
- Transfer
- 0%
- Earnings
- $33k
CET-Oxnard
Oxnard, California · Midsize city · 33 mi to Santa Barbara
- Students
- 95
- Tuition
- —
- Transfer
- 0%
- Earnings
- $33k
CET-Colton
Colton, California · Large suburb · 7 mi to Riverside
- Students
- 162
- Tuition
- —
- Transfer
- 0%
- Earnings
- $33k
Colleges near CET-Salinas
Central Coast College
Salinas, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 569 students
Waynes College of Beauty
Salinas, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 46 students
Hartnell College
Salinas, CA · Public · Associate · 9,453 students
California State University-Monterey Bay
Seaside, CA · Public · Bachelor's · 6,819 students
Naval Postgraduate School
Monterey, CA · Public · Graduate
Monterey Peninsula College
Monterey, CA · Public · Associate · 5,624 students
Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey
Monterey, CA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 4 students
CET-Watsonville
Watsonville, CA · Private nonprofit · Certificate · 142 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.