Private nonprofit · Community college
CET-San Jose
San Jose, California · Large city
- 0%
- Transfer rate
- $16,101
- Avg net price
- 81%
- Grad / completion
- $32,986
- Median earnings
CET-San Jose is a private nonprofit certificate-granting institution in San Jose, California (large city setting), enrolling 266 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.
About San Jose, California
San Jose, officially the City of San José, is the most populous city in the San Francisco Bay Area and Northern California, and the 13th-most populous in the United States, with an estimated 989,814 residents as of 2025. San Jose, along with most of the Santa Clara Valley, has been home to the Tamien tribe of the Ohlone people since around 4,000 BC. The Tamien spoke Tamyen language of the Ohlone language family. Because the downtown area is in the flight path to nearby San Jose Mineta International Airport (also evidenced in the above panoramic), there is a height limit for buildings in the downtown area, which is underneath the final approach corridor to the airport. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Large city
- Highest degree offered
- Certificate
- Nearest big city
- 1 mile to San Jose, CA
- To the ocean
- 12 miles
- Nearest airport
- 4 miles to Norman Y. Mineta San Jose (SJC) · major hub
How CET-San Jose compares
Higher than 78% · #92 of 382 in California
Higher than 71%
Higher than 42% · #221 of 326 in California
Cheaper than 47% · #160 cheapest of 377 in California
Lower than 83%
Lower than 29%
Larger than 51%
Percentiles compare CET-San Jose 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
- Women9034%
- Men17666%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White5.3%
- Black3.4%
- Hispanic85%
- Asian4.1%
- Other or multiracial2.3%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 266
- Student–faculty ratio
- 20 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 53%
- First-generation students
- 69%
- Students over 25
- 27%
- 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
- $16,101
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
- 81%
- 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
- 40%
- 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-San Jose 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
- 83°F
- Winter low
- 43°F
- Annual rain
- 16.1″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, San Jose, CA US station (2.1 mi from campus).
What CET-San Jose 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-San Jose
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare CET-San Jose side by side →
CET-Colton
Colton, California · Large suburb · 7 mi to Riverside
- Students
- 162
- Tuition
- —
- Transfer
- 0%
- Earnings
- $33k
CET-San Diego
San Diego, California · Large city · 3 mi to San Diego
- Students
- 223
- 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-Coachella
Coachella, California · Large suburb · 71 mi to Riverside
- Students
- 96
- Tuition
- —
- Transfer
- 0%
- Earnings
- $33k
CET-Oxnard
Oxnard, California · Midsize city · 33 mi to Santa Barbara
- Students
- 95
- Tuition
- —
- Transfer
- 0%
- Earnings
- $33k
Colleges near CET-San Jose
San Jose State University
San Jose, CA · Public · Bachelor's · 27,601 students
San Jose City College
San Jose, CA · Public · Associate · 7,105 students
Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts
San Jose, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 3,421 students
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara, CA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 6,552 students
Paul Mitchell the School-San Jose
San Jose, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 91 students
The Salon Professional Academy-San Jose
San Jose, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 196 students
Evergreen Valley College
San Jose, CA · Public · Associate · 7,688 students
Institute for Business and Technology
San Jose, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 765 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.