Private nonprofit · Community college
CET-Santa Maria
Santa Maria, California · Midsize city
- 0%
- Transfer rate
- $5,446
- Avg net price
- 77%
- Grad / completion
- $32,986
- Median earnings
CET-Santa Maria is a private nonprofit certificate-granting institution in Santa Maria, California (midsize city setting), enrolling 142 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.
About Santa Maria, California
Santa Maria is a city in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. The Santa Maria Valley, stretching from the Sierra Madre (California) Mountains toward the Pacific Ocean, was the homeland of the Chumash people for several thousand years. They had unique plank-built boats, called Tomol, which they used for ocean fishing. Santa Maria-style barbecue is a regional culinary tradition rooted in the Santa Maria Valley. The tri-tip steak has its roots in Santa Maria. Tri-tip is a cut of beef from the bottom sirloin. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Midsize city
- Highest degree offered
- Certificate
- Nearest big city
- 56 miles to Santa Barbara, CA
- To the ocean
- 11 miles
- Nearest airport
- 3 miles to Santa Maria Public Airport Captain G Allan Hancock Field (SMX)
How CET-Santa Maria compares
Higher than 73% · #116 of 382 in California
Higher than 84%
Higher than 42% · #221 of 326 in California
Cheaper than 89% · #41 cheapest of 377 in California
Lower than 83%
Lower than 16%
Larger than 36%
Percentiles compare CET-Santa Maria 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
- Women4834%
- Men9466%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- Hispanic99%
- Other or multiracial1.4%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 142
- Student–faculty ratio
- 24 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 59%
- First-generation students
- 69%
- Students over 25
- 14%
- 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
- $5,446
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
- 77%
- First-year retention
- 92%
- 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
- 12%
- 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-Santa Maria 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
- 13.3″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Santa Maria Public AP, CA US station (3.1 mi from campus).
What CET-Santa Maria 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-Santa Maria
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare CET-Santa Maria side by side →
CET-Watsonville
Watsonville, California · Small city · 29 mi to San Jose
- Students
- 142
- Tuition
- —
- Transfer
- 0%
- Earnings
- $33k
CET-Salinas
Salinas, California · Midsize city · 45 mi to San Jose
- Students
- 171
- 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
Rosedale Bible College
Irwin, Ohio · Distant rural · 26 mi to Columbus
- Students
- 96
- Tuition
- $10k
- Transfer
- 4%
- Earnings
- $36k
Colleges near CET-Santa Maria
San Joaquin Valley College-Santa Maria
Santa Maria, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 114 students
Allan Hancock College
Santa Maria, CA · Public · Certificate · 8,052 students
Central California School of Continuing Education
San Luis Obispo, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 41 students
Laurus College
San Luis Obispo, CA · Private for-profit · Associate · 1,116 students
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo, CA · Public · Bachelor's · 21,996 students
Cuesta College
San Luis Obispo, CA · Public · Certificate · 7,180 students
University of California-Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, CA · Public · Bachelor's · 23,113 students
Design's School of Cosmetology
Paso Robles, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 73 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.