Private nonprofit · Community college
CET-Soledad
Soledad, California · Distant town
- 0%
- Transfer rate
- $11,260
- Avg net price
- 81%
- Grad / completion
- $32,986
- Median earnings
CET-Soledad is a private nonprofit certificate-granting institution in Soledad, California (distant town setting), enrolling 155 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.
About Soledad, California
Soledad is a city in Monterey County, California, United States. The Chalon tribe of the Ohlone nation of indigenous Californians have inhabited the area around Soledad for thousands of years. The Paraíso Hot Springs, west of Soledad, had long been used by the Chalon. Of Mice and Men by Nobel Prize-winning Californian author John Steinbeck, is set near Soledad. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Distant town
- Highest degree offered
- Certificate
- Nearest big city
- 71 miles to San Jose, CA
- To the ocean
- 27 miles
- Nearest airport
- 32 miles to Monterey (MRY)
How CET-Soledad compares
Higher than 78% · #91 of 382 in California
Higher than 83%
Higher than 42% · #221 of 326 in California
Cheaper than 65% · #104 cheapest of 377 in California
Lower than 83%
Lower than 29%
Larger than 38%
Percentiles compare CET-Soledad 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
- Women5334%
- Men10266%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White0.6%
- Hispanic99%
- Asian0.6%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 155
- Student–faculty ratio
- 20 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 42%
- 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
- $11,260
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
- 91%
- 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
- 14%
- 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-Soledad 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
- 96°F
- Winter low
- 33°F
- Annual rain
- 16.6″
- Annual snow
- 0.1″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Pinnacles NM, CA US station (8.8 mi from campus).
What CET-Soledad 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-Soledad
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare CET-Soledad side by side →
CET-El Centro
El Centro, California · Small city · 94 mi to San Diego
- Students
- 130
- Tuition
- —
- Transfer
- 0%
- Earnings
- $33k
CET-Colton
Colton, California · Large suburb · 7 mi to Riverside
- Students
- 162
- Tuition
- —
- Transfer
- 0%
- Earnings
- $33k
CET-Oxnard
Oxnard, California · Midsize city · 33 mi to Santa Barbara
- Students
- 95
- Tuition
- —
- Transfer
- 0%
- Earnings
- $33k
CET-Coachella
Coachella, California · Large suburb · 71 mi to Riverside
- Students
- 96
- Tuition
- —
- Transfer
- 0%
- Earnings
- $33k
CET-San Jose
San Jose, California · Large city · 1 mi to San Jose
- Students
- 266
- Tuition
- —
- Transfer
- 0%
- Earnings
- $33k
CET-Salinas
Salinas, California · Midsize city · 45 mi to San Jose
- Students
- 171
- Tuition
- —
- Transfer
- 0%
- Earnings
- $33k
Colleges near CET-Soledad
Hartnell College
Salinas, CA · Public · Associate · 9,453 students
Waynes College of Beauty
Salinas, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 46 students
Central Coast College
Salinas, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 569 students
CET-Salinas
Salinas, CA · Private nonprofit · Certificate · 171 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
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.