Public · Community college

Coastline Community College

Fountain Valley, California · Small city

14%
Transfer rate: $16,341
Avg net price: 34%
Grad / completion: $44,483
Median earnings

Coastline Community College is a public associate-granting institution in Fountain Valley, California (small city setting), enrolling 7,393 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicMidsize · 7,393 undergradsSmall cityNear the coast

About Fountain Valley, California

Fountain Valley is a suburban city in Orange County, California. The closest village to present-day site of the city was the village of Pasbenga. The village was part of a series of villages along what the Spanish would refer to as the Santa Ana River. Fountain Valley holds an annual Summerfest in June in Mile Square Regional Park. The event features a car show, rides, music, and booths. (Wikipedia)

Setting: Small city
Highest degree offered: Associate
Nearest big city: 29 miles to Los Angeles, CA
To the ocean: 6 miles
Nearest airport: 4 miles to John Wayne Orange County (SNA) · major hub

How Coastline Community College compares

#82 · Cheapest Community Colleges

Graduation rate34%

Higher than 18% · #341 of 382 in California

First-year retention43%

Higher than 6%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$44,483

Higher than 82% · #76 of 326 in California

Average net price$16,341

Cheaper than 46% · #163 cheapest of 377 in California

Median debt at graduation$8,250

Lower than 71%

Student–faculty ratio39 : 1

Lower than 1%

Undergraduate enrollment7,393

Larger than 94%

Percentiles compare Coastline Community College 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

Women4,11656%
Men3,27744%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

White27%
Black9.9%
Hispanic33%
Asian19%
Other or multiracial11%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment: 7,393
Student–faculty ratio: 39 : 1
Pell Grant recipients: 9%
First-generation students: 55%
Students over 25: 55%
Median family income: $18,682
Avg faculty salary (academic year): $126,243
Endowment: $3,523,392

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Where students come from

Home state of the 1,024 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

From California88%
Other U.S. states4.7%
International7.5%

Most first-years stay in state — Coastline Community College draws overwhelmingly from California.

8% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Cost

In-state tuition: $1,364
Out-of-state tuition: $11,612
Room & board: —
Books & supplies: $1,465
Total cost of attendance: $24,290
Average net price: $16,341

Outcomes

Graduated: 34%
First-year retention: 43%
Transferred to another college: 14%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry: $42,638
Median earnings, 10 years after entry: $44,483
Median debt at graduation: $8,250
Students with federal loans: 1%
Paying down their loans (1 year in): 33%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students

34%

First-generation

12%

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: Free

Campus safety

Safety grade: A
Reported offenses per 1,000 students: 0.1 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024): 2
Property offenses (2022–2024): 2

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

1.3reported offenses a year

0.7 violent a year0.7 property a year

By offense type, per year

Motor vehicle theft

0.7

Robbery

0.3

Aggravated assault

0.3

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

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.

< $30k

$16,454

$30–48k

$19,464

$48–75k

$15,207

$75–110k

$21,617

$110k+

—

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?

Coastline Community College 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): $44,483
Typical debt at graduation: $8,250
Debt vs. one year's pay: 19%
Out-earn a HS grad: 50%

Typical debt would take roughly 1.9 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

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.

Women

$39,356

Men

$54,366

Men out-earn women by $15,010 (38%) 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: 85°F
Winter low: 48°F
Annual rain: 12.5″

Average temperature

HighLow

Average precipitation (inches)

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Santa Ana Fire Stn, CA US station (4.1 mi from campus).

What Coastline Community College graduates study — and earn

Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssoc.

393 grads— 1 yr$37k 5 yr— debt

393—$36,726—Business Administration, Management and OperationsAssoc.

339 grads— 1 yr$57k 5 yr— debt

339—$57,293—Business Administration, Management and OperationsCert.

222 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

222———Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians, OtherCert.

131 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

131———Biological and Physical SciencesAssoc.

126 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

126———Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesCert.

111 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

111———Area StudiesAssoc.

100 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

100———SociologyAssoc.

72 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

72———Data Entry/Microcomputer ApplicationsCert.

53 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

53———Psychology, GeneralAssoc.

45 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

45———Computer/Information Technology Administration and ManagementCert.

44 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

44———Legal Support ServicesCert.

41 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

41———

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 Coastline Community College

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Coastline Community College side by side →

Cabrillo College

Public

Aptos, California · Midsize suburb · 24 mi to San Jose

Students: 8,002
Tuition: $1k
Transfer: 10%
Earnings: $44k

San Jose City College

Public

San Jose, California · Large city · 3 mi to San Jose

Students: 7,105
Tuition: $1k
Transfer: 12%
Earnings: $46k

Merritt College

Public

Oakland, California · Large city · 14 mi to San Francisco

Students: 5,288
Tuition: $1k
Transfer: 15%
Earnings: $44k

Cuesta College

Public

San Luis Obispo, California · Fringe rural · 86 mi to Santa Barbara

Students: 7,180
Tuition: $1k
Transfer: 10%
Earnings: $46k

Los Angeles Harbor College

Public

Wilmington, California · Large city · 19 mi to Los Angeles

Students: 6,694
Tuition: $1k
Transfer: 9%
Earnings: $41k

Los Angeles Pierce College

Public

Woodland Hills, California · Large city · 21 mi to Los Angeles

Students: 13,436
Tuition: $1k
Transfer: 9%
Earnings: $45k

Colleges near Coastline Community College

Modern Technology School

Fountain Valley, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 101 students

1 mi

Coastline Beauty College

Fountain Valley, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 203 students

1 mi

Paul Mitchell the School-Costa Mesa

Costa Mesa, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 395 students

1 mi

Advance Beauty College

Garden Grove, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 346 students

3 mi

Homestead Schools-Costa Mesa

Costa Mesa, CA · Private nonprofit · Certificate · 32 students

3 mi

Orange Coast College

Costa Mesa, CA · Public · Certificate · 16,091 students

3 mi

Santa Ana Beauty College

Santa Ana, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 99 students

4 mi

CalCopa Massage School

Huntington Beach, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 33 students

4 mi

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.