Public · Community college

College of Marin

Kentfield, California · Large suburb

17%
Transfer rate: $12,351
Avg net price: 39%
Grad / completion: $42,654
Median earnings

College of Marin is a public associate-granting institution in Kentfield, California (large suburb setting), enrolling 4,042 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicMidsize · 4,042 undergradsLarge suburbCCCAANear the coast

About Kentfield, California

Kentfield is an unincorporated community in Marin County, California, United States, just north of San Francisco. In 1857, James Ross (1812–1862) bought Rancho Punta de Quentin. Ross, a Scot who had arrived in San Francisco from Australia in 1848 and made his fortune in the wholesale liquor business, set up a trading post called "Ross Landing". (Wikipedia)

Setting: Large suburb
Highest degree offered: Associate
Nearest big city: 14 miles to San Francisco, CA
To the ocean: 3 miles
Nearest airport: 24 miles to Oakland San Francisco Bay (OAK) · major hub

How College of Marin compares

Graduation rate39%

Higher than 25% · #305 of 382 in California

First-year retention71%

Higher than 45%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$42,654

Higher than 78% · #92 of 326 in California

Average net price$12,351

Cheaper than 61% · #119 cheapest of 377 in California

Median debt at graduation$10,062

Lower than 45%

Student–faculty ratio17 : 1

Lower than 44%

Undergraduate enrollment4,042

Larger than 89%

Percentiles compare College of Marin 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

Women2,41560%
Men1,62740%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

White44%
Black3.1%
Hispanic36%
Asian6.5%
Other or multiracial10%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment: 4,042
Student–faculty ratio: 17 : 1
Pell Grant recipients: 17%
First-generation students: 46%
Students over 25: 41%
Median family income: $15,491
Avg faculty salary (academic year): $139,149
Endowment: $3,148,163

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 799 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

From California99%
Other U.S. states1.4%

Most first-years stay in state — College of Marin draws overwhelmingly from California.

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: $1,558
Out-of-state tuition: $9,334
Room & board: —
Books & supplies: $2,169
Total cost of attendance: $21,015
Average net price: $12,351

Outcomes

Graduated: 39%
First-year retention: 71%
Transferred to another college: 17%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry: $35,698
Median earnings, 10 years after entry: $42,654
Median debt at graduation: $10,062
Students with federal loans: 1%
Paying down their loans (1 year in): 22%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students

39%

First-generation

14%

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
Athletics: CCCAA
Varsity athletes: 145 (86 men · 59 women)

Varsity sports (6)

Soccer43

Baseball37

Basketball33

Swimming and Diving (combined)12

Water Polo10

Beach Volleyball10

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade: B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students: 0.6 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024): 1
Property offenses (2022–2024): 7

Reported offenses in an average year

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

2.7reported offenses a year

0.3 violent a year2.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary

1.7

Aggravated assault

0.3

Arson

0.3

Motor vehicle theft

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

$11,665

$30–48k

$10,739

$48–75k

$14,045

$75–110k

$16,944

$110k+

$17,686

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?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

of first-years get a grant from the school

$1,577

average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 5% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $1,577. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 331 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years): $42,654
Typical debt at graduation: $10,062
Debt vs. one year's pay: 24%
Out-earn a HS grad: 50%

Typical debt would take roughly 2.4 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

$39,702

Men

$46,223

Men out-earn women by $6,521 (16%) 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: 42°F
Annual rain: 44.4″

Average temperature

HighLow

Average precipitation (inches)

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Kentfield, CA US station (0.4 mi from campus).

What College of Marin graduates study — and earn

Biological and Physical SciencesAssoc.

51 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

51———Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssoc.

48 grads— 1 yr$51k 5 yr— debt

48—$50,813—Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingAssoc.

42 grads$99k 1 yr— 5 yr$22k debt

42$98,893—$22,125 Psychology, GeneralAssoc.

33 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

33———Business Administration, Management and OperationsAssoc.

30 grads— 1 yr$76k 5 yr— debt

30—$75,568—Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/TechniciansCert.

24 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

24———Dental Support Services and Allied ProfessionsCert.

19 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

19———Business/Commerce, GeneralAssoc.

13 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

13———Communication and Media StudiesAssoc.

11 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

11———Fine and Studio ArtsAssoc.

11 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

11———Romance Languages, Literatures, and LinguisticsAssoc.

10 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

10———SociologyAssoc.

10 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

10———

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 College of Marin

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

Monterey Peninsula College

Public

Monterey, California · Midsize suburb · 52 mi to San Jose

Students: 5,624
Tuition: $1k
Transfer: 12%
Earnings: $42k

Crafton Hills College

Public

Yucaipa, California · Large suburb · 16 mi to Riverside

Students: 5,687
Tuition: $1k
Transfer: 9%
Earnings: $43k

Merritt College

Public

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

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

Lemoore College

Public

Lemoore, California · Fringe rural · 31 mi to Fresno

Students: 3,373
Tuition: $1k
Transfer: 3%
Earnings: $40k

Los Angeles Harbor College

Public

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

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

Contra Costa College

Public

San Pablo, California · Large suburb · 14 mi to San Francisco

Students: 5,203
Tuition: $1k
Transfer: 10%
Earnings: $41k

Colleges near College of Marin

Dominican University of California

San Rafael, CA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,114 students

3 mi

Contra Costa College

San Pablo, CA · Public · Associate · 5,203 students

12 mi

University of San Francisco

San Francisco, CA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 5,287 students

13 mi

Bay Area Medical Academy

San Francisco, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 209 students

14 mi

Cinta Aveda Institute

San Francisco, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 117 students

14 mi

San Francisco Film School

San Francisco, CA · Private for-profit · Associate · 127 students

14 mi

University of California College of the Law-San Francisco

San Francisco, CA · Public · Graduate

14 mi

Golden Gate University

San Francisco, CA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 259 students

14 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.