Public · Community college

College of the Redwoods

Eureka, California · Fringe rural

12%
Transfer rate
$6,904
Avg net price
34%
Grad / completion
$36,243
Median earnings

College of the Redwoods is a public associate-granting institution in Eureka, California (fringe rural setting), enrolling 3,829 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicMidsize · 3,829 undergradsFringe ruralCCCAANear the coast

About Eureka, California

Eureka is a city in and the county seat of Humboldt County, located on the North Coast of California. An extensive collection of intricate basketry of the area's indigenous groups exists in the Clarke Historical Museum in Old Town Eureka. Eureka is one of California's historic landmarks. The California State Historical marker, #477, designating Eureka, is located in Old Town, one of the nation's best-preserved original Victorian-era commercial districts. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Fringe rural
Highest degree offered
Associate
To the ocean
1 mile
Nearest airport
20 miles to California Redwood Coast-Humboldt County (ACV)

How College of the Redwoods compares

Graduation rate34%

Higher than 18% · #338 of 382 in California

First-year retention56%

Higher than 17%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$36,243

Higher than 53% · #197 of 326 in California

Average net price$6,904

Cheaper than 83% · #63 cheapest of 377 in California

Median debt at graduation$8,080

Lower than 72%

Student–faculty ratio17 : 1

Lower than 44%

Undergraduate enrollment3,829

Larger than 89%

Percentiles compare College of the Redwoods 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

3,829undergrads
  • Women2,07054%
  • Men1,75946%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White50%
  • Black3.0%
  • Hispanic24%
  • Asian2.8%
  • Other or multiracial20%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
3,829
Student–faculty ratio
17 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
38%
First-generation students
47%
Students over 25
45%
Median family income
$12,590
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$102,618
Endowment
$4,336,800

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 709 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From California94%
  • Other U.S. states5.8%

Most first-years stay in state — College of the Redwoods 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
$1,198
Out-of-state tuition
$8,854
Room & board
$12,117
Books & supplies
$1,062
Total cost of attendance
$15,504
Average net price
$6,904

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
34%
First-year retention
56%
Transferred to another college
12%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$31,896
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$36,243
Median debt at graduation
$8,080
Students with federal loans
6%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
32%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
34%
First-generation
7%

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
Yes
Dorm capacity
170
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
4%
Housing charge (year)
$4,644
Meal plan (year)
$3,933
Application fee
Free
Athletics
CCCAA
Varsity athletes
252 (185 men · 67 women)

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%.

Varsity sports (9)

Football91
Soccer33
Baseball31
Track and Field (Outdoor)25
Basketball24
Wrestling15
Cross Country14
Softball10
Volleyball9

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
A
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.3 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
0
Property offenses (2022–2024)
4

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 4 campuses (4,706 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

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

1.3reported offenses a year
0 violent a year1.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Motor vehicle theft
0.7
Burglary
0.7

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
$5,940
$30–48k
$6,486
$48–75k
$8,836
$75–110k
$11,967
$110k+
$13,192

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.

15%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$1,154
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 15% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $1,154. 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 288 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)
$36,243
Typical debt at graduation
$8,080
Debt vs. one year's pay
22%
Out-earn a HS grad
34%

Typical debt would take roughly 2.2 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
$33,048
Men
$39,590

Men out-earn women by $6,542 (20%) 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
64°F
Winter low
40°F
Annual rain
40.4″

Average temperature

HighLow
30°50°70°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.04.08.1JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Eureka Wfo Woodley Island, CA US station (7.9 mi from campus).

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 the Redwoods

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

Colleges near College of the Redwoods

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.