Public · Community college

Columbia College

Sonora, California · Fringe rural

7%
Transfer rate: $11,316
Avg net price: 27%
Grad / completion: $39,035
Median earnings

Columbia College is a public associate-granting institution in Sonora, California (fringe rural setting), enrolling 1,984 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicSmall · 1,984 undergradsFringe ruralCCCAACold winters

About Sonora, California

Sonora is the only incorporated city in Tuolumne County, California, United States, of which it is also the county seat. Sonora was founded by Mexican miners during the California gold rush. Sonorans were alongside Chileans among the most experienced miners in the rush. Named after their home state of Sonora, Mexico, it was once a booming center of industry and trade in California's Mother Lode. (Wikipedia)

Setting: Fringe rural
Highest degree offered: Associate
Nearest big city: 49 miles to Stockton, CA
To the ocean: 58 miles
Nearest airport: 47 miles to Stockton Metropolitan (SCK)

How Columbia College compares

#59 · Cheapest Community Colleges

Graduation rate27%

Higher than 9% · #368 of 382 in California

First-year retention58%

Higher than 20%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$39,035

Higher than 65% · #155 of 326 in California

Average net price$11,316

Cheaper than 65% · #106 cheapest of 377 in California

Student–faculty ratio21 : 1

Lower than 23%

Undergraduate enrollment1,984

Larger than 82%

Percentiles compare Columbia 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

Women1,15258%
Men83242%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

White61%
Black3.8%
Hispanic26%
Asian2.4%
Other or multiracial6.7%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment: 1,984
Student–faculty ratio: 21 : 1
Pell Grant recipients: 28%
First-generation students: 53%
Students over 25: 36%
Median family income: $13,865
Avg faculty salary (academic year): $91,971
Endowment: $2,142,632

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 461 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

From California98%
Other U.S. states2.0%

Most first-years stay in state — Columbia College 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: $1,282
Out-of-state tuition: $9,264
Room & board: —
Books & supplies: $1,062
Total cost of attendance: $19,870
Average net price: $11,316

Outcomes

Graduated: 27%
First-year retention: 58%
Transferred to another college: 7%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry: $32,510
Median earnings, 10 years after entry: $39,035
Median debt at graduation: —
Students with federal loans: 0%

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing: No
Application fee: Free
Athletics: CCCAA
Varsity athletes: 26 (14 men · 12 women)

Varsity sports (2)

Basketball14

Volleyball12

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

Campus safety

Safety grade: A
Reported offenses per 1,000 students: 0.1 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024): 1
Property offenses (2022–2024): 0

Reported offenses in an average year

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

0.3reported offenses a year

0.3 violent a year0 property a year

By offense type, per year

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

$10,095

$30–48k

$10,910

$48–75k

$13,961

$75–110k

$15,762

$110k+

$12,813

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?

Columbia 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): $39,035
Typical debt at graduation: —
Debt vs. one year's pay: —
Out-earn a HS grad: 37%

Weigh it value

The payoff is less clear-cut here — weigh the debt against the earnings and your intended field before borrowing heavily.

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

$33,728

Men

$44,417

Men out-earn women by $10,689 (32%) 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: 93°F
Winter low: 32°F
Annual rain: 32.8″

Average temperature

HighLow

Average precipitation (inches)

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Sonora, CA US station (4.4 mi from campus).

What Columbia College graduates study — and earn

Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssoc.

105 grads— 1 yr$39k 5 yr— debt

105—$39,029—Fire ProtectionCert.

68 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

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

50 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

50———Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, GeneralAssoc.

47 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

47———Psychology, GeneralAssoc.

27 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

27———Culinary Arts and Related ServicesCert.

26 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

26———Fire ProtectionAssoc.

20 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

20———Biological and Physical SciencesAssoc.

16 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

16———Business Administration, Management and OperationsAssoc.

14 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

14———Natural Resources Conservation and ResearchAssoc.

13 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

13———Geography and CartographyCert.

13 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

13———Human Development, Family Studies, and Related ServicesAssoc.

12 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

12———

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 Columbia College

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

Feather River Community College District

Public

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Students: 1,828
Tuition: $1k
Transfer: 21%
Earnings: $38k

Coalinga College

Public

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Students: 2,522
Tuition: $1k
Transfer: 12%
Earnings: $38k

Lassen Community College

Public

Susanville, California · Remote town · 76 mi to Reno

Students: 1,741
Tuition: $1k
Transfer: 14%
Earnings: $36k

College of the Siskiyous

Public

Weed, California · Distant rural · 186 mi to Eugene

Students: 1,190
Tuition: $1k
Transfer: 26%
Earnings: $39k

Porterville College

Public

Porterville, California · Small suburb · 47 mi to Bakersfield

Students: 2,834
Tuition: $1k
Transfer: 7%
Earnings: $36k

Lemoore College

Public

Lemoore, California · Fringe rural · 31 mi to Fresno

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

Colleges near Columbia College

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36 mi

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40 mi

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North Adrian's College of Beauty Inc

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41 mi

California Beauty College

Modesto, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 122 students

43 mi

Modesto Junior College

Modesto, CA · Public · Associate · 15,109 students

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California State University-Stanislaus

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43 mi

Stellar Career College

Modesto, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 46 students

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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.