Public · Community college
Copper Mountain Community College
Joshua Tree, California · Distant rural
- 10%
- Transfer rate
- $9,105
- Avg net price
- 20%
- Grad / completion
- $33,281
- Median earnings
Copper Mountain Community College is a public associate-granting institution in Joshua Tree, California (distant rural setting), enrolling 1,323 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). Admission is open to all applicants.
About Joshua Tree, California
Joshua Tree is a census-designated place in San Bernardino County, California, United States. At approximately 2,700 feet (820 meters) above sea level, Joshua Tree and its surrounding communities are located in the High Desert of California. The center of the business district in Joshua Tree is on California State Route 62. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Distant rural
- Highest degree offered
- Associate
- Nearest big city
- 67 miles to Riverside, CA
- To the ocean
- 93 miles
- Nearest airport
- 27 miles to Palm Springs (PSP) · major hub
How Copper Mountain Community College compares
Higher than 4% · #380 of 382 in California
Higher than 39%
Higher than 44% · #220 of 326 in California
Cheaper than 74% · #86 cheapest of 377 in California
Lower than 39%
Larger than 76%
Percentiles compare Copper Mountain 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
- Women83363%
- Men49037%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White32%
- Black7.6%
- Hispanic44%
- Asian4.3%
- Other or multiracial12%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 1,323
- Student–faculty ratio
- 18 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 44%
- First-generation students
- 53%
- Students over 25
- 44%
- Median family income
- $16,992
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $96,030
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $1,390
- Out-of-state tuition
- $13,570
- Room & board
- —
- Books & supplies
- $1,062
- Total cost of attendance
- $18,216
- Average net price
- $9,105
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
- 20%
- First-year retention
- 67%
- Transferred to another college
- 10%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $28,840
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $33,281
- Median debt at graduation
- —
- Students with federal loans
- 3%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 21%
Campus life & athletics
- On-campus housing
- No
- Application fee
- Free
- Athletics
- CCCAA
- Varsity athletes
- 31 (14 men · 17 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 (2)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- A
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 0.0 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 0
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 0
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (2,019 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.
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?
Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.
Modest institutional aid: 2% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $400. 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 57 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)
- $33,281
- Typical debt at graduation
- —
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- —
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 40%
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.
Men out-earn women by $5,279 (17%) 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
- 102°F
- Winter low
- 36°F
- Annual rain
- 4.4″
- Annual snow
- 0.8″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Joshua Tree, CA US station (3.5 mi from campus).
What Copper Mountain Community College 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 Copper Mountain Community College
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Copper Mountain Community College side by side →
Lassen Community College
Susanville, California · Remote town · 76 mi to Reno
- Students
- 1,741
- Tuition
- $1k
- Transfer
- 14%
- Earnings
- $36k
Feather River Community College District
Quincy, California · Remote rural · 68 mi to Reno
- Students
- 1,828
- Tuition
- $1k
- Transfer
- 21%
- Earnings
- $38k
College of the Siskiyous
Weed, California · Distant rural · 186 mi to Eugene
- Students
- 1,190
- Tuition
- $1k
- Transfer
- 26%
- Earnings
- $39k
Barstow Community College
Barstow, California · Distant town · 65 mi to Riverside
- Students
- 2,657
- Tuition
- $1k
- Transfer
- 8%
- Earnings
- $35k
Coalinga College
Coalinga, California · Remote town · 52 mi to Fresno
- Students
- 2,522
- Tuition
- $1k
- Transfer
- 12%
- Earnings
- $38k
Columbia College
Sonora, California · Fringe rural · 49 mi to Stockton
- Students
- 1,984
- Tuition
- $1k
- Transfer
- 7%
- Earnings
- $39k
Colleges near Copper Mountain Community College
California Nurses Educational Institute
Rancho Mirage, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 200 students
San Joaquin Valley College-Rancho Mirage
Rancho Mirage, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 305 students
Milan Institute-Palm Desert
Palm Desert, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 356 students
California Indian Nations College
Palm Desert, CA · Public · Associate · 142 students
Mayfield College
Cathedral City, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 292 students
College of the Desert
Palm Desert, CA · Public · Certificate · 10,207 students
MJ Barber & Beauty Academy
La Quinta, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 66 students
International School of Beauty Inc
Palm Desert, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 132 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.