Public · Community college

Laney College

Oakland, California · Large city

17%
Transfer rate: $17,110
Avg net price: 31%
Grad / completion: $37,282
Median earnings

Laney College is a public associate-granting institution in Oakland, California (large city setting), enrolling 6,842 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicMidsize · 6,842 undergradsLarge cityCCCAANear the coast

About Oakland, California

Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. The earliest known inhabitants of the area were the Huchiun natives, who lived there for thousands of years. The Huchiun belonged to a linguistic grouping later called the Ohlone (a Miwok word meaning "western people"). In 2013, Oakland was designated as one of America's top twelve art communities, recognizing Downtown (including Uptown), Chinatown, Old Oakland, and Jack London Square as communities "that have most successfully combined art, artists and venues for creativity and expression with independent businesses, retail shops and restaurants, and a walkable lifestyle to make vibrant neighborhoods." (Wikipedia)

Setting: Large city
Highest degree offered: Associate
Nearest big city: 9 miles to San Francisco, CA
To the ocean: 2 miles
Nearest airport: 6 miles to Oakland San Francisco Bay (OAK) · major hub

How Laney College compares

#52 · Cheapest Community Colleges

Graduation rate31%

Higher than 14% · #351 of 382 in California

First-year retention54%

Higher than 14%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$37,282

Higher than 58% · #191 of 326 in California

Average net price$17,110

Cheaper than 43% · #172 cheapest of 377 in California

Student–faculty ratio31 : 1

Lower than 4%

Undergraduate enrollment6,842

Larger than 94%

Percentiles compare Laney 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

Women3,86256%
Men2,98044%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

White19%
Black22%
Hispanic25%
Asian22%
Other or multiracial13%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment: 6,842
Student–faculty ratio: 31 : 1
Pell Grant recipients: 16%
First-generation students: 61%
Students over 25: 46%
Median family income: $10,624
Avg faculty salary (academic year): $108,630

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

Cost

In-state tuition: $1,258
Out-of-state tuition: $9,898
Room & board: —
Books & supplies: $1,492
Total cost of attendance: $25,335
Average net price: $17,110

Outcomes

Graduated: 31%
First-year retention: 54%
Transferred to another college: 17%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry: $30,777
Median earnings, 10 years after entry: $37,282
Median debt at graduation: —
Students with federal loans: 1%
Paying down their loans (1 year in): 17%

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing: No
Application fee: Free
Athletics: CCCAA
Varsity athletes: 157 (115 men · 42 women)

Varsity sports (7)

Football84

Baseball31

Track and Field (Outdoor)11

Basketball10

Swimming9

Water Polo9

Cross Country3

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

Campus safety

Safety grade: A
Reported offenses per 1,000 students: 0.4 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024): 2
Property offenses (2022–2024): 8

Reported offenses in an average year

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

3.3reported offenses a year

0.7 violent a year2.7 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary

1.3

Aggravated assault

0.7

Motor vehicle theft

0.7

Arson

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

$16,549

$30–48k

$16,474

$48–75k

$21,213

$75–110k

$18,321

$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?

Laney 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): $37,282
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

$34,978

Men

$40,090

Men out-earn women by $5,112 (15%) 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: 75°F
Winter low: 45°F
Annual rain: 22.6″

Average temperature

HighLow

Average precipitation (inches)

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Oakland Museum, CA US station (0.1 mi from campus).

What Laney College graduates study — and earn

Social Sciences, GeneralAssoc.

139 grads— 1 yr$47k 5 yr— debt

139—$46,766—Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesCert.

126 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

126———Biological and Physical SciencesAssoc.

71 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

71———Business Administration, Management and OperationsAssoc.

56 grads— 1 yr$65k 5 yr— debt

56—$65,237—English Language and Literature/Letters, OtherAssoc.

40 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

40———MathematicsAssoc.

39 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

39———Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming ServicesCert.

35 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

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

34 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

34———Business Administration, Management and OperationsCert.

30 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

30———Electrical/Electronics Maintenance and Repair Technologies/TechniciansCert.

28 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

28———Accounting and Related ServicesAssoc.

21 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

21———Electromechanical Technologies/TechniciansCert.

20 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

20———

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 Laney College

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

College of the Desert

Public

Palm Desert, California · Small city · 59 mi to Riverside

Students: 10,207
Tuition: $1k
Transfer: 5%
Earnings: $39k

Los Angeles Mission College

Public

Sylmar, California · Large city · 21 mi to Los Angeles

Students: 7,999
Tuition: $1k
Transfer: 8%
Earnings: $40k

San Bernardino Valley College

Public

San Bernardino, California · Midsize city · 8 mi to Riverside

Students: 12,234
Tuition: $1k
Transfer: 8%
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

Palo Verde College

Public

Blythe, California · Distant rural · 149 mi to Phoenix

Students: 3,381
Tuition: $1k
Transfer: 10%
Earnings: $36k

Los Angeles Trade Technical College

Public

Los Angeles, California · Large city · 2 mi to Los Angeles

Students: 9,998
Tuition: $1k
Transfer: 9%
Earnings: $35k

Colleges near Laney College

Lincoln University

Oakland, CA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 204 students

1 mi

Academy of Chinese Culture and Health Sciences

Oakland, CA · Private nonprofit · Graduate

1 mi

College of Alameda

Alameda, CA · Public · Associate · 4,487 students

1 mi

Samuel Merritt University

Oakland, CA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 718 students

2 mi

Moler Barber College

Oakland, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 411 students

2 mi

National Holistic Institute

Emeryville, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 1,258 students

3 mi

Northeastern University Oakland

Oakland, CA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 464 students

5 mi

Acupuncture and Integrative Medicine College-Berkeley

Berkeley, CA · Private nonprofit · Graduate

5 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.