Public · Community college

Long Beach City College

Long Beach, California · Large city

10%
Transfer rate: $6,202
Avg net price: 30%
Grad / completion: $38,870
Median earnings

Long Beach City College is a public certificate-granting institution in Long Beach, California (large city setting), enrolling 22,427 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicLarge · 22,427 undergradsLarge cityCCCAANear the coast

About Long Beach, California

Long Beach is a coastal city in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. By the 16th-century arrival of Spanish explorers, the dominant group was the Tongva, who had established at least three major settlements within the present-day city. The Long Beach Museum of Art, sited in the historic Elizabeth Milbank Anderson residence, is owned by the City of Long Beach, and operated by the Long Beach Museum of Art Foundation. (Wikipedia)

Setting: Large city
Highest degree offered: Associate
Nearest big city: 16 miles to Los Angeles, CA
To the ocean: 5 miles
Nearest airport: 1 mile to Long Beach (LGB) · major hub

How Long Beach City College compares

Graduation rate30%

Higher than 12% · #358 of 382 in California

First-year retention71%

Higher than 46%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$38,870

Higher than 65% · #159 of 326 in California

Average net price$6,202

Cheaper than 86% · #51 cheapest of 377 in California

Median debt at graduation$10,500

Lower than 42%

Student–faculty ratio29 : 1

Lower than 6%

Undergraduate enrollment22,427

Larger than 99%

Percentiles compare Long Beach City 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

Women12,70957%
Men9,71843%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

White12%
Black12%
Hispanic60%
Asian8.4%
Other or multiracial7.3%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment: 22,427
Student–faculty ratio: 29 : 1
Pell Grant recipients: 37%
First-generation students: 56%
Students over 25: 37%
Median family income: $16,391
Avg faculty salary (academic year): $82,368

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 4,407 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

From California96%
Other U.S. states2.9%
International0.7%

Most first-years stay in state — Long Beach City College draws overwhelmingly from California.

1% came from outside the U.S. 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: $1,556
Out-of-state tuition: $12,544
Room & board: —
Books & supplies: $1,062
Total cost of attendance: $14,503
Average net price: $6,202

Outcomes

Graduated: 30%
First-year retention: 71%
Transferred to another college: 10%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry: $31,118
Median earnings, 10 years after entry: $38,870
Median debt at graduation: $10,500
Students with federal loans: 2%
Paying down their loans (1 year in): 20%

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing: No
Application fee: Free
Athletics: CCCAA
Varsity athletes: 499 (325 men · 174 women)

Varsity sports (11)

Football101

Track and Field (Outdoor)71

Soccer56

Swimming and Diving (combined)52

Volleyball45

Water Polo41

Baseball34

Cross Country31

Basketball28

Softball23

Beach Volleyball17

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

Campus safety

Safety grade: A
Reported offenses per 1,000 students: 0.2 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024): 0
Property offenses (2022–2024): 12

Reported offenses in an average year

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

4.0reported offenses a year

0 violent a year4.0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary

2.0

Motor vehicle theft

2.0

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

$5,505

$30–48k

$5,412

$48–75k

$8,180

$75–110k

$10,042

$110k+

$10,089

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

$955

average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 1% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $955. 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 2,855 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): $38,870
Typical debt at graduation: $10,500
Debt vs. one year's pay: 27%
Out-earn a HS grad: 37%

Typical debt would take roughly 2.7 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

$36,318

Men

$41,865

Men out-earn women by $5,547 (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: 83°F
Winter low: 47°F
Annual rain: 12″

Average temperature

HighLow

Average precipitation (inches)

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Long Beach Daugherty Fld, CA US station (1.6 mi from campus).

What Long Beach City College graduates study — and earn

Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesCert.

1,691 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

1,691———Business Administration, Management and OperationsAssoc.

308 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr$6k debt

308——$6,000 Psychology, GeneralAssoc.

275 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

275———Biology, GeneralAssoc.

205 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

205———Business/Commerce, GeneralCert.

160 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

160———Communication and Media StudiesAssoc.

157 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

157———SociologyAssoc.

157 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

157———Criminal Justice and CorrectionsAssoc.

128 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

128———Human Development, Family Studies, and Related ServicesCert.

101 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

101———Fine and Studio ArtsAssoc.

84 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

84———Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/FitnessAssoc.

75 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

75———Business Operations Support and Assistant ServicesCert.

68 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

68———

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 Long Beach City College

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

El Camino Community College District

Public

Torrance, California · Large suburb · 13 mi to Los Angeles

Students: 19,210
Tuition: $1k
Transfer: 11%
Earnings: $42k

Mt San Jacinto Community College District

Public

San Jacinto, California · Midsize suburb · 26 mi to Riverside

Students: 15,259
Tuition: $1k
Transfer: 8%
Earnings: $38k

American River College

Public

Sacramento, California · Large suburb · 9 mi to Sacramento

Students: 25,621
Tuition: $1k
Transfer: 11%
Earnings: $40k

Fresno City College

Public

Fresno, California · Large city · 2 mi to Fresno

Students: 21,251
Tuition: $1k
Transfer: 6%
Earnings: $37k

Sacramento City College

Public

Sacramento, California · Large city · 3 mi to Sacramento

Students: 17,657
Tuition: $1k
Transfer: 11%
Earnings: $42k

Palomar College

Public

San Marcos, California · Large suburb · 30 mi to San Diego

Students: 17,712
Tuition: $1k
Transfer: 8%
Earnings: $42k

Colleges near Long Beach City College

Universal Technical Institute-Southern California

Long Beach, CA · Private for-profit · Associate · 1,701 students

1 mi

National Polytechnic College

Lakewood, CA · Private for-profit · Associate · 516 students

2 mi

North-West College-Long Beach

Long Beach, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 652 students

2 mi

American University of Health Sciences

Signal Hill, CA · Private for-profit · Bachelor's · 351 students

3 mi

Fremont University

Cerritos, CA · Private for-profit · Associate · 157 students

3 mi

PCI College

Cerritos, CA · Private for-profit · Associate · 149 students

3 mi

California State University-Long Beach

Long Beach, CA · Public · Bachelor's · 35,924 students

4 mi

Healthcare Career College

Paramount, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 447 students

4 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.