Public · Community college

Mendocino College

Ukiah, California · Fringe rural

16%
Transfer rate: $8,330
Avg net price: 25%
Grad / completion: $40,243
Median earnings

Mendocino College is a public associate-granting institution in Ukiah, California (fringe rural setting), enrolling 2,870 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicMidsize · 2,870 undergradsFringe ruralCCCAA

About Ukiah, California

Ukiah is the county seat of and the largest city in Mendocino County, in the North Coast region of California. The modern area of Ukiah derives its name from the Pomo village (band) of Yokáya, meaning "deep valley" or "south valley". "Ukiah" is the name and subject of a song on the 1973 Doobie Brothers album The Captain and Me. (Wikipedia)

Setting: Fringe rural
Highest degree offered: Associate
Nearest big city: 102 miles to Sacramento, CA
To the ocean: 26 miles
Nearest airport: 52 miles to Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County (STS)

How Mendocino College compares

#97 · Cheapest Community Colleges

Graduation rate25%

Higher than 8% · #371 of 382 in California

First-year retention63%

Higher than 29%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$40,243

Higher than 69% · #130 of 326 in California

Average net price$8,330

Cheaper than 77% · #78 cheapest of 377 in California

Median debt at graduation$10,836

Lower than 37%

Student–faculty ratio16 : 1

Lower than 49%

Undergraduate enrollment2,870

Larger than 85%

Percentiles compare Mendocino 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

Women1,75761%
Men1,11339%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

White37%
Black2.0%
Hispanic38%
Asian3.2%
Other or multiracial20%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment: 2,870
Student–faculty ratio: 16 : 1
Pell Grant recipients: 28%
First-generation students: 54%
Students over 25: 43%
Median family income: $16,089
Avg faculty salary (academic year): $125,136
Endowment: $12,736,071

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 374 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

From California94%
Other U.S. states5.1%
International1.1%

Most first-years stay in state — Mendocino 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: $1,423
Out-of-state tuition: $10,003
Room & board: —
Books & supplies: $1,080
Total cost of attendance: $17,544
Average net price: $8,330

Outcomes

Graduated: 25%
First-year retention: 63%
Transferred to another college: 16%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry: $33,313
Median earnings, 10 years after entry: $40,243
Median debt at graduation: $10,836
Students with federal loans: 3%
Paying down their loans (1 year in): 18%

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing: No
Application fee: Free
Athletics: CCCAA
Varsity athletes: 135 (79 men · 56 women)

Varsity sports (6)

Soccer45

Baseball27

Basketball26

Softball15

Cross Country13

Volleyball9

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): 0
Property offenses (2022–2024): 1

Reported offenses in an average year

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

0.3reported offenses a year

0 violent a year0.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary

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

$7,306

$30–48k

$5,869

$48–75k

$10,025

$75–110k

$13,673

$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?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

32%

of first-years get a grant from the school

$704

average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 32% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $704. 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 121 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): $40,243
Typical debt at graduation: $10,836
Debt vs. one year's pay: 27%
Out-earn a HS grad: 38%

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

$37,695

Men

$45,299

Men out-earn women by $7,604 (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: 91°F
Winter low: 36°F
Annual rain: 38.9″

Average temperature

HighLow

Average precipitation (inches)

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Ukiah, CA US station (3.1 mi from campus).

What Mendocino College graduates study — and earn

Health/Medical Preparatory ProgramsAssoc.

65 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

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

63 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

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

56 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

56———Business Administration, Management and OperationsAssoc.

40 grads$49k 1 yr$42k 5 yr$20k debt

40$49,145$42,458$20,000 Human Development, Family Studies, and Related ServicesAssoc.

28 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

28———Accounting and Related ServicesAssoc.

25 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

25———Psychology, GeneralAssoc.

23 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

23———Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingAssoc.

23 grads$113k 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

23$113,261——Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssoc.

13 grads— 1 yr$45k 5 yr— debt

13—$44,665—Criminal Justice and CorrectionsAssoc.

13 grads— 1 yr$71k 5 yr— debt

13—$71,345—Human Services, GeneralAssoc.

11 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

11———Business Administration, Management and OperationsCert.

11 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

11———

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 Mendocino College

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

Woodland Community College

Public

Woodland, California · Small suburb · 14 mi to Sacramento

Students: 3,154
Tuition: $1k
Transfer: 6%
Earnings: $40k

Berkeley City College

Public

Berkeley, California · Midsize city · 10 mi to San Francisco

Students: 4,456
Tuition: $1k
Transfer: 19%
Earnings: $41k

Lemoore College

Public

Lemoore, California · Fringe rural · 31 mi to Fresno

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

College of Alameda

Public

Alameda, California · Large suburb · 8 mi to San Francisco

Students: 4,487
Tuition: $1k
Transfer: 11%
Earnings: $43k

Coalinga College

Public

Coalinga, California · Remote town · 52 mi to Fresno

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

Lake Tahoe Community College

Public

South Lake Tahoe, California · Fringe rural · 43 mi to Reno

Students: 3,660
Tuition: $1k
Transfer: 13%
Earnings: $37k

Colleges near Mendocino College

Ukiah Adult School

Ukiah, CA · Public · Certificate · 34 students

2 mi

Lytles Redwood Empire Beauty College

Santa Rosa, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 86 students

53 mi

Santa Rosa Junior College

Santa Rosa, CA · Public · Certificate · 15,080 students

58 mi

Pacific Union College

Angwin, CA · Private nonprofit · Associate · 805 students

60 mi

Sonoma State University

Rohnert Park, CA · Public · Bachelor's · 5,166 students

66 mi

Meridian University

Petaluma, CA · Private for-profit · Graduate

73 mi

Napa Valley College

Napa, CA · Public · Associate · 3,813 students

82 mi

California State University-Chico

Chico, CA · Public · Bachelor's · 13,631 students

83 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.