Public · Community college
Mission College
Santa Clara, California · Midsize city
- 5%
- Transfer rate
- $5,080
- Avg net price
- 39%
- Grad / completion
- $50,936
- Median earnings
Mission College is a public associate-granting institution in Santa Clara, California (midsize city setting), enrolling 5,784 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). Admission is open to all applicants.
About Santa Clara, California
Santa Clara is a city in Santa Clara County, California, United States. Prior to the arrival of Europeans in the 18th century, the Tamien tribe of the Ohlone nation of Indigenous Californians had inhabited the area for several millennia. Santa Clara is also home to California's Great America, an amusement park currently operated by Six Flags. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Midsize city
- Highest degree offered
- Associate
- Nearest big city
- 6 miles to San Jose, CA
- To the ocean
- 5 miles
- Nearest airport
- 3 miles to Norman Y. Mineta San Jose (SJC) · major hub
How Mission College compares
Higher than 25% · #306 of 382 in California
Higher than 51%
Higher than 91% · #37 of 326 in California
Cheaper than 91% · #35 cheapest of 377 in California
Lower than 9%
Larger than 93%
Percentiles compare Mission 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
- Women3,40559%
- Men2,37941%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White12%
- Black3.8%
- Hispanic36%
- Asian36%
- Other or multiracial12%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 5,784
- Student–faculty ratio
- 26 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 16%
- First-generation students
- 56%
- Students over 25
- 44%
- Median family income
- $15,691
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $137,097
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $1,438
- Out-of-state tuition
- $12,500
- Room & board
- —
- Books & supplies
- $1,188
- Total cost of attendance
- $13,744
- Average net price
- $5,080
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
- 39%
- First-year retention
- 73%
- Transferred to another college
- 5%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $44,004
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $50,936
- Median debt at graduation
- —
- Students with federal loans
- 0%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 42%
Campus life & athletics
- On-campus housing
- No
- Application fee
- Free
- Athletics
- CCCAA
- Varsity athletes
- 21 (0 men · 21 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
- B
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 0.7 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 2
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 13
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (6,909 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.
Reported offenses in an average year
The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.
By offense type, per year
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.
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: 36% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $986. 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 355 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)
- $50,936
- Typical debt at graduation
- —
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- —
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 51%
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 $13,717 (30%) 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
- 78°F
- Winter low
- 42°F
- Annual rain
- 13.4″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Moffett Federal Airfield, CA US station (3.8 mi from campus).
What Mission 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 Mission College
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Mission College side by side →
Las Positas College
Livermore, California · Small city · 26 mi to San Jose
- Students
- 7,299
- Tuition
- $1k
- Transfer
- 15%
- Earnings
- $51k
Norco College
Norco, California · Large suburb · 12 mi to Riverside
- Students
- 8,779
- Tuition
- $1k
- Transfer
- 9%
- Earnings
- $51k
Gavilan College
Gilroy, California · Fringe rural · 31 mi to San Jose
- Students
- 4,786
- Tuition
- $2k
- Transfer
- 8%
- Earnings
- $47k
Moreno Valley College
Moreno Valley, California · Large suburb · 12 mi to Riverside
- Students
- 9,346
- Tuition
- $1k
- Transfer
- 6%
- Earnings
- $52k
West Valley College
Saratoga, California · Large suburb · 8 mi to San Jose
- Students
- 6,416
- Tuition
- $0
- Transfer
- 10%
- Earnings
- $52k
Solano Community College
Fairfield, California · Midsize suburb · 36 mi to San Francisco
- Students
- 8,061
- Tuition
- $1k
- Transfer
- 9%
- Earnings
- $44k
Colleges near Mission College
University of East-West Medicine
Sunnyvale, CA · Private for-profit · Graduate
Institute for Business and Technology
San Jose, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 765 students
University of Silicon Valley
San Jose, CA · Private for-profit · Bachelor's · 455 students
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara, CA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 6,552 students
Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts
San Jose, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 3,421 students
San Jose City College
San Jose, CA · Public · Associate · 7,105 students
De Anza College
Cupertino, CA · Public · Associate · 15,264 students
Aviation Institute of Maintenance-Fremont
Fremont, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 343 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.