Public · Community college
Monterey Peninsula College
Monterey, California · Midsize suburb
- 12%
- Transfer rate
- $11,373
- Avg net price
- 40%
- Grad / completion
- $42,176
- Median earnings
Monterey Peninsula College is a public associate-granting institution in Monterey, California (midsize suburb setting), enrolling 5,624 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). Admission is open to all applicants.
About Monterey, California
Monterey is a city on the southern edge of Monterey Bay, on the Central Coast of California. Long before the arrival of Spanish explorers, the Rumsen Ohlone tribe, one of seven linguistically distinct Ohlone groups in California, inhabited the area now known as Monterey. Monterey is well known for the abundance and diversity of its marine life, which includes sea lions, sea otters, harbor seals, bat rays, kelp forests, pelicans and dolphins and several species of whales. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Midsize suburb
- Highest degree offered
- Associate
- Nearest big city
- 52 miles to San Jose, CA
- To the ocean
- 1 mile
- Nearest airport
- 2 miles to Monterey (MRY)
How Monterey Peninsula College compares
Higher than 25% · #303 of 382 in California
Higher than 41%
Higher than 77% · #104 of 326 in California
Cheaper than 65% · #108 cheapest of 377 in California
Lower than 18%
Larger than 92%
Percentiles compare Monterey Peninsula 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
- Women3,21157%
- Men2,41343%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White29%
- Black2.9%
- Hispanic51%
- Asian7.2%
- Other or multiracial9.8%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 5,624
- Student–faculty ratio
- 23 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 19%
- First-generation students
- 54%
- Students over 25
- 39%
- Median family income
- $20,553
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $104,607
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 953 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From California94%
- Other U.S. states4.5%
- International1.2%
Most first-years stay in state — Monterey Peninsula 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
- $1,188
- Out-of-state tuition
- $10,572
- Room & board
- —
- Books & supplies
- $1,065
- Total cost of attendance
- $19,605
- Average net price
- $11,373
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
- 40%
- First-year retention
- 68%
- Transferred to another college
- 12%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $34,496
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $42,176
- Median debt at graduation
- —
- Students with federal loans
- 1%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 24%
Campus life & athletics
- On-campus housing
- No
- Application fee
- Free
- Athletics
- CCCAA
- Varsity athletes
- 251 (184 men · 67 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 (9)
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)
- 1
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 14
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 3 campuses (7,173 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: 10% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $1,162. 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 492 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)
- $42,176
- Typical debt at graduation
- —
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- —
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 43%
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 $11,156 (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
- 71°F
- Winter low
- 44°F
- Annual rain
- 20.4″
- Annual snow
- 0.3″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Monterey, CA US station (1.1 mi from campus).
What Monterey Peninsula 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 Monterey Peninsula College
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Monterey Peninsula College side by side →
Crafton Hills College
Yucaipa, California · Large suburb · 16 mi to Riverside
- Students
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- Tuition
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- Transfer
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- Earnings
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Los Angeles Harbor College
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- Transfer
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College of Marin
Kentfield, California · Large suburb · 14 mi to San Francisco
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- Tuition
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- Transfer
- 17%
- Earnings
- $43k
Contra Costa College
San Pablo, California · Large suburb · 14 mi to San Francisco
- Students
- 5,203
- Tuition
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- Transfer
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Merritt College
Oakland, California · Large city · 14 mi to San Francisco
- Students
- 5,288
- Tuition
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- Transfer
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- Earnings
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Berkeley City College
Berkeley, California · Midsize city · 10 mi to San Francisco
- Students
- 4,456
- Tuition
- $1k
- Transfer
- 19%
- Earnings
- $41k
Colleges near Monterey Peninsula College
Naval Postgraduate School
Monterey, CA · Public · Graduate
Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey
Monterey, CA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 4 students
California State University-Monterey Bay
Seaside, CA · Public · Bachelor's · 6,819 students
Hartnell College
Salinas, CA · Public · Associate · 9,453 students
Waynes College of Beauty
Salinas, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 46 students
Central Coast College
Salinas, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 569 students
CET-Salinas
Salinas, CA · Private nonprofit · Certificate · 171 students
CET-Watsonville
Watsonville, CA · Private nonprofit · Certificate · 142 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.