Public · Community college

Riverside City College

Riverside, California · Large city

8%
Transfer rate
$8,377
Avg net price
37%
Grad / completion
$41,091
Median earnings

Riverside City College is a public associate-granting institution in Riverside, California (large city setting), enrolling 18,346 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicLarge · 18,346 undergradsLarge cityCCCAA

About Riverside, California

Riverside is a city in and the county seat of Riverside County, California, United States. In the late 18th century and the early 19th century, the area was inhabited by Cahuilla and the Serrano people. Californios such as Bernardo Yorba and Juan Bandini established ranches during the first half of the 19th century. Entomology Research Museum at the University of California, Riverside (not open to the public). (Wikipedia)

Setting
Large city
Highest degree offered
Associate
Nearest big city
1 mile to Riverside, CA
To the ocean
38 miles
Nearest airport
12 miles to San Bernardino (SBD) · major hub

How Riverside City College compares

Graduation rate37%

Higher than 21% · #319 of 382 in California

First-year retention70%

Higher than 44%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$41,091

Higher than 73% · #120 of 326 in California

Average net price$8,377

Cheaper than 77% · #81 cheapest of 377 in California

Median debt at graduation$8,000

Lower than 73%

Student–faculty ratio26 : 1

Lower than 9%

Undergraduate enrollment18,346

Larger than 99%

Percentiles compare Riverside 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

18,346undergrads
  • Women11,05360%
  • Men7,29340%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White13%
  • Black7.0%
  • Hispanic68%
  • Asian6.3%
  • Other or multiracial5.8%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
18,346
Student–faculty ratio
26 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
34%
First-generation students
56%
Students over 25
26%
Median family income
$19,200
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$134,190
Endowment
$7,189,180

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 4,212 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From California98%
  • Other U.S. states1.2%
  • International0.9%

Most first-years stay in state — Riverside 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
$1,428
Out-of-state tuition
$12,498
Room & board
Books & supplies
$1,454
Total cost of attendance
$16,911
Average net price
$8,377

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
37%
First-year retention
70%
Transferred to another college
8%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$32,779
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$41,091
Median debt at graduation
$8,000
Students with federal loans
1%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
35%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
37%
Low-income (Pell)
8%
First-generation
9%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
No
Application fee
Free
Athletics
CCCAA
Varsity athletes
504 (340 men · 164 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 (12)

Track and Field (Outdoor)121
Football107
Cross Country47
Swimming and Diving (combined)46
Baseball41
Water Polo38
Basketball25
Tennis22
Volleyball20
Softball18
Beach Volleyball10
Golf9

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.5 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
4
Property offenses (2022–2024)
31

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (21,730 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.

12reported offenses a year
1.3 violent a year10 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
5.7
Motor vehicle theft
4.7
Robbery
1.0
Aggravated assault
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
$6,931
$30–48k
$7,371
$48–75k
$10,221
$75–110k
$12,755
$110k+
$13,880

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.

2%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$1,801
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 2% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $1,801. 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 1,848 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)
$41,091
Typical debt at graduation
$8,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
19%
Out-earn a HS grad
42%

Typical debt would take roughly 1.9 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
$37,768
Men
$45,740

Men out-earn women by $7,972 (21%) 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
97°F
Winter low
43°F
Annual rain
9.9″

Average temperature

HighLow
30°70°110°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.01.32.5JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Riverside Citrus Exp, CA US station (1.3 mi from campus).

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 Riverside City College

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

Colleges near Riverside City College

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.