Public · Community college
Saddleback College
Mission Viejo, California · Large suburb
- 9%
- Transfer rate
- $4,152
- Avg net price
- 48%
- Grad / completion
- $50,874
- Median earnings
Saddleback College is a public associate-granting institution in Mission Viejo, California (large suburb setting), enrolling 17,684 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). Admission is open to all applicants.
About Mission Viejo, California
Mission Viejo is a commuter city in the Saddleback Valley in Orange County, California, United States. Rancho Mission Viejo was purchased by Don Juan Forster, an English-born Mexican ranchero. During the Mexican–American War, Forster provided fresh horses to United States military forces which were used on the march of San Diego to invade Los Angeles. The Shops at Mission Viejo and the Kaleidoscope Center serve as the city's two main shopping, dining and entertainment centers. Both cater to an upper middle class customer demographic and feature family-oriented facilities and services. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Large suburb
- Highest degree offered
- Associate
- Nearest big city
- 34 miles to Riverside, CA
- To the ocean
- 6 miles
- Nearest airport
- 14 miles to John Wayne Orange County (SNA) · major hub
How Saddleback College compares
Higher than 35% · #261 of 382 in California
Higher than 58%
Higher than 91% · #38 of 326 in California
Cheaper than 94% · #28 cheapest of 377 in California
Lower than 57%
Lower than 8%
Larger than 99%
Percentiles compare Saddleback 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
- Women9,82956%
- Men7,85544%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White42%
- Black2.4%
- Hispanic31%
- Asian13%
- Other or multiracial11%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 17,684
- Student–faculty ratio
- 27 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 15%
- First-generation students
- 41%
- Students over 25
- 31%
- Median family income
- $19,305
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $121,293
- Endowment
- $8,719,449
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 2,933 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From California93%
- Other U.S. states2.3%
- International4.5%
Most first-years stay in state — Saddleback College draws overwhelmingly from California.
5% 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
- $1,156
- Out-of-state tuition
- $11,860
- Room & board
- —
- Books & supplies
- $1,062
- Total cost of attendance
- $13,939
- Average net price
- $4,152
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
- 48%
- First-year retention
- 77%
- Transferred to another college
- 9%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $36,605
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $50,874
- Median debt at graduation
- $9,500
- Students with federal loans
- 1%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 39%
Graduating on time
By student background (4 years)
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
- 374 (249 men · 125 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)
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)
- 1
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 13
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (20,764 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: 2% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $5,348. 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 1,299 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)
- $50,874
- Typical debt at graduation
- $9,500
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 19%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 51%
Typical debt would take roughly 1.9 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
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.
Men out-earn women by $10,473 (23%) 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
- 81°F
- Winter low
- 44°F
- Annual rain
- 12.7″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Laguna Beach, CA US station (6.7 mi from campus).
What Saddleback 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 Saddleback College
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Saddleback College side by side →
College of the Canyons
Santa Clarita, California · Large suburb · 31 mi to Los Angeles
- Students
- 15,832
- Tuition
- $1k
- Transfer
- 11%
- Earnings
- $49k
San Diego Miramar College
San Diego, California · Large city · 14 mi to San Diego
- Students
- 11,271
- Tuition
- $1k
- Transfer
- 12%
- Earnings
- $48k
Norco College
Norco, California · Large suburb · 12 mi to Riverside
- Students
- 8,779
- Tuition
- $1k
- Transfer
- 9%
- Earnings
- $51k
Pasadena City College
Pasadena, California · Midsize city · 10 mi to Los Angeles
- Students
- 21,466
- Tuition
- $1k
- Transfer
- 9%
- Earnings
- $44k
Santa Rosa Junior College
Santa Rosa, California · Midsize city · 50 mi to San Francisco
- Students
- 15,080
- Tuition
- $1k
- Transfer
- 10%
- Earnings
- $47k
San Diego Mesa College
San Diego, California · Large city · 6 mi to San Diego
- Students
- 16,098
- Tuition
- $1k
- Transfer
- 16%
- Earnings
- $45k
Colleges near Saddleback College
Soka University of America
Aliso Viejo, CA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 484 students
University of Massachusetts Global
Aliso Viejo, CA · Public · Bachelor's · 4,491 students
Laguna College of Art and Design
Laguna Beach, CA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 746 students
Irvine Valley College
Irvine, CA · Public · Associate · 10,286 students
Concordia University-Irvine
Irvine, CA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,536 students
University of California-Irvine
Irvine, CA · Public · Bachelor's · 30,197 students
Interior Designers Institute
Newport Beach, CA · Private for-profit · Associate · 97 students
Westcliff University
Irvine, CA · Private for-profit · Bachelor's · 2,363 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.