Private nonprofit · College

Saint Mary's College of California

Moraga, California · Large suburb

86.5%
Admit rate
$30,378
Avg net price
70%
Graduation rate
$78,812
Median earnings

Saint Mary's College of California is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Moraga, California (large suburb setting), enrolling 1,947 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). It has a Roman Catholic religious affiliation.

Private nonprofitSmall · 1,947 undergradsLarge suburbAccessible · 87% admitNCAA Division I without footballNear the coast

About Moraga, California

Moraga is a town in Contra Costa County, California, United States. The land now called Moraga was first inhabited by the Saklan people, who belonged to the Bay Miwok language group. The Moraga Library of the Contra Costa County Library is located along Saint Marys Road in Moraga. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Large suburb
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To the ocean
8 miles
Nearest airport
10 miles to Oakland San Francisco Bay (OAK) · major hub

How Saint Mary's College of California compares

Selectivity86.5%

More selective than 32% · #71 most selective of 107 in California

Graduation rate70%

Higher than 78% · #42 of 122 in California

First-year retention85%

Higher than 77%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$78,812

Higher than 91% · #34 of 130 in California

Average net price$30,378

Cheaper than 15% · #76 cheapest of 118 in California

Median debt at graduation$23,691

Lower than 47%

Student–faculty ratio10 : 1

Lower than 76%

Undergraduate enrollment1,947

Larger than 57%

Percentiles compare Saint Mary's College of California with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in California.

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

2,727students
  • Undergraduate1,94771%
  • Graduate78029%

Undergraduates by gender

1,947undergrads
  • Women1,22663%
  • Men72137%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White37%
  • Black4.9%
  • Hispanic33%
  • Asian8.3%
  • Other or multiracial16%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
1,947
Graduate enrollment
780
Student–faculty ratio
10 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
27%
First-generation students
26%
Students over 25
6%
Median family income
$72,847
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$102,861
Endowment
$178,878,000

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 503 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From California85%
  • Other U.S. states12%
  • International3.2%

Most first-years stay in state — Saint Mary's College of California draws overwhelmingly from California.

3% 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.

Admissions

Admission rate
86.5%
Test scores
Not considered
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite

Cost

In-state tuition
$57,803
Room & board
$17,600
Books & supplies
$1,062
Total cost of attendance
$77,659
Average net price
$30,378

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 (within 6 years)
70%
Graduated on time (4 years)
62%
First-year retention
85%
Transferred to another college
7%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$60,388
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$78,812
Median debt at graduation
$23,691
Students with federal loans
42%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
71%

About 8% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
62%
Low-income (Pell)
63%
First-generation
65%

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
Yes
Dorm capacity
1,511
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
78%
Application fee
$60
Athletics
NCAA Division I without football
Varsity athletes
470 (208 men · 262 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)

Soccer74
Cross Country69
Track and Field (Outdoor)63
Track and Field (Indoor)62
Rowing41
Baseball40
Basketball30
Softball27
Beach Volleyball19
Tennis18
Volleyball16
Golf11

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
C
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
2.4 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
10
Property offenses (2022–2024)
10

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (2,734 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.

6.7reported offenses a year
3.3 violent a year3.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
2.3
Burglary
1.3
Motor vehicle theft
1.3
Fondling
0.7
Arson
0.7
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
$19,462
$30–48k
$20,127
$48–75k
$23,303
$75–110k
$29,049
$110k+
$40,581

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.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$97,120

$23,303/year × about 4.2 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

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.

100%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$38,166
average award, among those who get one

Saint Mary's College of California discounts heavily: 100% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $38,166. For many families the real price lands well below sticker.

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 444 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)
$78,812
Typical debt at graduation
$23,691
Debt vs. one year's pay
30%
Out-earn a HS grad
73%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.0 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
$75,602
Men
$84,337

Men out-earn women by $8,735 (12%) 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
76°F
Winter low
43°F
Annual rain
26.1″

Average temperature

HighLow
30°60°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.65.3JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Berkeley, CA US station (8.6 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 Saint Mary's College of California

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Saint Mary's College of California side by side →

Colleges near Saint Mary's College of California

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.