Private for-profit · Community college
San Joaquin Valley College-Lancaster
Lancaster, California · Large suburb
- 3%
- Transfer rate
- $26,717
- Avg net price
- 57%
- Grad / completion
- $38,317
- Median earnings
San Joaquin Valley College-Lancaster is a private for-profit certificate-granting institution in Lancaster, California (large suburb setting), enrolling 257 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.
About Lancaster, California
Lancaster is a charter city in northern Los Angeles County, in the Antelope Valley of the western Mojave Desert in Southern California, United States. Antelope Valley, the area where Lancaster is now located, was home to the Paiute tribe at the time of first contact with Europeans. Originally founded as the Lancaster Museum/Art Gallery in 1986, the MOAH operates four sites within the city, serving the Antelope Valley, Los Angeles County, and parts of Kern and San Bernardino Counties. The museum contains over 10,000 art pieces about Southern California. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Large suburb
- Highest degree offered
- Associate
- Nearest big city
- 42 miles to Los Angeles, CA
- To the ocean
- 48 miles
- Nearest airport
- 33 miles to Hollywood Burbank/Bob Hope (BUR) · major hub
How San Joaquin Valley College-Lancaster compares
Higher than 44% · #239 of 382 in California
Higher than 65%
Higher than 61% · #170 of 326 in California
Cheaper than 14% · #272 cheapest of 377 in California
Lower than 38%
Lower than 1%
Larger than 50%
Percentiles compare San Joaquin Valley College-Lancaster 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
- Women18672%
- Men7128%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White6.2%
- Black25%
- Hispanic64%
- Other or multiracial5.1%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 257
- Student–faculty ratio
- 51 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 73%
- First-generation students
- 59%
- Students over 25
- 42%
- Median family income
- $15,708
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $55,287
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Cost
- In-state tuition
- —
- Room & board
- —
- Total cost of attendance
- —
- Average net price
- $26,717
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
- 57%
- First-year retention
- 81%
- Transferred to another college
- 3%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $36,007
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $38,317
- Median debt at graduation
- $10,674
- Students with federal loans
- 78%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 24%
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
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%.
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?
San Joaquin Valley College-Lancaster funds essentially no grants of its own — almost all aid here comes from federal (Pell), state, or outside sources rather than the school's own discount. Its sticker price is what it is.
Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid, 2022–23 full-time first-year undergraduates.
Is it worth it?
A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.
- Median earnings (10 years)
- $38,317
- Typical debt at graduation
- $10,674
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 28%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 42%
Typical debt would take roughly 2.8 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 $16,965 (50%) 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
- 98°F
- Winter low
- 32°F
- Annual rain
- 5.9″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Palmdale AP, CA US station (3.9 mi from campus).
What San Joaquin Valley College-Lancaster 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 San Joaquin Valley College-Lancaster
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare San Joaquin Valley College-Lancaster side by side →
San Joaquin Valley College-Rancho Mirage
Rancho Mirage, California · Large suburb · 58 mi to Riverside
- Students
- 305
- Tuition
- —
- Transfer
- 0%
- Earnings
- $38k
San Joaquin Valley College-Rancho Cordova
Rancho Cordova, California · Small city · 12 mi to Sacramento
- Students
- 224
- Tuition
- —
- Transfer
- 0%
- Earnings
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Concorde Career College-San Bernardino
San Bernardino, California · Midsize city · 8 mi to Riverside
- Students
- 222
- Tuition
- —
- Transfer
- 0%
- Earnings
- $40k
San Joaquin Valley College-Trades Education Center
Fresno, California · Large city · 4 mi to Fresno
- Students
- 364
- Tuition
- —
- Transfer
- 0%
- Earnings
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North-West College-Pomona
Pomona, California · Large suburb · 22 mi to Riverside
- Students
- 381
- Tuition
- —
- Transfer
- 0%
- Earnings
- $40k
Concorde Career College-San Diego
San Diego, California · Large city · 4 mi to San Diego
- Students
- 147
- Tuition
- —
- Transfer
- 0%
- Earnings
- $39k
Colleges near San Joaquin Valley College-Lancaster
High Desert Medical College
Lancaster, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 2,245 students
Career Care Institute
Lancaster, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 620 students
Antelope Valley Community College District
Lancaster, CA · Public · Associate · 11,534 students
Lancaster Beauty School
Lancaster, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 150 students
Los Angeles Mission College
Sylmar, CA · Public · Associate · 7,999 students
The Master's University and Seminary
Santa Clarita, CA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,622 students
College of the Canyons
Santa Clarita, CA · Public · Associate · 15,832 students
California Institute of the Arts
Valencia, CA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 860 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.