Public · Community college
Sierra College
Rocklin, California · Large suburb
- 11%
- Transfer rate
- $7,245
- Avg net price
- 42%
- Grad / completion
- $45,294
- Median earnings
Sierra College is a public associate-granting institution in Rocklin, California (large suburb setting), enrolling 14,122 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). Admission is open to all applicants.
About Rocklin, California
Rocklin is a city in Placer County, California, United States, about 22 miles (35 km) northeast of Sacramento and about 6.1 miles (9.8 km) northeast of Roseville in the Sacramento metropolitan area. Before the California Gold Rush, the Nisenan Maidu occupied both permanent villages and temporary summer shelters along the rivers and streams that miners sifted, sluiced, dredged, and dammed to remove the gold. Granite mining ended in 2004 in Rocklin. Top Rocklin employers include large multinational corporations, retail outlets, education, and government. As of 2016, Rocklin had an estimated civilian work force of 30,100 with an unemployment rate of 4.4%. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Large suburb
- Highest degree offered
- Associate
- Nearest big city
- 21 miles to Sacramento, CA
- To the ocean
- 51 miles
- Nearest airport
- 21 miles to Sacramento (SMF) · major hub
How Sierra College compares
Higher than 28% · #288 of 382 in California
Higher than 49%
Higher than 84% · #69 of 326 in California
Cheaper than 81% · #68 cheapest of 377 in California
Lower than 42%
Lower than 12%
Larger than 98%
Percentiles compare Sierra 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
- Women8,27159%
- Men5,85141%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White53%
- Black3.4%
- Hispanic24%
- Asian8.9%
- Other or multiracial11%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 14,122
- Student–faculty ratio
- 25 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 22%
- First-generation students
- 45%
- Students over 25
- 24%
- Median family income
- $17,349
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $83,745
- Endowment
- $13,384,858
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 2,489 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From California98%
- Other U.S. states0.7%
- International1.2%
Most first-years stay in state — Sierra 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
- $1,446
- Room & board
- $13,631
- Books & supplies
- $1,792
- Total cost of attendance
- $17,002
- Average net price
- $7,245
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
- 42%
- First-year retention
- 72%
- Transferred to another college
- 11%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $35,054
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $45,294
- Median debt at graduation
- $10,500
- Students with federal loans
- 2%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 26%
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
- Yes
- Dorm capacity
- 120
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 1%
- Application fee
- Free
- Athletics
- CCCAA
- Varsity athletes
- 420 (267 men · 153 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 (14)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- A
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 0.1 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 2
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 4
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 4 campuses (19,125 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: 3% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $434. 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 1,601 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)
- $45,294
- Typical debt at graduation
- $10,500
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 23%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 45%
Typical debt would take roughly 2.3 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 $12,020 (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
- 93°F
- Winter low
- 37°F
- Annual rain
- 36.1″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Auburn, CA US station (10.6 mi from campus).
What Sierra 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 Sierra College
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Sierra College side by side →
City College of San Francisco
San Francisco, California · Large city · 4 mi to San Francisco
- Students
- 17,348
- Tuition
- $2k
- Transfer
- 8%
- Earnings
- $46k
Orange Coast College
Costa Mesa, California · Midsize city · 33 mi to Los Angeles
- Students
- 16,091
- Tuition
- $1k
- Transfer
- 12%
- Earnings
- $47k
Santa Rosa Junior College
Santa Rosa, California · Midsize city · 50 mi to San Francisco
- Students
- 15,080
- Tuition
- $1k
- Transfer
- 10%
- Earnings
- $47k
MiraCosta College
Oceanside, California · Large suburb · 34 mi to San Diego
- Students
- 10,278
- Tuition
- $1k
- Transfer
- 10%
- Earnings
- $44k
San Diego Mesa College
San Diego, California · Large city · 6 mi to San Diego
- Students
- 16,098
- Tuition
- $1k
- Transfer
- 16%
- Earnings
- $45k
Fullerton College
Fullerton, California · Large suburb · 22 mi to Los Angeles
- Students
- 17,121
- Tuition
- $1k
- Transfer
- 8%
- Earnings
- $43k
Colleges near Sierra College
William Jessup University
Rocklin, CA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,294 students
Hoss Lee Academy
Roseville, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 112 students
Medical Career College of Northern California
Roseville, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 14 students
Citrus Heights Beauty College
Citrus Heights, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 114 students
National Career Education
Citrus Heights, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 515 students
Folsom Lake College
Folsom, CA · Public · Associate · 9,414 students
MTI College
Sacramento, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 2,000 students
American River College
Sacramento, CA · Public · Associate · 25,621 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.