Private for-profit · Community college

South Coast College

Orange, California · Midsize city

0%
Transfer rate: $16,534
Avg net price: 17%
Grad / completion: $44,897
Median earnings

South Coast College is a private for-profit certificate-granting institution in Orange, California (midsize city setting), enrolling 306 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.

Private for-profitSmall · 306 undergradsMidsize cityNear the coast

About Orange, California

Orange is a city located in northern Orange County, California, United States. After the 1769 expedition of Gaspar de Portolá, an expedition out of San Blas, Nayarit, Mexico, led by Father Junípero Serra, named the area Vallejo de Santa Ana (Valley of Saint Anne). The Orange International Street Fair has occurred annually over Labor Day Weekend in Downtown Orange since 1973. The fair draws an average of 400,000 in attendance every year. (Wikipedia)

Setting: Midsize city
Highest degree offered: Associate
Nearest big city: 28 miles to Los Angeles, CA
To the ocean: 12 miles
Nearest airport: 8 miles to John Wayne Orange County (SNA) · major hub

How South Coast College compares

Graduation rate17%

Higher than 3% · #381 of 382 in California

First-year retention50%

Higher than 11%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$44,897

Higher than 83% · #74 of 326 in California

Average net price$16,534

Cheaper than 45% · #165 cheapest of 377 in California

Median debt at graduation$20,938

Lower than 5%

Student–faculty ratio15 : 1

Lower than 56%

Undergraduate enrollment306

Larger than 53%

Percentiles compare South Coast 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

Women26687%
Men4013%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

White26%
Black4.3%
Hispanic51%
Asian7.8%
Other or multiracial11%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment: 306
Student–faculty ratio: 15 : 1
Pell Grant recipients: 56%
First-generation students: 46%
Students over 25: 84%
Median family income: $25,000
Avg faculty salary (academic year): $71,622

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Cost

In-state tuition: $13,494
Room & board: —
Books & supplies: $590
Total cost of attendance: $18,982
Average net price: $16,534

Outcomes

Graduated: 17%
First-year retention: 50%
Transferred to another college: 0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry: $38,599
Median earnings, 10 years after entry: $44,897
Median debt at graduation: $20,938
Students with federal loans: 93%
Paying down their loans (1 year in): 32%

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing: No
Application fee: $99

Campus safety

Safety grade: A
Reported offenses per 1,000 students: 0.0 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024): 0
Property offenses (2022–2024): 0

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

—

$30–48k

$11,637

$48–75k

$18,982

$75–110k

—

$110k+

$18,982

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.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years): $44,897
Typical debt at graduation: $20,938
Debt vs. one year's pay: 47%
Out-earn a HS grad: 57%

Typical debt would take roughly 4.7 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

$43,800

Men

$44,607

Men out-earn women by $807 (2%) 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: 85°F
Winter low: 48°F
Annual rain: 12.5″

Average temperature

HighLow

Average precipitation (inches)

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Santa Ana Fire Stn, CA US station (3.1 mi from campus).

What South Coast College graduates study — and earn

Legal Support ServicesCert.

11 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

11———Legal Support ServicesAssoc.

9 grads$45k 1 yr$64k 5 yr— debt

9$44,536$64,450—Allied Health and Medical Assisting ServicesCert.

5 grads— 1 yr$36k 5 yr— debt

5—$35,548—

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 South Coast College

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

California Nurses Educational Institute

For-profit

Rancho Mirage, California · Large suburb · 58 mi to Riverside

Students: 200
Tuition: —
Transfer: 0%
Earnings: $47k

Platt College-Riverside

For-profit

Riverside, California · Large city · 6 mi to Riverside

Students: 413
Tuition: $15k
Transfer: 0%
Earnings: $41k

Concorde Career College-Garden Grove

For-profit

Garden Grove, California · Large suburb · 26 mi to Los Angeles

Students: 214
Tuition: —
Transfer: 0%
Earnings: $46k

Platt College-Ontario

For-profit

Ontario, California · Midsize city · 13 mi to Riverside

Students: 500
Tuition: $15k
Transfer: 0%
Earnings: $41k

Platt College-Anaheim

For-profit

Anaheim, California · Large city · 27 mi to Los Angeles

Students: 498
Tuition: $15k
Transfer: 0%
Earnings: $41k

Concorde Career College-San Bernardino

For-profit

San Bernardino, California · Midsize city · 8 mi to Riverside

Students: 222
Tuition: —
Transfer: 0%
Earnings: $40k

Colleges near South Coast College

The Chicago School at Anaheim

Anaheim, CA · Private nonprofit · Graduate

1 mi

Chapman University

Orange, CA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 7,478 students

1 mi

Platt College-Anaheim

Anaheim, CA · Private for-profit · Associate · 498 students

1 mi

Thanh Le College School of Cosmetology

Garden Grove, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 43 students

2 mi

Trinity Law School

Santa Ana, CA · Private nonprofit · Graduate

2 mi

California Career Institute

Anaheim, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 628 students

2 mi

Santa Ana College

Santa Ana, CA · Public · Certificate · 22,485 students

2 mi

Santa Ana Beauty College

Santa Ana, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 99 students

2 mi

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.