Public · Community college

Ventura College

Ventura, California · Midsize city

#3 best value in California
7%
Transfer rate
-$982
Avg net price
38%
Grad / completion
$43,430
Median earnings

Ventura College is a public associate-granting institution in Ventura, California (midsize city setting), enrolling 10,150 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicMidsize · 10,150 undergradsMidsize cityCCCAANear the coast

About Ventura, California

Ventura, officially the City of San Buenaventura, is a city in and the county seat of Ventura County, California, United States. Archaeological discoveries in the area suggest that humans have populated the region for at least 10,000–12,000 years. The Majestic Ventura Theater is an early-20th-century landmark in the downtown. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Midsize city
Highest degree offered
Associate
To the ocean
3 miles
Nearest airport
36 miles to Santa Barbara (SBA)

How Ventura College compares

Graduation rate38%

Higher than 24% · #309 of 382 in California

First-year retention74%

Higher than 53%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$43,430

Higher than 80% · #85 of 326 in California

Average net price-$982

Cheaper than 99% · #3 cheapest of 377 in California

Median debt at graduation$13,876

Lower than 18%

Student–faculty ratio29 : 1

Lower than 6%

Undergraduate enrollment10,150

Larger than 96%

Percentiles compare Ventura 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

10,150undergrads
  • Women5,66456%
  • Men4,48644%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White21%
  • Black1.9%
  • Hispanic67%
  • Asian4.4%
  • Other or multiracial6.6%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
10,150
Student–faculty ratio
29 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
26%
First-generation students
57%
Students over 25
27%
Median family income
$22,348
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$97,173

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 2,281 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From California99%
  • Other U.S. states1.1%

Most first-years stay in state — Ventura College draws overwhelmingly from California.

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
$1,426
Out-of-state tuition
$9,615
Room & board
Books & supplies
$1,062
Total cost of attendance
$9,306
Average net price
-$982

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
38%
First-year retention
74%
Transferred to another college
7%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$34,084
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$43,430
Median debt at graduation
$13,876
Students with federal loans
1%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
25%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
38%
Low-income (Pell)
9%
First-generation
9%

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
462 (302 men · 160 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 (13)

Football114
Track and Field (Outdoor)56
Baseball42
Swimming and Diving (combined)39
Water Polo37
Soccer35
Tennis29
Basketball28
Volleyball20
Cross Country18
Beach Volleyball16
Golf14
Softball14

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
A
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.3 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
4
Property offenses (2022–2024)
6

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 2 campuses (12,222 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.

3.3reported offenses a year
1.3 violent a year2.0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Motor vehicle theft
1.7
Robbery
0.7
Fondling
0.3
Statutory rape
0.3
Burglary
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
-$1,913
$30–48k
-$2,393
$48–75k
$524
$75–110k
$4,165
$110k+
$6,577

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.

1%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$875
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 1% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $875. 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 1,190 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)
$43,430
Typical debt at graduation
$13,876
Debt vs. one year's pay
32%
Out-earn a HS grad
47%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.2 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
$40,264
Men
$48,277

Men out-earn women by $8,013 (20%) 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
74°F
Winter low
46°F
Annual rain
12.9″
Annual snow
0.1″

Average temperature

HighLow
40°60°80°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.01.63.3JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Oxnard Ventura CO AP, CA US station (5.5 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 Ventura College

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

Colleges near Ventura College

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.