Cerritos College
Norwalk, California · Website
$41,156
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$41,156
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Cerritos College is a public 4-year college in Norwalk, California with 18,870 undergraduates. Its average net price after grants is $2,424 a year (tuition and fees $1,364 in-state, $12,004 out-of-state). 31% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $41,156 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $8,447 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$2,424
US median $17,138
Tuition in-state
$1,364
Out-of-state $12,004
Admission rate
Open
Completion rate
31%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$8,447
About $90 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$41,156
Rank 2,493 of 5,094 in the US
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
Net price by family income
Average yearly cost after grants, for students who get aid
- Net price
- $2,424
- Tuition in-state
- $1,364
- Tuition out-of-state
- $12,004
- Cost of attendance
- $10,236
- Students with a need-based grant
- 36%
- Students with federal loans
- 2.6%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $1,538
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $1,784
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $3,774
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $6,599
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $7,901
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2015-16 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $1,346 in 2015-16 to $1,364 in 2024-25.
Admission, completion and retention
Share of applicants admitted, of students who finish and of first-year students who come back
Admission and students
- Admission rate
- Open admission
- Undergraduates
- 18,870
- Part-time students
- 55%
- Women
- 53%
- Students per teacher
- 26
- Completion rate
- 31%
- Retention rate
- 67%
- Highest degree
- Associate's degree
- Programs
- 120
- Other
- Hispanic-serving, Open admission
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
Median earnings 10 years after starting rank 2,493 of 5,094 US colleges and 257 of 494 in California (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | CA median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $2,424 | $20,161 | $12,792 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $1,364 | $8,086 | $8,626 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | - | 76% | 83% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 31% | 64% | 46% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 67% | 80% | 76% | 75% |
| Median debt | $8,447 | $11,537 | $19,500 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $32,581 | $36,048 | $43,105 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $41,156 | $41,472 | $50,314 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US public 4-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 34% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 54% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
120 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesCertificate | Certificate | 1,815 | Withheld | Withheld | $51,842 | $44,906 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsCertificate | Certificate | 804 | Withheld | $56,738 | $61,921 | $47,440 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssociate's | Associate's | 667 | Withheld | $18,208 | $42,923 | $44,125 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsAssociate's | Associate's | 423 | Withheld | Withheld | $60,343 | $48,733 |
| Biological and Physical SciencesAssociate's | Associate's | 259 | Withheld | $25,221 | $50,527 | $50,181 |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related ServicesCertificate | Certificate | 249 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $31,135 |
| Psychology, GeneralAssociate's | Associate's | 166 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $39,288 |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related ServicesAssociate's | Associate's | 132 | Withheld | Withheld | $26,222 | $34,184 |
| SociologyAssociate's | Associate's | 103 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $44,144 |
| Criminal Justice and CorrectionsAssociate's | Associate's | 94 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $46,706 |
| Precision Metal WorkingCertificate | Certificate | 93 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $48,702 |
| Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming ServicesCertificate | Certificate | 70 | Withheld | $13,133 | $27,191 | $26,307 |
| Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/TechniciansCertificate | Certificate | 65 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $51,586 |
| Allied Health and Medical Assisting ServicesAssociate's | Associate's | 64 | Withheld | Withheld | $58,974 | $42,269 |
| Communication and Media StudiesAssociate's | Associate's | 52 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $43,243 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingAssociate's | Associate's | 50 | Withheld | Withheld | $108,092 | $80,813 |
| English Language and Literature, GeneralAssociate's | Associate's | 45 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $36,134 |
| Allied Health and Medical Assisting ServicesCertificate | Certificate | 45 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $34,272 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/FitnessAssociate's | Associate's | 44 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $40,162 |
| Communication and Media StudiesCertificate | Certificate | 40 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $43,761 |
| Engineering, GeneralAssociate's | Associate's | 38 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $72,916 |
| Culinary Arts and Related ServicesCertificate | Certificate | 37 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $30,572 |
| Precision Metal WorkingAssociate's | Associate's | 37 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $56,451 |
| Fine and Studio ArtsAssociate's | Associate's | 37 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $31,650 |
| EconomicsAssociate's | Associate's | 32 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $53,068 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of Norwalk and California on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in California
- Homes: Homes for sale in California
Questions and answers
How much does Cerritos College cost?
$2,424 a year is the average net price at Cerritos College after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $1,364 for in-state students and $12,004 for out-of-state students, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $10,236. Families earning under $30,000 pay $1,538 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Cerritos College?
Cerritos College has open admission: it accepts students who meet its basic requirements, such as a high school diploma.
How much do Cerritos College graduates earn?
$41,156 a year is the median pay of former Cerritos College students who work, 10 years after they started ($32,581 after 6 years). That ranks 2,493 of 5,094 US colleges and 257 of 494 in California. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Business Administration, Management and Operations (Certificate) at $56,738.
How much student debt do Cerritos College graduates have?
$8,447 is the median federal student loan debt of Cerritos College graduates, about $90 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 2.6% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Cerritos College?
31% of first-time, full-time students at Cerritos College finish within 6 years. 67% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of public 4-year colleges is 46%.
What are the most popular majors at Cerritos College?
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (1,815 certificate graduates), Business Administration, Management and Operations (804 certificate graduates), Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (667 associate's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 120 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.