Palomar College
San Marcos, California · Website
$42,300
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$42,300
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Palomar College is a public 2-year college in San Marcos, California with 17,712 undergraduates. Its average net price after grants is $5,763 a year (tuition and fees $1,354 in-state, $10,650 out-of-state). 38% of students finish within 3 years. Former students earn a median $42,300 a year 10 years after they started.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$5,763
US median $17,138
Tuition in-state
$1,354
Out-of-state $10,650
Admission rate
Open
Completion rate
38%
Within 3 years, US 58%
Median debt
-
Earnings at 10 years
$42,300
Rank 2,327 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
- $5,763
- Tuition in-state
- $1,354
- Tuition out-of-state
- $10,650
- Cost of attendance
- $14,360
- Students with a need-based grant
- 18%
- Students with federal loans
- 0.8%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $4,268
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $4,786
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $7,710
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $9,766
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $12,642
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 $1,338 in 2015-16 to $1,354 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
- 17,712
- Part-time students
- 64%
- Women
- 45%
- Students per teacher
- 25
- Completion rate
- 38%
- Retention rate
- 70%
- Highest degree
- Associate's degree
- Programs
- 144
- Endowment
- $22.4M
- 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 2,327 of 5,094 US colleges and 237 of 494 in California (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | CA median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $5,763 | $20,161 | $7,702 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $1,354 | $8,086 | $4,656 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | - | 76% | 79% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 38% | 64% | 38% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 70% | 80% | 64% | 75% |
| Median debt | - | $11,537 | $10,417 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $37,220 | $36,048 | $33,563 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $42,300 | $41,472 | $38,555 | $40,813 |
Same kind: US public 2-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 34% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 63% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
144 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 | 1,081 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $44,906 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssociate's | Associate's | 318 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsCertificate | Certificate | 299 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsCertificate | Certificate | 280 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $57,584 |
| Social Sciences, GeneralAssociate's | Associate's | 279 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $43,146 |
| Biological and Physical SciencesAssociate's | Associate's | 275 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsAssociate's | Associate's | 211 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Fire ProtectionCertificate | Certificate | 148 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related ServicesCertificate | Certificate | 105 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Psychology, GeneralAssociate's | Associate's | 98 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Electrical and Power Transmission InstallersCertificate | Certificate | 65 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingAssociate's | Associate's | 62 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $80,813 |
| Fire ProtectionAssociate's | Associate's | 60 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $73,589 |
| SociologyAssociate's | Associate's | 59 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Precision Metal WorkingCertificate | Certificate | 58 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| MathematicsAssociate's | Associate's | 54 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Biology, GeneralAssociate's | Associate's | 51 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Business/Commerce, GeneralAssociate's | Associate's | 43 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Criminal Justice and CorrectionsAssociate's | Associate's | 42 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $46,706 |
| Special Education and TeachingAssociate's | Associate's | 38 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Accounting and Related ServicesCertificate | Certificate | 37 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Environmental Control Technologies/TechniciansCertificate | Certificate | 31 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| CarpentersCertificate | Certificate | 31 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $41,835 |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related ServicesAssociate's | Associate's | 30 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Design and Applied ArtsCertificate | Certificate | 30 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of San Marcos and California on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in California
- Homes: Homes for sale in California
Questions and answers
How much does Palomar College cost?
$5,763 a year is the average net price at Palomar College after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $1,354 for in-state students and $10,650 for out-of-state students, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $14,360. Families earning under $30,000 pay $4,268 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Palomar College?
Palomar College has open admission: it accepts students who meet its basic requirements, such as a high school diploma.
How much do Palomar College graduates earn?
$42,300 a year is the median pay of former Palomar College students who work, 10 years after they started ($37,220 after 6 years). That ranks 2,327 of 5,094 US colleges and 237 of 494 in California.
What is the graduation rate at Palomar College?
38% of first-time, full-time students at Palomar College finish within 3 years. 70% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of public 2-year colleges is 38%.
What are the most popular majors at Palomar College?
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (1,081 certificate graduates), Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (318 associate's graduates), Business Administration, Management and Operations (299 certificate graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 144 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.