Saddleback College
Mission Viejo, California · Website
$50,874
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$50,874
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Saddleback College is a public 2-year college in Mission Viejo, California with 17,684 undergraduates. Its average net price after grants is $4,152 a year (tuition and fees $1,156 in-state, $11,860 out-of-state). 48% of students finish within 3 years. Former students earn a median $50,874 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $9,500 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$4,152
US median $17,138
Tuition in-state
$1,156
Out-of-state $11,860
Admission rate
Open
Completion rate
48%
Within 3 years, US 58%
Median debt
$9,500
About $101 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$50,874
Rank 1,417 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
- $4,152
- Tuition in-state
- $1,156
- Tuition out-of-state
- $11,860
- Cost of attendance
- $13,939
- Students with a need-based grant
- 15%
- Students with federal loans
- 1.3%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $2,596
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $2,657
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $6,349
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $9,463
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $10,603
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 $1,326 in 2015-16 to $1,156 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
- 17,684
- Part-time students
- 66%
- Women
- 55%
- Students per teacher
- 27
- Completion rate
- 48%
- Retention rate
- 77%
- Highest degree
- Associate's degree
- Programs
- 136
- Endowment
- $8.72M
- 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 1,417 of 5,094 US colleges and 157 of 494 in California (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | CA median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $4,152 | $20,161 | $7,702 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $1,156 | $8,086 | $4,656 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | - | 76% | 79% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 48% | 64% | 38% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 77% | 80% | 64% | 75% |
| Median debt | $9,500 | $11,537 | $10,417 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $36,605 | $36,048 | $33,563 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $50,874 | $41,472 | $38,555 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US public 2-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 45% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 61% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
136 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 HumanitiesAssociate's | Associate's | 2,882 | Withheld | $16,740 | Withheld | $44,125 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesCertificate | Certificate | 2,014 | $7,125 | $19,673 | Withheld | - |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsAssociate's | Associate's | 371 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $48,733 |
| Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, GeneralAssociate's | Associate's | 204 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $51,180 |
| Psychology, GeneralAssociate's | Associate's | 176 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $39,288 |
| Biological and Physical SciencesAssociate's | Associate's | 172 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming ServicesCertificate | Certificate | 135 | Withheld | $11,257 | Withheld | $26,307 |
| EconomicsAssociate's | Associate's | 111 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $53,068 |
| Communication and Media StudiesAssociate's | Associate's | 103 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $43,243 |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related ServicesCertificate | Certificate | 102 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Radio, Television, and Digital CommunicationCertificate | Certificate | 93 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsCertificate | Certificate | 90 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Real EstateCertificate | Certificate | 83 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingCertificate | Certificate | 71 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingAssociate's | Associate's | 71 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $80,813 |
| MathematicsAssociate's | Associate's | 64 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $59,929 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsCertificate | Certificate | 62 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| HistoryAssociate's | Associate's | 61 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| English Language and Literature, GeneralAssociate's | Associate's | 57 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $36,134 |
| Special Education and TeachingAssociate's | Associate's | 56 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| ChemistryAssociate's | Associate's | 50 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Design and Applied ArtsCertificate | Certificate | 49 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Audiovisual Communications Technologies/TechniciansCertificate | Certificate | 45 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Biology, GeneralAssociate's | Associate's | 45 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $44,758 |
| Radio, Television, and Digital CommunicationAssociate's | Associate's | 44 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of Mission Viejo and California on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in California
- Homes: Homes for sale in California
Questions and answers
How much does Saddleback College cost?
$4,152 a year is the average net price at Saddleback College after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $1,156 for in-state students and $11,860 for out-of-state students, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $13,939. Families earning under $30,000 pay $2,596 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Saddleback College?
Saddleback College has open admission: it accepts students who meet its basic requirements, such as a high school diploma.
How much do Saddleback College graduates earn?
$50,874 a year is the median pay of former Saddleback College students who work, 10 years after they started ($36,605 after 6 years). That ranks 1,417 of 5,094 US colleges and 157 of 494 in California. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Certificate) at $19,673.
How much student debt do Saddleback College graduates have?
$9,500 is the median federal student loan debt of Saddleback College graduates, about $101 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 1.3% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Saddleback College?
48% of first-time, full-time students at Saddleback College finish within 3 years. 77% 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 Saddleback College?
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (2,882 associate's graduates), Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (2,014 certificate graduates), Business Administration, Management and Operations (371 associate's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 136 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.