Santa Barbara City College
Santa Barbara, California · Also known as SBCC · Website
$47,647
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$47,647
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Santa Barbara City College is a public 2-year college in Santa Barbara, California with 9,889 undergraduates. Its average net price after grants is $11,315 a year (tuition and fees $1,240 in-state, $10,432 out-of-state). 34% of students finish within 3 years. Former students earn a median $47,647 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $11,000 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$11,315
US median $17,138
Tuition in-state
$1,240
Out-of-state $10,432
Admission rate
Open
Completion rate
34%
Within 3 years, US 58%
Median debt
$11,000
About $117 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$47,647
Rank 1,690 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
- $11,315
- Tuition in-state
- $1,240
- Tuition out-of-state
- $10,432
- Cost of attendance
- $20,394
- Students with a need-based grant
- 18%
- Students with federal loans
- 3.6%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $9,333
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $10,868
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $11,536
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $15,381
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $19,544
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 $1,374 in 2015-16 to $1,240 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
- 9,889
- Part-time students
- 52%
- Women
- 56%
- Students per teacher
- 24
- Completion rate
- 34%
- Retention rate
- 65%
- Highest degree
- Associate's degree
- Programs
- 122
- Endowment
- $63.8M
- 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 1,690 of 5,094 US colleges and 181 of 494 in California (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | CA median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $11,315 | $20,161 | $7,702 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $1,240 | $8,086 | $4,656 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | - | 76% | 79% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 34% | 64% | 38% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 65% | 80% | 64% | 75% |
| Median debt | $11,000 | $11,537 | $10,417 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $35,744 | $36,048 | $33,563 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $47,647 | $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. 40% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 57% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
122 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 | 951 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssociate's | Associate's | 736 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $44,125 |
| Biological and Physical SciencesAssociate's | Associate's | 362 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $50,181 |
| Communication and Media StudiesAssociate's | Associate's | 183 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $43,243 |
| EconomicsAssociate's | Associate's | 179 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $53,068 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsAssociate's | Associate's | 145 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $48,733 |
| Psychology, GeneralAssociate's | Associate's | 106 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $39,288 |
| SociologyAssociate's | Associate's | 78 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $44,144 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingAssociate's | Associate's | 68 | $18,360 | $101,955 | $101,616 | $80,813 |
| Criminal Justice and CorrectionsAssociate's | Associate's | 66 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $46,706 |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related ServicesCertificate | Certificate | 61 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $31,135 |
| Biology, GeneralAssociate's | Associate's | 60 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $44,758 |
| Health and Medical Administrative ServicesOnlineAssociate's | Associate's | 60 | Withheld | $48,712 | $71,351 | $37,073 |
| MathematicsAssociate's | Associate's | 49 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $59,929 |
| Health and Medical Administrative ServicesCertificate | Certificate | 49 | Withheld | $47,046 | $59,345 | $35,447 |
| Political Science and GovernmentAssociate's | Associate's | 41 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $45,147 |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related ServicesAssociate's | Associate's | 31 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $34,184 |
| Computer ScienceAssociate's | Associate's | 30 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing AssistantsCertificate | Certificate | 28 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $56,073 |
| PhysicsAssociate's | Associate's | 24 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing AssistantsAssociate's | Associate's | 23 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $62,755 |
| ChemistryAssociate's | Associate's | 22 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Accounting and Related ServicesAssociate's | Associate's | 22 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $47,660 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/FitnessAssociate's | Associate's | 18 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $40,162 |
| Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/TechniciansCertificate | Certificate | 18 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $51,586 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of Santa Barbara and California on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in California
- Homes: Homes for sale in California
Questions and answers
How much does Santa Barbara City College cost?
$11,315 a year is the average net price at Santa Barbara City College after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $1,240 for in-state students and $10,432 for out-of-state students, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $20,394. Families earning under $30,000 pay $9,333 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Santa Barbara City College?
Santa Barbara City College has open admission: it accepts students who meet its basic requirements, such as a high school diploma.
How much do Santa Barbara City College graduates earn?
$47,647 a year is the median pay of former Santa Barbara City College students who work, 10 years after they started ($35,744 after 6 years). That ranks 1,690 of 5,094 US colleges and 181 of 494 in California. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's) at $101,955.
How much student debt do Santa Barbara City College graduates have?
$11,000 is the median federal student loan debt of Santa Barbara City College graduates, about $117 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 3.6% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Santa Barbara City College?
34% of first-time, full-time students at Santa Barbara City College finish within 3 years. 65% 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 Santa Barbara City College?
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (951 certificate graduates), Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (736 associate's graduates), Biological and Physical Sciences (362 associate's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 122 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.