Santa Monica College
Santa Monica, California · Also known as SMC · Website
$42,193
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$42,193
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Santa Monica College is a public 4-year college in Santa Monica, California with 21,440 undergraduates. Its average net price after grants is $2,779 a year (tuition and fees $1,156 in-state, $10,708 out-of-state). 36% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $42,193 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $6,450 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$2,779
US median $17,138
Tuition in-state
$1,156
Out-of-state $10,708
Admission rate
Open
Completion rate
36%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$6,450
About $68 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$42,193
Rank 2,338 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
- $2,779
- Tuition in-state
- $1,156
- Tuition out-of-state
- $10,708
- Cost of attendance
- $11,162
- Students with a need-based grant
- 26%
- Students with federal loans
- 3.3%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $1,896
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $2,442
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $4,440
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $7,087
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $8,395
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 $1,136 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
- 21,440
- Part-time students
- 57%
- Women
- 55%
- Students per teacher
- 27
- Completion rate
- 36%
- Highest degree
- Bachelor's degree
- Programs
- 99
- Endowment
- $18.2M
- 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 2,338 of 5,094 US colleges and 239 of 494 in California (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | CA median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $2,779 | $20,161 | $12,792 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $1,156 | $8,086 | $8,626 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | - | 76% | 83% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 36% | 64% | 46% | 58% |
| Retention rate | - | 80% | 76% | 75% |
| Median debt | $6,450 | $11,537 | $19,500 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $31,977 | $36,048 | $43,105 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $42,193 | $41,472 | $50,314 | $40,813 |
Same kind: US public 4-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 47% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 53% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
99 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 | 2,960 | Withheld | Withheld | $46,864 | $44,125 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesOnlineCertificate | Certificate | 2,693 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Biological and Physical SciencesOnlineAssociate's | Associate's | 383 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $50,181 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsOnlineAssociate's | Associate's | 311 | Withheld | Withheld | $49,091 | $48,733 |
| Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming ServicesCertificate | Certificate | 199 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Psychology, GeneralAssociate's | Associate's | 191 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related ServicesOnlineCertificate | Certificate | 157 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Political Science and GovernmentAssociate's | Associate's | 140 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $45,147 |
| Accounting and Related ServicesOnlineCertificate | Certificate | 136 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $44,589 |
| Communication and Media StudiesOnlineAssociate's | Associate's | 135 | Withheld | Withheld | $29,371 | $43,243 |
| Fine and Studio ArtsOnlineAssociate's | Associate's | 88 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $31,650 |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related ServicesOnlineAssociate's | Associate's | 77 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $34,184 |
| Design and Applied ArtsCertificate | Certificate | 69 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $36,116 |
| General Sales, Merchandising and Related Marketing OperationsOnlineCertificate | Certificate | 68 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| SociologyOnlineAssociate's | Associate's | 67 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Film/Video and Photographic ArtsAssociate's | Associate's | 67 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $33,186 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingAssociate's | Associate's | 63 | Withheld | Withheld | $95,831 | $80,813 |
| EconomicsOnlineAssociate's | Associate's | 58 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Design and Applied ArtsAssociate's | Associate's | 52 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $38,127 |
| Accounting and Related ServicesOnlineAssociate's | Associate's | 51 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $47,660 |
| Computer ScienceOnlineAssociate's | Associate's | 46 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $62,283 |
| HistoryOnlineAssociate's | Associate's | 42 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $38,929 |
| Criminal Justice and CorrectionsOnlineAssociate's | Associate's | 40 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Computer ProgrammingOnlineAssociate's | Associate's | 38 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $58,070 |
| Graphic CommunicationsCertificate | Certificate | 33 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of Santa Monica and California on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in California
- Homes: Homes for sale in California
Questions and answers
How much does Santa Monica College cost?
$2,779 a year is the average net price at Santa Monica College after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $1,156 for in-state students and $10,708 for out-of-state students, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $11,162. Families earning under $30,000 pay $1,896 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Santa Monica College?
Santa Monica College has open admission: it accepts students who meet its basic requirements, such as a high school diploma.
How much do Santa Monica College graduates earn?
$42,193 a year is the median pay of former Santa Monica College students who work, 10 years after they started ($31,977 after 6 years). That ranks 2,338 of 5,094 US colleges and 239 of 494 in California.
How much student debt do Santa Monica College graduates have?
$6,450 is the median federal student loan debt of Santa Monica College graduates, about $68 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 3.3% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Santa Monica College?
36% of first-time, full-time students at Santa Monica College finish within 6 years. The median of public 4-year colleges is 46%.
What are the most popular majors at Santa Monica College?
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (2,960 associate's graduates), Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (2,693 certificate graduates), Biological and Physical Sciences (383 associate's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 99 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.