Cabrillo College Tuition & Cost (2026)

Net price / year

$15,843

after grants & scholarships

higher than 97% of public 2-year colleges

Acceptance rate

Open admission

accepts most applicants

Graduation rate

38%

within 150% of normal time

higher than 71% of public 2-year colleges

Median earnings

$54,586

4 years after graduating

higher than 78% of public 2-year colleges

Cabrillo College at a glance

What is the tuition at Cabrillo College?: In-state undergraduate tuition and fees are $1,270 for the 2024-25 academic year, or $9,862 for out-of-state students.
What is the cost of attendance at Cabrillo College?: The average cost of attendance is $24,966 a year before financial aid (2023-24), counting tuition, books, housing and other living expenses.
What is the net price at Cabrillo College?: The average net price for in-state students is $15,843 a year after grants and scholarships (2023-24).
What is the acceptance rate at Cabrillo College?: This school has open admission: most applicants who meet basic requirements are accepted.
What is the graduation rate at Cabrillo College?: 38% of first-time, full-time students finish within 150% of normal time, or 3 years (entering classes through fall 2021).
How much do graduates of Cabrillo College earn?: The median graduate earns $54,586 four years after finishing, among graduates working and not enrolled (2024 dollars).

Key takeaways

At $15,843 a year, the average net price is higher than 97% of public 2-year colleges.
The earnings premium over a typical high-school graduate would cover the estimated net cost in about 1.8 years of work (not counting income forgone while studying).
This school has open admission, so most applicants who meet basic requirements are accepted.
Graduates earn a median $54,586 four years after finishing, more than 78% of public 2-year colleges.
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities is the largest field of study here, at 31% of the degrees and certificates awarded.

Tuition and cost of attendance at Cabrillo College

Average net price (in-state)

$15,843 per year

Cost of attendance minus average grants and scholarships, for first-time full-time students receiving federal aid.

Estimate your own price with the Cabrillo College net price calculator ↗

Estimated total net cost

$31,686

Net price × 2 years, at today's prices and assuming on-time completion. Your actual cost depends on your aid.

Net price by family income

Average yearly net price for students receiving federal aid.

$0–30k $14,656
$30–48k $14,911
$48–75k $17,780
$75–110k $19,252
$110k+ —

Where the sticker price goes· Cost of attendance $24,966

Tuition & fees$1,270
Books & supplies$2,250
Room & board$25,281
Other expenses$7,578

Tuition & fees (in-state): $1,270
Tuition & fees (out-of-state): $9,862

Cabrillo College acceptance rate and admissions

Open admission

The school admits most applicants who meet basic requirements.

Graduation rate and salary after graduating from Cabrillo College

Graduation rate

38%

First-time, full-time students finishing within 150% of normal time.

Retention rate

75%

Full-time first-years who return the next fall.

Typical monthly payment

$152

On a standard 10-year federal plan.

Years of earnings premium to cover cost

1.8 years

Net cost ÷ (graduate earnings − high-school graduate earnings). Excludes income forgone while studying and assumes today's earnings. A rough guide, not a prediction.

Earnings vs debt

4 years after graduating$54,586

1 year after graduating$41,541

Median graduate debt$14,380

High-school graduate median (California)$36,976

Of graduates working and not enrolled, in 2024 dollars.

Debt-to-earnings: 0.3×Median debt divided by median earnings 4 years after graduating.
Share of pay going to loans: 3.4%
3-year loan default rate: 0%

Outcomes by student group

The Scorecard reports some outcomes separately for groups of students. A group is left out when it is too small to report. These are school-level figures and say nothing about any individual student.

Earnings ten years after entry

All students who entered this college, whether or not they graduated, in 2022 dollars, ten years after entry.

Typical range: middle half of students

25th percentile $22,686 · median $44,114 · 75th percentile $70,453

Median by family income

Lowest third of family incomes $42,114

Middle third $49,170

Highest third $60,991

Median by sex

Male students $47,312

Non-male students $41,298

This is not the same as the graduates' earnings shown above. It covers everyone who entered, including students who left without a degree, ten years after entry and in 2022 dollars. The graduates' figure covers only completers, four years after finishing, in 2024 dollars. Do not compare the two directly.

Data period: Students who entered in academic years 2009-10 and 2010-11 (pooled), earnings measured in 2020 and 2021, 2022 dollars (Treasury).

Median federal student debt, by group

Median federal loan debt of students who borrowed, when they left school, by group.

By Pell Grant status

Pell Grant recipients $9,500

Not Pell recipients $8,113

By first-generation status

First-generation students $9,500

Not first-generation $9,500

By family income

Family income $0–$30,000 $10,500

Family income $30,001–$75,000 $7,500

Family income over $75,000 $5,500

By gender

Men $9,366

Women $9,500

Data period: Loans in fiscal years 2020 and 2021 (pooled, NSLDS).

What students study

The largest fields among the degrees and certificates this college awarded, grouped by two-digit CIP code (the federal Classification of Instructional Programs). Fields under 1% are left out.

Share of degrees and certificates awarded, by field

Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities 31.5%

Parks, Recreation, Leisure, Fitness, and Kinesiology 8.3%

Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services 8.1%

Health Professions and Related Programs 6.8%

Social Sciences 5.6%

Visual and Performing Arts 4.6%

Psychology 3.5%

Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences 3.2%

A large share means many awards, not necessarily many students or higher earnings. Data period: Awards in academic year 2024-25 (IPEDS).

Who attends

A snapshot of the undergraduate student body as this college reported it to the federal government. Shares are shown as published; they can differ slightly from 100% because of rounding.

Race and ethnicity

White 37.8%
Black or African American 0.8%
Hispanic or Latino 50.1%
Asian 2.7%
American Indian or Alaska Native 0.2%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander 0.2%
Two or more races 5.6%
U.S. nonresident 0.7%
Race and ethnicity unknown 2%

Federal reporting categories. Students who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents are counted as nonresident, and students who did not report are counted as unknown. Data period: Fall 2024 (IPEDS).

Gender

Men 43.3%
Women 56.7%

Federal reporting uses two categories. Data period: Fall 2024 (IPEDS).

Students aged 25 or older

35%

of undergraduates

Many adult students work or have families while enrolled. Data period: Fall 2023 (IPEDS).

Students and campus

Undergraduate enrollment: 8,002
Part-time students: 65%
Receive Pell Grants: 24%
Receive federal loans: 1%
Students per faculty member: 20 : 1
Setting: Suburb

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Frequently asked questions

How much is tuition at Cabrillo College?

For the 2024-25 academic year, Cabrillo College reported undergraduate tuition and fees of $1,270 for in-state students and $9,862 for out-of-state students. These are published prices before grants and scholarships; what you pay depends on your aid.

What is the cost of attendance and net price at Cabrillo College?

The average cost of attendance at Cabrillo College is $24,966 a year (2023-24), counting tuition, books, housing and other living expenses. After grants and scholarships, the average net price is $15,843 a year. That is higher than 97% of public 2-year colleges.

How much financial aid do students at Cabrillo College get?

24% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants. 1% receive federal loans.

What is the acceptance rate at Cabrillo College?

Cabrillo College has open admission: it accepts most applicants who meet basic requirements.

What are the graduation rate and retention rate at Cabrillo College?

38% of first-time, full-time students at Cabrillo College finish within 150% of normal time. 75% of full-time first-years return the next fall.

How much do Cabrillo College graduates earn after graduation?

The median graduate earns $54,586 four years after finishing, among graduates working and not enrolled in further study (2024 dollars). One year after finishing, the median is $41,541.

Is Cabrillo College worth it?

There is no single answer: it depends on your major, your aid and whether you finish. For Cabrillo College, the data shows this. The earnings premium over a typical high-school graduate would cover the estimated net cost in about 1.8 years of work. Graduates who borrowed have a median debt of $14,380, about 0.3 times their median earnings four years after finishing. 38% of first-time, full-time students finish within 150% of normal time. These are averages, not predictions, and they do not count income forgone while studying.

How much debt do Cabrillo College graduates have?

Graduates who borrowed have a median federal-loan debt of $14,380, or about $152 a month on a 10-year plan.

Sources and data periods

All figures come from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard (June 2026 release). Periods differ by measure:

Average net price: AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25
Acceptance rate: Fall 2024, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25
Graduation rate: Fall 2021 or AcadYr 2021-22 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25 pooled with previous years (# of total pooled years found in POOLYRS)
Median earnings: Treasury AY2017-18, AY2018-19 pooled cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Median graduate debt: NSLDS FY2020, FY2021 pooled cohorts

Some figures are blank because the school did not report them or the group was too small to publish. How we calculate things