College of San Mateo
Tuition, net price, admissions, graduation rate, and graduate salary · San Mateo, California
Net price / year
$536
after grants & scholarships
lower than 100% of public 2-year colleges
Acceptance rate
Open admission
accepts most applicants
Graduation rate
59%
within 150% of normal time
higher than 98% of public 2-year colleges
Median earnings
$69,861
4 years after graduating
higher than 98% of public 2-year colleges
College of San Mateo at a glance
- What is the tuition at College of San Mateo?
- In-state undergraduate tuition and fees are $1,332 for the 2024-25 academic year, or $11,384 for out-of-state students.
- What is the cost of attendance at College of San Mateo?
- The average cost of attendance is $10,837 a year before financial aid (2023-24), counting tuition, books, housing and other living expenses.
- What is the net price at College of San Mateo?
- The average net price for in-state students is $536 a year after grants and scholarships (2023-24).
- What is the acceptance rate at College of San Mateo?
- This school has open admission: most applicants who meet basic requirements are accepted.
- What is the graduation rate at College of San Mateo?
- 59% 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 College of San Mateo earn?
- The median graduate earns $69,861 four years after finishing, among graduates working and not enrolled (2024 dollars).
Key takeaways
- Graduates earn a median $69,861 four years after finishing, more than 98% of public 2-year colleges.
- At $536 a year, the average net price is lower than 100% of public 2-year colleges.
- 59% of students graduate on time or within 150% of normal time, higher than 98% of public 2-year colleges.
- The earnings premium over a typical high-school graduate would cover the estimated net cost in about 0.0 years of work (not counting income forgone while studying).
- This school has open admission, so most applicants who meet basic requirements are accepted.
Tuition and cost of attendance at College of San Mateo
Average net price (in-state)
$536 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 College of San Mateo net price calculator ↗
Estimated total net cost
$1,072
Net price × 2 years, at today's prices and assuming on-time completion. Your actual cost depends on your aid.
Where the sticker price goes· Cost of attendance $10,837
- Tuition & fees$1,332
- Books & supplies$1,971
- Room & board$31,288
- Other expenses$5,913
- Tuition & fees (in-state)
- $1,332
- Tuition & fees (out-of-state)
- $11,384
College of San Mateo acceptance rate and admissions
Open admission
The school admits most applicants who meet basic requirements.
Graduation rate and salary after graduating from College of San Mateo
Graduation rate
59%
First-time, full-time students finishing within 150% of normal time.
Retention rate
75%
Full-time first-years who return the next fall.
Years of earnings premium to cover cost
0.0 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
Of graduates working and not enrolled, in 2024 dollars.
- 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 $26,816 · median $54,172 · 75th percentile $93,903
Median by family income
Median by sex
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
By first-generation status
By family income
By gender
Data period: Loans in fiscal years 2020 and 2021 (pooled, NSLDS).
Programs and majors at College of San Mateo ranked by earnings
| Program | Earnings, 4 yrs after | Earnings over time | Compared with the U.S. median for this field | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing Associate · Graduates: 57 | $144,794 | 4 yrs$144,7945 yrs$135,534 | U.S. median $80,813 U.S. middle half $61.1K–$103.8K · Above the U.S. median | $14,715 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations Associate · Graduates: 56 | $72,390 | 4 yrs$72,3905 yrs$56,998 | U.S. median $48,733 U.S. middle half $31.7K–$67.6K · Above the U.S. median | — |
| Communication and Media Studies Associate · Graduates: 37 | $65,120 | 4 yrs$65,1205 yrs$58,331 | U.S. median $43,243 U.S. middle half $26.7K–$60.6K · Above the U.S. median | — |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections Associate · Graduates: 44 | $55,857 | 4 yrs$55,8575 yrs$60,987 | U.S. median $46,706 U.S. middle half $31.5K–$63.7K · Above the U.S. median | — |
| Associate · Graduates: 32 | $52,619 | 4 yrs$52,6195 yrs$47,134 | U.S. median $43,146 U.S. middle half $26.5K–$59.2K · Above the U.S. median | — |
| Associate · Graduates: 33 | $49,708 | — | U.S. median $39,288 U.S. middle half $24.8K–$53.2K · Above the U.S. median | — |
Earnings are for graduates working and not enrolled, 4 years after completing, in 2024 dollars.
The U.S. median and middle half (25th to 75th percentile) are for graduates of the same field and credential level at all colleges, 4 years after completing.
The 1-year, 4-year and 5-year figures come from different graduating cohorts and dollar years (1-year: AY2018-19 and AY2019-20 graduates, 2022 dollars; 4-year: AY2017-18 and AY2018-19 graduates, 2024 dollars; 5-year: AY2014-15 and AY2015-16 graduates, 2022 dollars), so read them as three separate measures, not a single career path.
Small samples are noisy: the Scorecard adds privacy noise to program figures and some rows are based on only a handful of graduates, so rows marked “small sample” can move a lot from year to year.
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
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 23.5%
- Black or African American 2.8%
- Hispanic or Latino 35%
- Asian 23%
- American Indian or Alaska Native 0.1%
- Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander 2.2%
- Two or more races 6.4%
- U.S. nonresident 4.3%
- Race and ethnicity unknown 2.6%
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 47.6%
- Women 52.4%
Federal reporting uses two categories. Data period: Fall 2024 (IPEDS).
Students aged 25 or older
32%
of undergraduates
Many adult students work or have families while enrolled. Data period: Fall 2023 (IPEDS).
Students and campus
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 7,977
- Part-time students
- 73%
- Receive Pell Grants
- 11%
- Receive federal loans
- 1%
- Students per faculty member
- 24 : 1
- Setting
- City
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Where it ranks
This college appears in the top 50 of these TuitionScope rankings.
Guides worth reading
Plain-language explainers that help you read the numbers on this page.
More in California
In California
National rankings
Frequently asked questions
How much is tuition at College of San Mateo?
For the 2024-25 academic year, College of San Mateo reported undergraduate tuition and fees of $1,332 for in-state students and $11,384 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 College of San Mateo?
The average cost of attendance at College of San Mateo is $10,837 a year (2023-24), counting tuition, books, housing and other living expenses. After grants and scholarships, the average net price is $536 a year. That is lower than 100% of public 2-year colleges.
How much financial aid do students at College of San Mateo get?
11% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants. 1% receive federal loans.
What is the acceptance rate at College of San Mateo?
College of San Mateo has open admission: it accepts most applicants who meet basic requirements.
What are the graduation rate and retention rate at College of San Mateo?
59% of first-time, full-time students at College of San Mateo finish within 150% of normal time. 75% of full-time first-years return the next fall.
How much do College of San Mateo graduates earn after graduation?
The median graduate earns $69,861 four years after finishing, among graduates working and not enrolled in further study (2024 dollars). One year after finishing, the median is $65,341.
Is College of San Mateo worth it?
There is no single answer: it depends on your major, your aid and whether you finish. For College of San Mateo, the data shows this. The earnings premium over a typical high-school graduate would cover the estimated net cost in about 0.0 years of work. 59% 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.
Which programs at College of San Mateo lead to the highest earnings?
Among programs with reported data, Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing ($144,794) and Business Administration, Management and Operations ($72,390) lead to the highest median earnings four years after completing.
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