Pasadena City College
Tuition, net price, admissions, graduation rate, and graduate salary · Pasadena, California
Net price / year
$3,864
after grants & scholarships
lower than 92% of public 2-year colleges
Acceptance rate
Open admission
accepts most applicants
Graduation rate
44%
within 150% of normal time
higher than 87% of public 2-year colleges
Median earnings
$48,980
4 years after graduating
lower than 51% of public 2-year colleges
Pasadena City College at a glance
- What is the tuition at Pasadena City College?
- In-state undergraduate tuition and fees are $1,180 for the 2024-25 academic year, or $9,820 for out-of-state students.
- What is the cost of attendance at Pasadena City College?
- The average cost of attendance is $13,677 a year before financial aid (2023-24), counting tuition, books, housing and other living expenses.
- What is the net price at Pasadena City College?
- The average net price for in-state students is $3,864 a year after grants and scholarships (2023-24).
- What is the acceptance rate at Pasadena City College?
- This school has open admission: most applicants who meet basic requirements are accepted.
- What is the graduation rate at Pasadena City College?
- 44% 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 Pasadena City College earn?
- The median graduate earns $48,980 four years after finishing, among graduates working and not enrolled (2024 dollars).
Key takeaways
- At $3,864 a year, the average net price is lower than 92% of public 2-year colleges.
- The earnings premium over a typical high-school graduate would cover the estimated net cost in about 0.6 years of work (not counting income forgone while studying).
- 44% of students graduate on time or within 150% of normal time, higher than 87% of public 2-year colleges.
- This school has open admission, so most applicants who meet basic requirements are accepted.
- Families earning under $30,000 pay about $3,051 a year on average, versus $11,261 for families earning over $110,000.
Tuition and cost of attendance at Pasadena City College
Average net price (in-state)
$3,864 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 Pasadena City College net price calculator ↗
Estimated total net cost
$7,728
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 $3,051
- $30–48k $2,631
- $48–75k $6,003
- $75–110k $9,136
- $110k+ $11,261
Where the sticker price goes· Cost of attendance $13,677
- Tuition & fees$1,180
- Books & supplies$938
- Room & board$19,431
- Other expenses$6,192
- Tuition & fees (in-state)
- $1,180
- Tuition & fees (out-of-state)
- $9,820
Pasadena City College acceptance rate and admissions
Open admission
The school admits most applicants who meet basic requirements.
Graduation rate and salary after graduating from Pasadena City College
Graduation rate
44%
First-time, full-time students finishing within 150% of normal time.
Retention rate
77%
Full-time first-years who return the next fall.
Typical monthly payment
$71
On a standard 10-year federal plan.
Years of earnings premium to cover cost
0.6 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.
- Debt-to-earnings
- 0.1×Median debt divided by median earnings 4 years after graduating.
- Share of pay going to loans
- 1.7%
- 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 $21,490 · median $43,937 · 75th percentile $68,339
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 Pasadena City College 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: 81 | $107,357 | 1 yr$90,1564 yrs$107,3575 yrs$101,040 | U.S. median $80,813 U.S. middle half $61.1K–$103.8K · Above the U.S. median | — |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations Associate · Graduates: 131 | $50,752 | 1 yr$20,8164 yrs$50,7525 yrs$56,767 | U.S. median $48,733 U.S. middle half $31.7K–$67.6K · Above the U.S. median | — |
| Associate · Graduates: 41 | $48,709 | 1 yr$29,8474 yrs$48,709 | U.S. median $43,146 U.S. middle half $26.5K–$59.2K · Above the U.S. median | — |
| Natural Sciences Associate · Graduates: 68 | $47,721 | 4 yrs$47,7215 yrs$64,323 | U.S. median $48,630 U.S. middle half $28.5K–$73K · Below the U.S. median | — |
| Communication and Media Studies Associate · Graduates: 49 | $45,235 | 4 yrs$45,2355 yrs$31,396 | U.S. median $43,243 U.S. middle half $26.7K–$60.6K · Above the U.S. median | — |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections Associate · Graduates: 60 | $44,033 | 1 yr$28,4924 yrs$44,0335 yrs$39,073 | U.S. median $46,706 U.S. middle half $31.5K–$63.7K · Below the U.S. median | — |
| Associate · Graduates: 55 | $42,700 | 1 yr$24,8944 yrs$42,7005 yrs$41,258 | U.S. median $39,288 U.S. middle half $24.8K–$53.2K · Above the U.S. median | — |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services Associate · Graduates: 27 Small sample | $41,808 | — | U.S. median $34,184 U.S. middle half $22.6K–$45.1K · Above the U.S. median | — |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities Associate · Graduates: 21 Small sample | $41,598 | 4 yrs$41,5985 yrs$49,797 | U.S. median $44,125 U.S. middle half $28.9K–$61.6K · Below the U.S. median | — |
| Sociology Associate · Graduates: 35 | $39,348 | 4 yrs$39,3485 yrs$35,385 | U.S. median $44,144 U.S. middle half $28K–$58.7K · Below the U.S. median | — |
Show all 12 programs
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness Associate · Graduates: 18 Small sample | $33,915 | — | U.S. median $40,162 U.S. middle half $25.2K–$56.6K · Below the U.S. median | — |
| Fine and Studio Arts Associate · Graduates: 28 Small sample | $30,107 | — | U.S. median $31,650 U.S. middle half $18.3K–$44.4K · Below 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 15.7%
- Black or African American 3.8%
- Hispanic or Latino 47.6%
- Asian 23.2%
- American Indian or Alaska Native 0.2%
- Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander 0.1%
- Two or more races 5.5%
- U.S. nonresident 2.5%
- Race and ethnicity unknown 1.5%
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 46%
- Women 54%
Federal reporting uses two categories. Data period: Fall 2024 (IPEDS).
Students aged 25 or older
31%
of undergraduates
Many adult students work or have families while enrolled. Data period: Fall 2023 (IPEDS).
Students and campus
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 21,466
- Part-time students
- 60%
- Receive Pell Grants
- 31%
- Receive federal loans
- 1%
- Students per faculty member
- 23 : 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 Pasadena City College?
For the 2024-25 academic year, Pasadena City College reported undergraduate tuition and fees of $1,180 for in-state students and $9,820 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 Pasadena City College?
The average cost of attendance at Pasadena City College is $13,677 a year (2023-24), counting tuition, books, housing and other living expenses. After grants and scholarships, the average net price is $3,864 a year. That is lower than 92% of public 2-year colleges.
How much financial aid do students at Pasadena City College get?
31% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants. 1% receive federal loans. The average net price runs from $3,051 a year for families earning under $30,000 to $11,261 for families earning over $110,000 (2023-24).
What is the acceptance rate at Pasadena City College?
Pasadena City College has open admission: it accepts most applicants who meet basic requirements.
What are the graduation rate and retention rate at Pasadena City College?
44% of first-time, full-time students at Pasadena City College finish within 150% of normal time. 77% of full-time first-years return the next fall.
How much do Pasadena City College graduates earn after graduation?
The median graduate earns $48,980 four years after finishing, among graduates working and not enrolled in further study (2024 dollars). One year after finishing, the median is $27,351.
Is Pasadena City College worth it?
There is no single answer: it depends on your major, your aid and whether you finish. For Pasadena City College, the data shows this. The earnings premium over a typical high-school graduate would cover the estimated net cost in about 0.6 years of work. Graduates who borrowed have a median debt of $6,651, about 0.1 times their median earnings four years after finishing. 44% 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 Pasadena City College graduates have?
Graduates who borrowed have a median federal-loan debt of $6,651, or about $71 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