Saddleback College
Tuition, net price, admissions, graduation rate, and graduate salary · Mission Viejo, California
Net price / year
$4,152
after grants & scholarships
lower than 90% of public 2-year colleges
Acceptance rate
Open admission
accepts most applicants
Graduation rate
46%
within 150% of normal time
higher than 88% of public 2-year colleges
Median earnings
$46,604
4 years after graduating
lower than 67% of public 2-year colleges
Saddleback College at a glance
- What is the tuition at Saddleback College?
- In-state undergraduate tuition and fees are $1,156 for the 2024-25 academic year, or $11,860 for out-of-state students.
- What is the cost of attendance at Saddleback College?
- The average cost of attendance is $13,939 a year before financial aid (2023-24), counting tuition, books, housing and other living expenses.
- What is the net price at Saddleback College?
- The average net price for in-state students is $4,152 a year after grants and scholarships (2023-24).
- What is the acceptance rate at Saddleback College?
- This school has open admission: most applicants who meet basic requirements are accepted.
- What is the graduation rate at Saddleback College?
- 46% 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 Saddleback College earn?
- The median graduate earns $46,604 four years after finishing, among graduates working and not enrolled (2024 dollars).
Key takeaways
- At $4,152 a year, the average net price is lower than 90% of public 2-year colleges.
- The earnings premium over a typical high-school graduate would cover the estimated net cost in about 0.9 years of work (not counting income forgone while studying).
- 46% of students graduate on time or within 150% of normal time, higher than 88% 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 $2,596 a year on average, versus $10,603 for families earning over $110,000.
Tuition and cost of attendance at Saddleback College
Average net price (in-state)
$4,152 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 Saddleback College net price calculator ↗
Estimated total net cost
$8,304
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 $2,596
- $30–48k $2,657
- $48–75k $6,349
- $75–110k $9,463
- $110k+ $10,603
Where the sticker price goes· Cost of attendance $13,939
- Tuition & fees$1,156
- Books & supplies$1,062
- Room & board$25,769
- Other expenses$5,850
- Tuition & fees (in-state)
- $1,156
- Tuition & fees (out-of-state)
- $11,860
Saddleback College acceptance rate and admissions
Open admission
The school admits most applicants who meet basic requirements.
Graduation rate and salary after graduating from Saddleback College
Graduation rate
46%
First-time, full-time students finishing within 150% of normal time.
Retention rate
76%
Full-time first-years who return the next fall.
Typical monthly payment
$101
On a standard 10-year federal plan.
Years of earnings premium to cover cost
0.9 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
- 0.2×Median debt divided by median earnings 4 years after graduating.
- Share of pay going to loans
- 2.6%
- 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 $25,549 · median $50,874 · 75th percentile $78,724
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).
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 42.4%
- Black or African American 2.4%
- Hispanic or Latino 31.2%
- Asian 12.6%
- American Indian or Alaska Native 0.2%
- Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander 0.2%
- Two or more races 6.3%
- U.S. nonresident 2.1%
- Race and ethnicity unknown 2.7%
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 45.4%
- Women 54.6%
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
- 17,684
- Part-time students
- 66%
- Receive Pell Grants
- 15%
- Receive federal loans
- 1%
- Students per faculty member
- 27 : 1
- Setting
- Suburb
Similar colleges
Schools of a similar type, price, size and outcomes.
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-
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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 Saddleback College?
For the 2024-25 academic year, Saddleback College reported undergraduate tuition and fees of $1,156 for in-state students and $11,860 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 Saddleback College?
The average cost of attendance at Saddleback College is $13,939 a year (2023-24), counting tuition, books, housing and other living expenses. After grants and scholarships, the average net price is $4,152 a year. That is lower than 90% of public 2-year colleges.
How much financial aid do students at Saddleback College get?
15% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants. 1% receive federal loans. The average net price runs from $2,596 a year for families earning under $30,000 to $10,603 for families earning over $110,000 (2023-24).
What is the acceptance rate at Saddleback College?
Saddleback College has open admission: it accepts most applicants who meet basic requirements.
What are the graduation rate and retention rate at Saddleback College?
46% of first-time, full-time students at Saddleback College finish within 150% of normal time. 76% of full-time first-years return the next fall.
How much do Saddleback College graduates earn after graduation?
The median graduate earns $46,604 four years after finishing, among graduates working and not enrolled in further study (2024 dollars). One year after finishing, the median is $31,115.
Is Saddleback College worth it?
There is no single answer: it depends on your major, your aid and whether you finish. For Saddleback College, the data shows this. The earnings premium over a typical high-school graduate would cover the estimated net cost in about 0.9 years of work. Graduates who borrowed have a median debt of $9,500, about 0.2 times their median earnings four years after finishing. 46% 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 Saddleback College graduates have?
Graduates who borrowed have a median federal-loan debt of $9,500, or about $101 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