Santa Monica College Tuition & Open Admission (2026)

Net price / year

$2,779

after grants & scholarships

lower than 99% of public 4-year colleges

Acceptance rate

Open admission

accepts most applicants

Graduation rate

36%

within 150% of normal time

lower than 72% of public 4-year colleges

Median earnings

$46,731

4 years after graduating

lower than 92% of public 4-year colleges

Santa Monica College at a glance

What is the tuition at Santa Monica College?: In-state undergraduate tuition and fees are $1,156 for the 2024-25 academic year, or $10,708 for out-of-state students.
What is the cost of attendance at Santa Monica College?: The average cost of attendance is $11,162 a year before financial aid (2023-24), counting tuition, books, housing and other living expenses.
What is the net price at Santa Monica College?: The average net price for in-state students is $2,779 a year after grants and scholarships (2023-24).
What is the acceptance rate at Santa Monica College?: This school has open admission: most applicants who meet basic requirements are accepted.
What is the graduation rate at Santa Monica College?: 36% of first-time, full-time students finish within 150% of normal time, or 6 years (entering classes through fall 2018).
How much do graduates of Santa Monica College earn?: The median graduate earns $46,731 four years after finishing, among graduates working and not enrolled (2024 dollars).

Key takeaways

At $2,779 a year, the average net price is lower than 99% of public 4-year colleges.
The earnings premium over a typical high-school graduate would cover the estimated net cost in about 1.1 years of work (not counting income forgone while studying).
This school has open admission, so most applicants who meet basic requirements are accepted.
Families earning under $30,000 pay about $1,896 a year on average, versus $8,395 for families earning over $110,000.
Graduates earn a median $46,731 four years after finishing, less than 92% of public 4-year colleges.

Tuition and cost of attendance at Santa Monica College

Average net price (in-state)

$2,779 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 Santa Monica College net price calculator ↗

Estimated total net cost

$11,116

Net price × 4 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 $1,896
$30–48k $2,442
$48–75k $4,440
$75–110k $7,087
$110k+ $8,395

Where the sticker price goes· Cost of attendance $11,162

Tuition & fees$1,156
Books & supplies$1,746
Room & board$25,908
Other expenses$4,262

Tuition & fees (in-state): $1,156
Tuition & fees (out-of-state): $10,708

Santa Monica College acceptance rate and admissions

Open admission

The school admits most applicants who meet basic requirements.

Graduation rate and salary after graduating from Santa Monica College

Graduation rate

36%

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

Typical monthly payment

$68

On a standard 10-year federal plan.

Years of earnings premium to cover cost

1.1 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$46,731

1 year after graduating$27,769

Median graduate debt$6,450

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

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: 1.8%
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.

Completion within 150% of normal time, by group

Share of students who entered in 2018 and completed within 150% of normal time (six years at a four-year college, three at a two-year college).

White students 43%

Black students 21%

Hispanic students 27%

Asian students 53%

Pell Grant recipients 32%

All students, same entering cohort: 36%

Group rates and the all-student rate come from the same 2018 entering cohort, so they can be compared directly. Groups at small colleges can rest on very few students. Data period: Entering cohort 2018 (IPEDS).

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 $19,286 · median $42,193 · 75th percentile $66,062

Median by family income

Lowest third of family incomes $40,913

Middle third $44,995

Highest third $52,010

Median by sex

Male students $44,916

Non-male students $40,098

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 $6,750

Not Pell recipients $5,500

By first-generation status

First-generation students $6,000

Not first-generation $6,750

By family income

Family income $0–$30,000 $6,750

Family income $30,001–$75,000 $5,500

Family income over $75,000 $5,500

By gender

Men $6,620

Women $5,871

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

Programs and majors at Santa Monica 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: 32	$95,831	4 yrs$95,8315 yrs$84,232	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: 38	$49,091	4 yrs$49,0915 yrs$58,293	U.S. median $48,733 U.S. middle half $31.7K–$67.6K · Above the U.S. median	—
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities Associate · Graduates: 42	$46,864	4 yrs$46,8645 yrs$38,658	U.S. median $44,125 U.S. middle half $28.9K–$61.6K · Above the U.S. median	—
Communication and Media Studies Associate · Graduates: 26 Small sample	$29,371	4 yrs$29,3715 yrs$62,391	U.S. median $43,243 U.S. middle half $26.7K–$60.6K · 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

Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities 48.7%

Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies 10.9%

Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services 9.3%

Visual and Performing Arts 6.2%

Social Sciences 5.4%

Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences 3.3%

Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services 3%

Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs 2.2%

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 25.9%
Black or African American 9.2%
Hispanic or Latino 41%
Asian 8.2%
American Indian or Alaska Native 0.1%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander 0.1%
Two or more races 5.2%
U.S. nonresident 7.9%
Race and ethnicity unknown 2.4%

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 44.6%
Women 55.4%

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

Students aged 25 or older

33%

of undergraduates

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

Students and campus

Undergraduate enrollment: 21,440
Part-time students: 57%
Receive Pell Grants: 26%
Receive federal loans: 3%
Students per faculty member: 27 : 1
Setting: City

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Where it ranks

This college appears in the top 50 of these TuitionScope rankings.

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Frequently asked questions

How much is tuition at Santa Monica College?

For the 2024-25 academic year, Santa Monica College reported undergraduate tuition and fees of $1,156 for in-state students and $10,708 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 Santa Monica College?

The average cost of attendance at Santa Monica College is $11,162 a year (2023-24), counting tuition, books, housing and other living expenses. After grants and scholarships, the average net price is $2,779 a year. That is lower than 99% of public 4-year colleges.

How much financial aid do students at Santa Monica College get?

26% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants. 3% receive federal loans. The average net price runs from $1,896 a year for families earning under $30,000 to $8,395 for families earning over $110,000 (2023-24).

What is the acceptance rate at Santa Monica College?

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

What is the graduation rate at Santa Monica College?

36% of first-time, full-time students at Santa Monica College finish within 150% of normal time.

How much do Santa Monica College graduates earn after graduation?

The median graduate earns $46,731 four years after finishing, among graduates working and not enrolled in further study (2024 dollars). One year after finishing, the median is $27,769.

Is Santa Monica College worth it?

There is no single answer: it depends on your major, your aid and whether you finish. For Santa Monica College, the data shows this. The earnings premium over a typical high-school graduate would cover the estimated net cost in about 1.1 years of work. Graduates who borrowed have a median debt of $6,450, about 0.1 times their median earnings four years after finishing. 36% 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 Santa Monica College graduates have?

Graduates who borrowed have a median federal-loan debt of $6,450, or about $68 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 2018 or AcadYr 2018-19 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