Public · Oroville, California

Butte College

Butte College is a public institution in Oroville, California. as a public institution, published Scorecard outcomes are the federal Title-IV cohort view of former students — not every graduate and not a guarantee for any one enrollee.

$5,520
Avg net price / yr
$41,810
10-yr median earnings
37.9%
150%-time completion

The verdict

Butte College posts above-median former-student earnings.

According to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.

Top 47%
former-student earnings, US
37.9%
150%-time completion
+24%
earnings, 6→10 yrs
Rural: Distant Carnegie: Associate's
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Institution data retrieved July 2026; field-of-study data retrieved March 2026.

How to read this Butte College profile

Figures above come from IPEDS institution records published through the College Scorecard (retrieved July 2026 for institution fields; March 2026 for field-of-study). Peer groups and cost cohorts follow IPEDS ownership sector, Carnegie class ("Associate's Colleges: High Career & Technical-High Traditional"), and locale, not an editorial shortlist.

Average net price subtracts grant and scholarship aid from cost of attendance for full-time, first-time undergraduate Title IV recipients. It is a defined cohort average, not a personalized price; income-band fields add context but do not replace the school's current net-price calculator.

Earnings use Treasury-linked records for federally aided former students who were working and not enrolled in the measurement year (completers and noncompleters). IPEDS completion and retention use separate first-time, full-time cohorts, so those denominators are not the earnings cohort. Read cost, completion, and earnings as distinct historical measures, not a causal verdict or individual forecast.

College Value Score

C
College Value Score
58/100
Butte College

A 6-metric composite of earnings, cost, and completion outcomes benchmarked against every reporting US college, not a ranking of teaching quality, campus life, or fit for any individual student. See the full methodology.

Earnings C-
$41,810
10-year median former-student earnings
Net Price A+
$5,520
Average annual cost after grants and aid
Completion Rate F
37.9%
Completion within 150% of normal time
Debt B-
$10,500
Median federal debt at graduation
Loan Repayment C
63.8%
Borrowers repaying loans within 3 years
Retention N/A
N/A
First-year students returning for year two
Butte College vs. the national benchmark
EarningsNet PriceCompletionDebtRepaymentRetention

Each axis is the percentile score shown in the breakdown at left; the shape shows this school's overall profile at a glance.

10-yr median earnings

$41,810

Federal aid recipients only

Avg net price

$5,520

After grants and scholarships

150%-time completion

37.9%

Full-time, first-time cohort

150%-time completion vs portal median (57.1%) 37.9%

Less-than-four-year-institution cohort

College ROI Quadrant - Butte College vs peers

Butte College positioned by earnings vs cost Two-by-two quadrant chart: x-axis median earnings 10 years after enrollment, y-axis average net price after financial aid. Each dot is a college, colored by completion within 150% of normal time (garnet ≥65%, amber 45-64%, red <45%). Net price increases upward, earnings increase rightward, so: bottom-right = best value (low cost, high earnings); top-right = premium (high cost, high earnings); bottom-left = community college tier (low cost, modest earnings); top-left = cost challenge (high cost, low earnings). Currently plotting 8 colleges. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard joined to Carnegie Classification. Butte College positioned by earnings vs cost Carnegie Classification: Associate's Associate's COST CHALLENGE PREMIUM COMMUNITY BEST VALUE $36K $68K Median Earnings 10 Years After Enrollment ($) $4K $15K Avg Net Price ($) Butte College (you are here): $42K earn · $6K net · 38% grad You are here - Butte College Norco College: $51K earn · $5K net · 37% grad Norco College Golden West College: $43K earn · $5K net · 47% grad Golden West College California State University-Bakersfield: $59K earn · $6K net · 50% grad California State U… Moreno Valley College: $52K earn · $6K net · 33% grad Moreno Valley Coll… California State University-Stanislaus: $63K earn · $6K net · 56% grad California State U… University of California-Merced: $64K earn · $12K net · 69% grad California State University-Chico: $64K earn · $14K net · 63% grad Grad rate (4yr) ≥65% 45-64% <45%
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education

Each dot is a college plotted by 10-year median earnings (x-axis) vs average net price (y-axis), colored by completion within 150% of normal time. Bottom-right = high earnings/lower price; top-left = lower earnings/higher price.

How Butte College ranks nationally

Where this school's former-student earnings fall within the full national distribution of every US college that reports to the College Scorecard, not just its peer set.

Butte College: former-student earnings vs. every US college

10-year median earnings, College Scorecard

$41,810 Top 47% higher than 53% of 5,103 US colleges

$0–$20,000: 169 US colleges (3%). Below this entry. $20,000–$40,000: 2,245 US colleges (44%). Below this entry. $40,000–$60,000: 1,897 US colleges (37%). This entry sits in this band. $60,000–$80,000: 606 US colleges (12%). Above this entry. $80,000–$100,000: 134 US colleges (3%). Above this entry. $100,000–$120,000: 39 US colleges (1%). Above this entry. $120,000–$140,000: 11 US colleges (0%). Above this entry. $140,000–$160,000: 2 US colleges (0%). Above this entry. This college $0 $160,000 every US college, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more US colleges. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard · Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals

Metric Butte College National rank Percentile
10-yr median earnings $41,810 #2391 of 5103 53rd
Average net price $5,520 #399 of 5020 92nd (lower is better)
150%-time completion 37.9% #3783 of 4858 22nd
Undergraduate enrollment 8,890 #403 of 5462 93rd

National ranks count every operating US college reporting each metric to the College Scorecard, separate from the earnings histogram above.

Quick Facts

8,890
Undergraduate enrollment
-
Acceptance rate
-
SAT average
37.9%
150%-time completion
$41,810
10-yr median earnings
-
First-year retention

How Butte College ranks in California

State rank among 493 reporting California colleges with College Scorecard data, a separate lens from the national distribution above.

Metric Butte College State rank Percentile
10-yr median earnings $41,810 #242 of 493 51st
Average net price $5,520 #45 of 495 91st (lower is better)
150%-time completion 37.9% #393 of 483 19th
Undergraduate enrollment 8,890 #85 of 553 85th

Highest former-student earnings in California

#School10-yr earningsNet price
1Samuel Merritt University$143,238-
2Harvey Mudd College$138,687$35,924
3California Institute of Technology$128,566$16,075
4Stanford University$124,080$13,807
5Los Angeles County College of Nursing and Allied Health$115,318-
6Gnomon$114,785$51,949
7Santa Clara University$109,183$50,062
8Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University$109,183-
9Touro University California$104,805-
10Claremont McKenna College$104,736$28,849
11West Coast University-Anaheim-Orange County$102,672$32,879
12West Coast University-Ontario$102,672$49,590
242Butte CollegeThis school$41,810$5,520

Costs & Financial Aid

Net price by family income at Butte College

Average annual net price after grants; Title IV recipient cohort by income bracket

net price / yr

What this shows Need-based aid pulls net price down at lower brackets at Butte College - compare the bar for your income band, not the overall average alone.

Source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard As of Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals

Tuition & Net Price

In-State Tuition $1,356
Out-of-State Tuition $9,276
Average Net Price $5,520
34.8%
Pell Grant Rate
3.1%
Federal Loan Rate
$10,500
Median Debt
$111/mo
Monthly Payment

Net price at Butte College swings rather than trends

Across 11 reported years between 2013 and 2023, the average net price here has ranged from $3,888 to $7,473 without settling into a rise or a fall. Comparing only the first and last years would read as -11.3%, but the years in between do not follow that line, so the honest summary is the range rather than a trend. Budget against the upper end, not the average.

Lowest year
$3,888
Highest year
$7,473
Most recent (2023)
$4,632
Average net price, 2013–2023

11 reported years. Nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation.

2013: $5,2242014: $4,9752015: $5,0732016: $4,7912017: $4,8462018: $3,8882019: $5,0702020: $6,3152021: $7,4732022: $6,8542023: $4,632
2013 · $5,2242023 · $4,632

Over the same years, enrollment went -24.6% (11,123 → 8,384 students).

Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, per-year fields (2013–2023). Net price is the average cost after grant and scholarship aid for federally-aided undergraduates.

Student Demographics

Race & ethnicity

Student body at a glance

51.3%
Female
50.9%
First Generation

Outcomes

$33,709
Median Earnings (6yr)
43.3%
Earning Over $25K
63.8%
Loan Repayment, Completers (3yr)

Outcomes & debt snapshot

Measure Cohort / horizon Value
Completion within 150% of normal time First-time, full-time 37.9%
Median earnings 6 years after entry $33,709
Median earnings 10 years after entry $41,810
Share earning over $25,000 Working, not enrolled 43.3%
Loan repayment rate Completers, 3 years after leaving 63.8%
Median federal student debt At completion $10,500
Estimated monthly payment Standard 10-year plan $111/mo

Programs & Earnings

Field-of-study summary by credential

Credential Programs Award count Avg earnings Top earnings Avg debt
Associate's 15 859 $49,996 $107,202 $10,441
Certificate 10 708 $54,994 $86,324 -

Top programs at Butte College by completer earnings

Median earnings of program completers, College Scorecard field-of-study file

median earnings

What this shows The highest-earning programs at a school are not necessarily its most popular ones - a small specialized program can post strong median earnings without reflecting the outcome most students here actually see.

Source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard As of Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals

Program Credential Completers Median Earnings Median Debt
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing Associate's 119 $107,202 $12,000
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions Associate's 23 $87,671 -
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions Certificate 155 $86,324 -
Criminal Justice and Corrections Certificate 118 $82,708 -
Fire Protection Certificate 85 $67,238 -
Precision Metal Working Certificate 106 $64,811 -
Fire Protection Associate's 18 $52,959 -
Ground Transportation Certificate 29 $50,381 -
Business Administration, Management and Operations Associate's 97 $49,000 -
Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians Certificate 16 $46,909 -
Criminal Justice and Corrections Associate's 61 $46,677 -
Health and Medical Administrative Services Certificate 27 $45,133 -
Accounting and Related Services Associate's 9 $44,786 -
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities Associate's 26 $44,183 -
Accounting and Related Services Certificate 21 $44,175 -

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the admissions statistics for Butte College?
Butte College is a public institution in Oroville, California. Undergraduate enrollment is 8,890 students.
How much do Butte College former students earn?
Federally aided former students at Butte College who were working and not enrolled had median earnings of $41,810 ten years after entry; the cohort is not limited to graduates. Six years after entry, the corresponding median is $33,709.
How much does Butte College cost?
The average net price at Butte College is $5,520. In-state tuition is $1,356 and out-of-state tuition is $9,276. Median student debt at graduation is $10,500.
What is the graduation rate at Butte College?
Butte College has a 37.9% completion rate within 150% of normal program time at a less-than-four-year institution.
Is Butte College worth the student debt?
The median student debt at Butte College is $10,500, while former students earn a median of $41,810 ten years after enrollment. That debt represents about 25% of those annual earnings. Among borrowers who completed their program, 63.8% are repaying their loans within 3 years. Estimated monthly loan payment is $111.

Sources & methodology

Public-college profiles lean on IPEDS enrollment and Scorecard Title-IV outcomes. State appropriations are outside this page; the figures below are the federal cohort measures only.

Every number is read live from the Mar–Jul 2026 Scorecard/IPEDS retrievals. Public institutions often enroll large Title-IV cohorts, so medians can be stable — still cohort averages, never a personal forecast. Read the full methodology for how the data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Where to go next from Butte College

Public-college Scorecard figures are historical Title-IV cohort averages — confirm current tuition, aid, and admissions rules with the institution before deciding.

Every figure on PlainCollege is rendered directly from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard data, no number is typed in by an editor. Public-institution profiles compile Scorecard Title-IV earnings, IPEDS enrollment/admissions, and Treasury linkage fields — no editor-typed figures. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error on this page. Review the public data changelog. Data current as of Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals.