10-yr median earnings
$41,156
Federal aid recipients only
Public · Norwalk, California
Cerritos College
Cerritos College is a public institution in Norwalk, 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.
- $2,424
- Avg net price / yr
- $41,156
- 10-yr median earnings
- 29.6%
- 150%-time completion
The verdict
Cerritos College posts above-median former-student earnings.
According to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
- Top 49%
- former-student earnings, US
- 29.6%
- 150%-time completion
- +26%
- earnings, 6→10 yrs
Suburb: Large
Carnegie: Associate's
Institution data retrieved July 2026; field-of-study data retrieved March 2026.
How to read this Cerritos 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 Transfer-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
60/100
Cerritos 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-
$41,156
10-year median former-student earnings
Net Price A+
$2,424
Average annual cost after grants and aid
Completion Rate F
29.6%
Completion within 150% of normal time
Debt A-
$8,447
Median federal debt at graduation
Loan Repayment B+
75.3%
Borrowers repaying loans within 3 years
Retention N/A
N/A
First-year students returning for year two
Each axis is the percentile score shown in the breakdown at left; the shape shows this school's overall profile at a glance.
Avg net price
$2,424
After grants and scholarships
150%-time completion
29.6%
Full-time, first-time cohort
150%-time completion vs portal median (57.1%) 29.6%
Less-than-four-year-institution cohort
College ROI Quadrant - Cerritos College vs peers
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 Cerritos 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.
Cerritos College: former-student earnings vs. every US college
10-year median earnings, College Scorecard
$41,156 Top 49% higher than 51% of 5,103 US colleges
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 | Cerritos College | National rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-yr median earnings | $41,156 | #2493 of 5103 | 51st |
| Average net price | $2,424 | #86 of 5020 | 98th (lower is better) |
| 150%-time completion | 29.6% | #4305 of 4858 | 11th |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 18,870 | #148 of 5462 | 97th |
National ranks count every operating US college reporting each metric to the College Scorecard, separate from the earnings histogram above.
Quick Facts
18,870
Undergraduate enrollment
-
Acceptance rate
-
SAT average
29.6%
150%-time completion
$41,156
10-yr median earnings
-
First-year retention
How Cerritos College ranks in California
State rank among 493 reporting California colleges with College Scorecard data, a separate lens from the national distribution above.
| Metric | Cerritos College | State rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-yr median earnings | $41,156 | #256 of 493 | 48th |
| Average net price | $2,424 | #15 of 495 | 97th (lower is better) |
| 150%-time completion | 29.6% | #456 of 483 | 6th |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 18,870 | #29 of 553 | 95th |
Highest former-student earnings in California
| # | School | 10-yr earnings | Net price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Samuel Merritt University | $143,238 | - |
| 2 | Harvey Mudd College | $138,687 | $35,924 |
| 3 | California Institute of Technology | $128,566 | $16,075 |
| 4 | Stanford University | $124,080 | $13,807 |
| 5 | Los Angeles County College of Nursing and Allied Health | $115,318 | - |
| 6 | Gnomon | $114,785 | $51,949 |
| 7 | Santa Clara University | $109,183 | $50,062 |
| 8 | Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University | $109,183 | - |
| 9 | Touro University California | $104,805 | - |
| 10 | Claremont McKenna College | $104,736 | $28,849 |
| 11 | West Coast University-Anaheim-Orange County | $102,672 | $32,879 |
| 12 | West Coast University-Ontario | $102,672 | $49,590 |
| 256 | Cerritos CollegeThis school | $41,156 | $2,424 |
Costs & Financial Aid
Net price by family income at Cerritos College
Average annual net price after grants; Title IV recipient cohort by income bracket
- $0 – $30k $1,538
$0 – $30k
$1,538 net price / yr
- $30k – $48k $1,784
$30k – $48k
$1,784 net price / yr
- $48k – $75k
$48k – $75k
$3,774 net price / yr
- $110k+
$110k+
$7,901 net price / yr
What this shows Need-based aid pulls net price down at lower brackets at Cerritos College - compare the bar for your income band, not the overall average alone.
Tuition & Net Price
| In-State Tuition | $1,364 |
| Out-of-State Tuition | $12,004 |
| Average Net Price | $2,424 |
36.3%
Pell Grant Rate
2.6%
Federal Loan Rate
$8,447
Median Debt
$90/mo
Monthly Payment
Net price at Cerritos College swings rather than trends
Across 11 reported years between 2013 and 2023, the average net price here has ranged from $693 to $9,522 without settling into a rise or a fall. Comparing only the first and last years would read as -78.1%, 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
$693
Highest year
$9,522
Most recent (2023)
$693
11 reported years. Nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation.
2013 · $3,1652023 · $693
Over the same years, enrollment went -6.5% (20,011 → 18,710 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
55.3%
Female
59.9%
First Generation
Outcomes
$32,581
Median Earnings (6yr)
46.1%
Earning Over $25K
75.3%
Loan Repayment, Completers (3yr)
Outcomes & debt snapshot
| Measure | Cohort / horizon | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Completion within 150% of normal time | First-time, full-time | 29.6% |
| Median earnings | 6 years after entry | $32,581 |
| Median earnings | 10 years after entry | $41,156 |
| Share earning over $25,000 | Working, not enrolled | 46.1% |
| Loan repayment rate | Completers, 3 years after leaving | 75.3% |
| Median federal student debt | At completion | $8,447 |
| Estimated monthly payment | Standard 10-year plan | $90/mo |
Programs & Earnings
Field-of-study summary by credential
| Credential | Programs | Award count | Avg earnings | Top earnings | Avg debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Associate's | 13 | 1,747 | $62,911 | $108,092 | - |
| Certificate | 6 | 2,072 | $54,424 | $76,742 | - |
Top programs at Cerritos College by completer earnings
Median earnings of program completers, College Scorecard field-of-study file
- Registered Nursing, Nursin…
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
$108,092 median earnings
- Dental Support Services an…
Dental Support Services and Allied Professions
$87,282 median earnings
- Legal Support Services
Legal Support Services
$76,742 median earnings
- Multi/Interdisciplinary St…
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other
$68,923 median earnings
- Business Administration, M…
Business Administration, Management and Operations
$61,921 median earnings
- Business Administration, M…
Business Administration, Management and Operations
$60,343 median earnings
- Allied Health and Medical …
Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services
$58,974 median earnings
- Liberal Arts and Sciences,…
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities
$51,842 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.
Explore Data-Matched Colleges
Matches use Scorecard measures among reporting colleges — not state-system recommendations or geographic proximity.
Similar Enrollment and Sector
Other Public institutions closest in reported enrollment, preferring the same Carnegie classification.
Similar Reported Net Price
Other Public institutions with the nearest reported average net price.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the admissions statistics for Cerritos College? ▼
Cerritos College is a public institution in Norwalk, California. Undergraduate enrollment is 18,870 students.
How much do Cerritos College former students earn? ▼
Federally aided former students at Cerritos College who were working and not enrolled had median earnings of $41,156 ten years after entry; the cohort is not limited to graduates. Six years after entry, the corresponding median is $32,581.
How much does Cerritos College cost? ▼
The average net price at Cerritos College is $2,424. In-state tuition is $1,364 and out-of-state tuition is $12,004. Median student debt at graduation is $8,447.
What is the graduation rate at Cerritos College? ▼
Cerritos College has a 29.6% completion rate within 150% of normal program time at a less-than-four-year institution.
Is Cerritos College worth the student debt? ▼
The median student debt at Cerritos College is $8,447, while former students earn a median of $41,156 ten years after enrollment. That debt represents about 21% of those annual earnings. Among borrowers who completed their program, 75.3% are repaying their loans within 3 years. Estimated monthly loan payment is $90.
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.
- College Scorecard, U.S. Department of Education - former-student earnings, cost & completion (collegescorecard.ed.gov).
- IPEDS, National Center for Education Statistics - enrollment, admissions, Carnegie class & demographics (nces.ed.gov/ipeds).
- U.S. Treasury / IRS earnings linkage - median earnings 6 & 10 years after enrollment for federal-aid recipients (irs.gov).
- College Scorecard, Field of Study - program-level (credential) earnings & debt (collegescorecard.ed.gov).
- Federal Student Aid (Title IV / NSLDS) - U.S. Department of Education - net price, student debt & aid-recipient repayment outcomes (studentaid.gov).
Where to go next from Cerritos College
- Compare Cerritos College against schools with similar outcomes at a lower average net price.Find similar schools that cost less
- Browse every reporting college in California side by side.Browse California
- See how fields of study differ on former-student earnings and debt.Explore programs
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.