Cabrillo College is a public institution offering associate degrees based in Aptos, California. It enrolls 8,002 students (a large student body), according to IPEDS 2023-24 data. Every figure on this page is reported by the federal government, not supplied by the college, so it can be compared like for like against anywhere else you are looking.
AccreditorWestern Association of Schools and Colleges Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges
Academic CalendarSemester
How It Measures Up
These four scores answer one question: compared with similar colleges, is this one worth the money? Each runs 0 to 100 and is judged only against its peer group (2-Year), so a community college is never marked down for not being Harvard. Everything is computed from federal data. Nobody can pay to move a score, and a pillar with missing data is left unscored rather than guessed.
Good
60/100
UCD Score · 2-Year
Outcomes56
Value38
Affordability27
Selectivity—
Admissions & Acceptance Rate
As a two-year college, Cabrillo College admits essentially everyone who qualifies, so plan around cost and completion instead of your odds of getting in.
Acceptance Rate
Open
SAT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
ACT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
Cost & Financial Aid
Ignore the sticker price. What matters is the net price, which is what a typical family pays here after grants and scholarships come off. At $15,843 a year on average, it sits below what public colleges charge nationally. That still leaves most families a gap to cover, but a manageable one. Figures are College Scorecard 2023-24.
Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.
Tuition & Fees (in-state)
$1,270
Tuition & Fees (out-of-state)
$9,862
Room & Board (off-campus)
$25,281
Books & Supplies
$2,250
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$7,578
Total Cost of Attendance
$24,966
Net Price by Family Income
Aid is need-based, so net price varies by family income. Here's what each bracket typically pays after grants and scholarships.
Under $30,000
$14,656
$30,001 – $48,000
$14,911
$48,001 – $75,000
$17,780
$75,001 – $110,000
$19,252
Debt at Graduation
Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.
$2,20910%percentile
$3,50025%percentile
$14,380Medianpercentile
$15,50075%percentile
$25,26190%percentile
Median Debt by Student Type
Median federal-loan debt at graduation broken down by demographic. Each slice's size is proportional to the dollar amount that group typically borrows.
GroupDebtvs Median
Pell recipients $9,500
↓ $4,880
No Pell $8,113
↓ $6,267
Dependent students $5,500
↓ $8,880
Independent students $10,500
↓ $3,880
Female students $9,500
↓ $4,880
Male students $9,366
↓ $5,014
Worth knowing:
Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $9,000, less than completers ($14,380), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.
Graduation Rate & Retention
16% of students who start here finish within six years, and 75% come back after first year. Most students who start here do not finish. That is the single most important number on this page. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Completion and earnings carry the most weight in this college's score, and how the UCD Score weighs each measure sets out exactly how they are combined.
6-Year Graduation Rate
16%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
75%
Returning for their second year
What this means:
Lower than typical completion. Worth asking the school how they support students who fall behind.
After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes
Ten years after starting here, the median student earns $44,114 a year, close to the national median. Typical for most colleges, so what you study will matter more than where. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$44,114
Earning > $25K
67%
10 yrs after entry
Earnings Growth After Graduation
Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.
Earnings by Demographic
Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.
By Gender
Female graduates
$37,200
Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.
Male graduates
$45,000
Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.
The gender gap:
Male graduates earn $7,800, about 17% more than female graduates ten years out. The gap reflects industry mix, role choice, and structural pay differences that exist across most US colleges.
What this means:
Moderate return on investment. Every dollar of net annual cost is matched by ~$2.8 of median earnings 10 years out. Compare carefully against your funding plan.
Who Studies Here
Who you would actually be sitting next to: 8,002 students, a large student community. Worth knowing: 51% are the first in their family to go to college, and 65% study part-time, so many are working alongside classes.
Total Enrolled
8,002
Part-Time
65%
First-Generation
51%
Race & Ethnicity Breakdown
Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.
GroupShareStudents
Hispanic 50.1%4,012
White 37.8%3,025
Other 5.9%471
Asian 2.7%219
Black 0.8%64
International 0.7%54
Student Life & Campus Culture
Where students live, learn, and connect at Cabrillo College. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.
Cabrillo College offers
an extensive catalog of programs:
64 distinct programs across
27 majors.
Below are its strongest majors, each with flagship programs and typical earnings.
Open a major to explore it in depth, or browse the full program catalog.
There are 17 students for every instructor here: on the higher side, so larger classes are common.
Student : Faculty
17:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Instruction / Student
$6,960
Annual instructional spending per enrolled student
Endowment
$34M
Modest endowment
Avg Faculty Salary
$92,910
9-month equivalent across all ranks
Faculty by Rank
204 instructional faculty across 1 ranks.
The rank mix shows how many senior faculty are teaching versus contingent or junior staff, with average salary equated to a 9-month contract.
Rank
Faculty Count
Share
Avg Salary
Instructors
204
100%
$92,910
Pros & Cons of Cabrillo College
No college is right for everyone. Here is where Cabrillo College is likely to suit you and where it may not, based on the same figures shown above.
Low completion rate, many students don't graduate within six years
Modest first-year retention
Predominantly serves middle- and upper-income families
Mostly part-time student body, less full-time campus feel
Best for:
Based on the data, Cabrillo College is a fit for
students who want a clear path to start college without a competitive admissions barrier; working adults or students needing part-time study options.
Frequently Asked Questions about Cabrillo College
The questions families ask most about Cabrillo College, answered straight from the federal data rather than from the college's own marketing.
Is Cabrillo College hard to get into?
Not especially. Cabrillo College admits most qualified applicants, and reports no competitive acceptance rate. Plan around cost and whether students finish, not your odds of getting in.
What is the acceptance rate at Cabrillo College?
No acceptance rate is reported, which for a college like this normally means admission is open to anyone meeting the basic requirements. Confirm with the admissions office rather than assuming it.
How much does Cabrillo College cost?
Budget around $15,843 a year. That is the net price, what families typically pay once grants and scholarships come off, not the sticker price. Your own figure depends on household income, so treat this as a midpoint rather than a quote. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Cabrillo College worth it?
On the numbers, yes: moderate return on investment. Ten years in, the median graduate earns $44,114 a year against a net price of $15,843, about 2.8 dollars of earnings for every dollar of annual cost. That ratio ignores whether you finish and what you study, which matter just as much. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What is Cabrillo College known for?
Mostly Liberal Arts, Kinesiology, Human Development. Those are the fields where it awards the most degrees, which is a better guide to where the teaching strength sits than any reputation ranking. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What do Cabrillo College graduates earn?
About $44,114 a year, measured ten years after students first enrolled. Half earn more and half earn less, and what you study moves that figure far more than where you study. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Cabrillo College accredited?
Yes. Cabrillo College is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges.
How many students attend Cabrillo College?
8,002 students. Big enough for a wide course catalogue without feeling anonymous. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What is the graduation rate at Cabrillo College?
16% finish within six years. That means most students do not finish in six years. Ask the school directly what support exists for students who fall behind. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Is Cabrillo College a public or private college?
It is Public. Public, so in-state students usually pay materially less than everyone else.
Where is Cabrillo College located?
Cabrillo College is located in Aptos, California.
What programs does Cabrillo College offer?
64 different programs, most commonly Liberal Arts, Kinesiology, Human Development. If the subject you want is not among them, check the full list before applying rather than assuming it is offered.
What is the student-to-faculty ratio at Cabrillo College?
17 students per instructor. About average, so a mix of seminars and larger lectures. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
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