Monterey Peninsula College is a public institution offering associate degrees based in Monterey, California. It enrolls 5,624 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
62/100
UCD Score · 2-Year
Outcomes50
Value51
Affordability29
Selectivity—
Admissions & Acceptance Rate
As a two-year college, Monterey Peninsula 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 $11,373 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)
$1,188
Tuition & Fees (out-of-state)
$10,572
Room & Board (off-campus)
$35,118
Books & Supplies
$1,065
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$6,975
Total Cost of Attendance
$19,605
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
$9,451
$30,001 – $48,000
$10,277
$48,001 – $75,000
$13,602
$75,001 – $110,000
$15,700
Over $110,000
$18,340
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.
$2,00010%percentile
$3,41625%percentile
$10,50075%percentile
$20,00090%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
—
No Pell $5,500
—
Dependent students $5,500
—
Independent students $9,500
—
Female students $9,000
—
Male students $6,875
—
What this means:
19% of students receive Pell grants. Most cost is borne by families above Pell thresholds. Verify your individual aid offer before deciding.
Graduation Rate & Retention
7% of students who start here finish within six years, and 70% 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
7%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
70%
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 $42,176 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)
$42,176
Earning > $25K
65%
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
$36,700
Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.
Male graduates
$44,000
Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.
The gender gap:
Male graduates earn $7,300, 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:
Solid return on investment. Every dollar of net annual cost is matched by ~$3.7 of median earnings 10 years out.
Who Studies Here
Who you would actually be sitting next to: 5,624 students, a large student community. Worth knowing: 54% are the first in their family to go to college, and 61% study part-time, so many are working alongside classes.
Total Enrolled
5,624
Part-Time
61%
First-Generation
54%
Race & Ethnicity Breakdown
Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.
GroupShareStudents
Hispanic 51.3%2,885
White 28.8%1,621
Asian 7.2%406
Other 6.8%382
Black 2.9%162
International 0.4%25
Student Life & Campus Culture
Where students live, learn, and connect at Monterey Peninsula College. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.
Monterey Peninsula College offers
an extensive catalog of programs:
48 distinct programs across
22 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 23 students for every instructor here: high, so expect big lectures and to work harder for one-to-one time.
Student : Faculty
23:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Instruction / Student
$4,205
Annual instructional spending per enrolled student
Avg Faculty Salary
$103,467
9-month equivalent across all ranks
Faculty by Rank
125 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
125
100%
$103,467
Pros & Cons of Monterey Peninsula College
No college is right for everyone. Here is where Monterey Peninsula 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
First-year retention is below typical
Predominantly serves middle- and upper-income families
Mostly part-time student body, less full-time campus feel
Best for:
Based on the data, Monterey Peninsula 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 Monterey Peninsula College
The questions families ask most about Monterey Peninsula College, answered straight from the federal data rather than from the college's own marketing.
Is Monterey Peninsula College hard to get into?
Not especially. Monterey Peninsula 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 Monterey Peninsula 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 Monterey Peninsula College cost?
Budget around $11,373 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 Monterey Peninsula College worth it?
On the numbers, yes: solid return on investment. Ten years in, the median graduate earns $42,176 a year against a net price of $11,373, about 3.7 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 Monterey Peninsula College known for?
Mostly Liberal Arts, Liberal Arts, Business Administration. 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 Monterey Peninsula College graduates earn?
About $42,176 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 Monterey Peninsula College accredited?
Yes. Monterey Peninsula College is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges.
How many students attend Monterey Peninsula College?
5,624 students. Big enough for a wide course catalogue without feeling anonymous. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What is the graduation rate at Monterey Peninsula College?
7% 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 Monterey Peninsula College a public or private college?
It is Public. Public, so in-state students usually pay materially less than everyone else.
Where is Monterey Peninsula College located?
Monterey Peninsula College is located in Monterey, California.
What programs does Monterey Peninsula College offer?
48 different programs, most commonly Liberal Arts, Liberal Arts, Business Administration. 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 Monterey Peninsula College?
23 students per instructor. On the high side, so expect big classes and to seek out contact time yourself. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Related Colleges in California
Other colleges in California share the same applicant pool, regional economy, and academic landscape. Comparing nearby options puts admissions, costs, and outcomes in context, useful when weighing your fit against local alternatives.
Free, data-backed guides to help you decide, built on the same federal data as this profile.
H
How to Build Your College List Pillar
The full process of narrowing from 3,811 US colleges to a shortlist of ~10. Cost, location, size, selectivity, and fit factors that actually predict whether you'll thrive.
What actually makes a college work for first-generation students, the support and aid signals that predict success, and how to find the schools that deliver them using federal data.
How to find the colleges that deliver the strongest return on a STEM degree by weighing earnings outcomes against net cost, rather than chasing the most selective name.
Original data analyses built on the same federal data as this profile. Rankings, outliers, and patterns, no opinions.
American Colleges by the Numbers
One federal dataset, 3,811 colleges. The median school costs $16,296 a year, admits 78% of applicants, and enrolls 1,280 students. The shape of US higher ed.
Higher education data
Net price
College enrollment
Acceptance rate
College ownership
Do Selective Schools Actually Graduate More Students?
Across 1,645 four-year colleges, graduation rates climb steadily with selectivity, from 54% at open-admission schools to 93% at the most exclusive. The gap is real.
Graduation rate
Acceptance rate
Selectivity
Completion
College outcomes
For-Profit Colleges Charge the Most and Pay the Least
For-profit colleges post the highest median net price of any sector and the lowest graduate earnings. They cost more than private nonprofits and pay less than publics.
For-profit colleges
Net price
Earnings
College ROI
College ownership
Continue Exploring
Browse our full directory: every college, major, program, and career we track, all built from verified government data.
