Saint Mary's College of California is a private nonprofit institution offering graduate degrees based in Moraga, California. It enrolls 1,947 students (a mid-sized 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 Senior Colleges and University Commission
Academic Calendar4-1-4 Plan
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 (4-Year Selective), 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
65/100
UCD Score · 4-Year Selective
Outcomes77
Value46
Affordability24
Selectivity29
Admissions & Acceptance Rate
Saint Mary's College of California admits 86.5% of applicants, which makes it open to most qualified applicants, so admission is unlikely to be the hurdle.
Acceptance Rate
86.5%
Easy
SAT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
ACT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
Test PolicyTest OptionalApplicants choose whether to submit SAT or ACT scores.
5-Year Admission Trend
Acceptance rate over the last five admission cycles. The trend tells you whether Saint Mary's College of California is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.
Becoming less selective ↑
7.6 pts
since 2019
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 $30,378 a year on average, it sits in line with what private nonprofit colleges charge nationally. Plan for the gap between that and what you can pay without borrowing. 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
$57,803
Room & Board (on-campus)
$17,600
Room & Board (off-campus)
$22,086
Books & Supplies
$1,062
Other Expenses (on-campus)
$4,446
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$6,930
Total Cost of Attendance
$77,659
Application fee: $60 (one-time, due at submission)
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
$19,462
$30,001 – $48,000
$20,127
$48,001 – $75,000
$23,303
$75,001 – $110,000
$29,049
Over $110,000
$40,581
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.
$5,50010%percentile
$12,00025%percentile
$23,691Medianpercentile
$27,00075%percentile
$32,00090%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 $22,593
↓ $1,098
No Pell $19,000
↓ $4,691
Dependent students $19,500
↓ $4,191
Independent students $25,000
↑ $1,309
Female students $20,500
↓ $3,191
Male students $19,250
↓ $4,441
Worth knowing:
Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $12,500, less than completers ($23,691), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.
Graduation Rate & Retention
64% of students who start here finish within six years, and 85% come back after first year. Roughly half finish on that timeline, so budget for the possibility of a longer run. 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
64%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
85%
Returning for their second year
What this means:
High first-year retention. Students who arrive tend to stay.
After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes
Ten years after starting here, the median student earns $78,812 a year, above the national median. That is a healthy return for most cost levels. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$78,812
Earning > $25K
87%
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
$59,500
Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.
Male graduates
$71,100
Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.
By Family Income at Entry
Family income (lowest third)
$55,300
Earnings of grads from the bottom-third of family incomes at entry.
Family income (middle third)
$59,400
Earnings of grads from the middle-third of family incomes at entry.
Family income (highest third)
$72,400
Earnings of grads from the top-third of family incomes at entry.
The gender gap:
Male graduates earn $11,600, about 16% more than female graduates ten years out. The gap reflects industry mix, role choice, and structural pay differences that exist across most US colleges.
Loan Repayment Progression
Share of completer-cohort borrowers paying down at least $1 of principal at the 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year mark. Climbing rates show graduates settling into careers and managing debt; flat or declining rates are a warning.
Climbing: graduates increasingly paying down debt ↑
9.2 pts
across 6 years
What this signals:
Excellent. 90% of graduates were paying down at least $1 of principal seven years out.
Who Studies Here
Who you would actually be sitting next to: 1,947 students, a mid-sized community.
Total Enrolled
1,947
Part-Time
5%
First-Generation
26%
Race & Ethnicity Breakdown
Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.
GroupShareStudents
White 37.3%727
Hispanic 33.2%647
Other 11.0%214
Asian 8.3%161
Black 4.9%95
International 2.4%46
Student Life & Campus Culture
Where students live, learn, and connect at Saint Mary's College of California. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.
Saint Mary's College of California offers
an extensive catalog of programs:
65 distinct programs across
21 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 10 students for every instructor here: small classes, and staff who are likely to know your name.
Student : Faculty
10:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Endowment
$260M
Solid financial position
Avg Faculty Salary
$100,150
9-month equivalent across all ranks
Faculty by Rank
202 instructional faculty across 4 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
Full Professors
76
38%
$113,014
Associate Professors
71
35%
$96,473
Assistant Professors
39
19%
$86,508
Instructors
16
8%
$88,610
Pros & Cons of Saint Mary's College of California
No college is right for everyone. Here is where Saint Mary's College of California is likely to suit you and where it may not, based on the same figures shown above.
Very high published cost of attendance (full-pay families pay much more than the net-price average)
Best for:
Based on the data, Saint Mary's College of California is a fit for
students who want a clear path to start college without a competitive admissions barrier; students prioritizing post-graduation earnings.
Frequently Asked Questions about Saint Mary's College of California
The questions families ask most about Saint Mary's College of California, answered straight from the federal data rather than from the college's own marketing.
Is Saint Mary's College of California hard to get into?
Not especially. Saint Mary's College of California admits most qualified applicants, with an acceptance rate of 86.5%. Plan around cost and whether students finish, not your odds of getting in.
What is the acceptance rate at Saint Mary's College of California?
86.5% of applicants are admitted. Most applicants who meet the basic requirements are admitted. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
How much does Saint Mary's College of California cost?
Budget around $30,378 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 Saint Mary's College of California worth it?
On the numbers, yes: moderate return on investment. Ten years in, the median graduate earns $78,812 a year against a net price of $30,378, about 2.6 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 Saint Mary's College of California known for?
Mostly Business, Business Administration, Counseling Education. 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 Saint Mary's College of California graduates earn?
About $78,812 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 Saint Mary's College of California accredited?
Yes. Saint Mary's College of California is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission.
How many students attend Saint Mary's College of California?
1,947 students. Small enough that you will recognize faces across campus, and small enough that course choice can be limited. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What is the graduation rate at Saint Mary's College of California?
64% finish within six years. That leaves a meaningful share who do not finish on that timeline, so budget for the possibility of a longer run. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Is Saint Mary's College of California a public or private college?
It is Private Nonprofit. Private nonprofit, so the sticker price is higher but institutional aid is often larger too.
Where is Saint Mary's College of California located?
Saint Mary's College of California is located in Moraga, California.
What programs does Saint Mary's College of California offer?
65 different programs, most commonly Business, Business Administration, Counseling Education. 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 Saint Mary's College of California?
10 students per instructor. Low enough that staff are likely to know who you are. 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.
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