Private For-Profit Associate Good 65/100

San Joaquin Valley College-Lancaster

See admissions data, costs, student outcomes, and academic programs, all verified from official US government sources.

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Lancaster, California

About San Joaquin Valley College-Lancaster

Thinking about San Joaquin Valley College-Lancaster, a college in California where more students graduate in Health than anything else? The four things worth knowing are what it actually costs after aid, whether you would get in, whether students finish, and what they earn after they do.

San Joaquin Valley College-Lancaster is a private for-profit institution offering associate degrees based in Lancaster, California. It enrolls 257 students (a very small, intimate 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.

Acceptance
Open
Graduation
67.9%
Net Price
$26,717
Median Earnings (10yr)
$38,317
Enrollment
257
Student : Faculty
40:1

Accreditor Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission
Academic Calendar Differs by Program

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
65/100
UCD Score · 2-Year
Outcomes 73
Value 15
Affordability 52
Selectivity —

Admissions & Acceptance Rate

As a two-year college, San Joaquin Valley College-Lancaster 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 $26,717 a year on average, it sits in line with what private for-profit colleges charge nationally. Plan for the gap between that and what you can pay without borrowing. Figures are College Scorecard 2023-24.

The average hides a wide spread by household income, so it is worth estimating what a family at your income would actually pay before treating this as the price.

Average Net Price
$26,717
Per year, after typical aid
Receive Pell Grants
73%
Need-based federal aid
Receive Federal Loans
78%
Borrowing to attend

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
    $26,424
  • $30,001 – $48,000
    $26,055
  • $48,001 – $75,000
    $27,465
  • $75,001 – $110,000
    $29,051
  • Over $110,000
    $32,032

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.

$3,920
10% percentile
$9,474
25% percentile
$10,674
Median percentile
$19,977
75% percentile
$20,000
90% 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 $9,859 ↓ $815
No Pell $9,500 ↓ $1,174
Dependent students $7,667 ↓ $3,007
Independent students $10,550 ↓ $124
Female students $9,699 ↓ $975
Male students $10,235 ↓ $439
Pell recipients: 17.1% (1,830 students)No Pell: 16.5% (1,763 students)Dependent students: 13.3% (1,423 students)Independent students: 18.3% (1,958 students)Female students: 16.9% (1,800 students)Male students: 17.8% (1,900 students)Overall Median$10,674
Worth knowing: Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $4,750, less than completers ($10,674), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.

Graduation Rate & Retention

68% of students who start here finish within six years, and 77% 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
68%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
77%
Returning for their second year

After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes

Ten years after starting here, the median student earns $38,317 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)
$38,317
Earning > $25K
63%
10 yrs after entry

Earnings Growth After Graduation

Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.

$35,500$36,500$37,000$38,000$38,5006 yrs8 yrs10 yrs

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
$29,400

Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.

Male graduates
$42,500

Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.


By Family Income at Entry

Family income (lowest third)
$30,500

Earnings of grads from the bottom-third of family incomes at entry.

Family income (middle third)
$36,900

Earnings of grads from the middle-third of family incomes at entry.

Family income (highest third)
$46,400

Earnings of grads from the top-third of family incomes at entry.

The gender gap: Male graduates earn $13,100, about 31% 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 ↑ 12.6 pts across 6 years
30%1yr36%3yr36.8%5yr42.6%7yr
What this signals: Concerning. Only 43% of graduates are actively reducing principal even seven years out.

Who Studies Here

Who you would actually be sitting next to: 257 students, an intimate, close-knit community. Worth knowing: 59% are the first in their family to go to college.

Total Enrolled
257
Part-Time
0%
First-Generation
59%

Race & Ethnicity Breakdown

Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.

GroupShareStudents
Hispanic 64.2% 165
Black 24.5% 63
White 6.2% 16
Other 2.3% 6
International 0.4% 1
Hispanic: 64.2% (165 students)Black: 24.5% (63 students)White: 6.2% (16 students)Other: 2.3% (6 students)International: 0.4% (1 students)Total257

Student Life & Campus Culture

Where students live, learn, and connect at San Joaquin Valley College-Lancaster. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.

Setting
Large Suburb Lancaster, California
Housing
Commuter campus No on-campus housing
Adult Learners
42% of students are 25 or older
Athletics
NAIA athletic-conference member
Academic Calendar
Differs by Program scheduling structure
Designation
Branch campus

What You Can Study

After that comes the national picture for Mechanics & Repair graduates, which shows what the field pays across every college rather than just this one.

San Joaquin Valley College-Lancaster offers a focused set of programs: 8 distinct programs across 4 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.

4 Programs

Faculty & Resources

There are 40 students for every instructor here: high, so expect big lectures and to work harder for one-to-one time.

Student : Faculty
40:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Avg Faculty Salary
$53,820
9-month equivalent across all ranks

Faculty by Rank

2 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 2 100% $53,820

Pros & Cons of San Joaquin Valley College-Lancaster

No college is right for everyone. Here is where San Joaquin Valley College-Lancaster is likely to suit you and where it may not, based on the same figures shown above.

Read against a single profile these cut both ways, which is why it helps to put two colleges side by side on the same measures rather than judging one in isolation.

PROS
  • Open admissions
  • Tight-knit, close community feel
  • Above-average graduation rate
  • Wide reach of need-based federal aid
  • Low typical debt at graduation
  • First-gen-friendly student body
CONS
  • Above-average net price
  • Larger class sizes than typical
  • Fewer clubs, activities, and social options
  • Modest first-year retention
  • Earnings outcomes are on the lower side
Best for: Based on the data, San Joaquin Valley College-Lancaster is a fit for students who want a clear path to start college without a competitive admissions barrier; students who thrive in small, close-knit environments.

Frequently Asked Questions about San Joaquin Valley College-Lancaster

The questions families ask most about San Joaquin Valley College-Lancaster, answered straight from the federal data rather than from the college's own marketing.

Is San Joaquin Valley College-Lancaster hard to get into?
Not especially. San Joaquin Valley College-Lancaster 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 San Joaquin Valley College-Lancaster?
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 San Joaquin Valley College-Lancaster cost?
Budget around $26,717 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 San Joaquin Valley College-Lancaster worth it?
On the numbers, yes: moderate return on investment. Ten years in, the median graduate earns $38,317 a year against a net price of $26,717, about 1.4 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 San Joaquin Valley College-Lancaster known for?
Mostly Medical Assisting, Heating, Criminal Justice. 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 San Joaquin Valley College-Lancaster graduates earn?
About $38,317 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 San Joaquin Valley College-Lancaster accredited?
Yes. San Joaquin Valley College-Lancaster is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission.
How many students attend San Joaquin Valley College-Lancaster?
257 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 San Joaquin Valley College-Lancaster?
68% 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 San Joaquin Valley College-Lancaster a public or private college?
It is Private For-Profit. Private for-profit, so compare completion and earnings carefully against a public alternative.
Where is San Joaquin Valley College-Lancaster located?
San Joaquin Valley College-Lancaster is located in Lancaster, California.
What programs does San Joaquin Valley College-Lancaster offer?
8 different programs, most commonly Medical Assisting, Heating, Criminal Justice. 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 San Joaquin Valley College-Lancaster?
40 students per instructor. On the high side, so expect big classes and to seek out contact time yourself. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.

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