San Joaquin Valley College-Santa Maria is a private for-profit institution offering associate degrees based in Santa Maria, California. It enrolls 114 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.
AccreditorWestern Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission
Academic CalendarDiffers 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
Outcomes76
Value14
Affordability47
Selectivity—
Admissions & Acceptance Rate
As a two-year college, San Joaquin Valley College-Santa Maria 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 $26,983 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.
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
$25,834
$30,001 – $48,000
$26,290
Over $110,000
$29,900
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.
$3,92010%percentile
$9,47425%percentile
$10,674Medianpercentile
$19,97775%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 $9,859
↓ $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
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.
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
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: 114 students, an intimate, close-knit community. Worth knowing: 59% are the first in their family to go to college.
Total Enrolled
114
Part-Time
0%
First-Generation
59%
Race & Ethnicity Breakdown
Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.
GroupShareStudents
Hispanic 71.1%81
White 12.3%14
Asian 6.1%7
Other 6.1%7
Black 0.9%1
Student Life & Campus Culture
Where students live, learn, and connect at San Joaquin Valley College-Santa Maria. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.
San Joaquin Valley College-Santa Maria offers
a focused set of programs:
5 distinct programs across
2 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 27 students for every instructor here: high, so expect big lectures and to work harder for one-to-one time.
Student : Faculty
27:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Avg Faculty Salary
$63,274
9-month equivalent across all ranks
Pros & Cons of San Joaquin Valley College-Santa Maria
No college is right for everyone. Here is where San Joaquin Valley College-Santa Maria is likely to suit you and where it may not, based on the same figures shown above.
Best for:
Based on the data, San Joaquin Valley College-Santa Maria 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-Santa Maria
The questions families ask most about San Joaquin Valley College-Santa Maria, answered straight from the federal data rather than from the college's own marketing.
Is San Joaquin Valley College-Santa Maria hard to get into?
Not especially. San Joaquin Valley College-Santa Maria 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-Santa Maria?
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-Santa Maria cost?
Budget around $26,983 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-Santa Maria 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 $26,983, 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-Santa Maria known for?
Mostly Medical Assisting, Practical Nursing, Medical Assisting. 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-Santa Maria 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-Santa Maria accredited?
Yes. San Joaquin Valley College-Santa Maria is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission.
How many students attend San Joaquin Valley College-Santa Maria?
114 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-Santa Maria?
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-Santa Maria 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-Santa Maria located?
San Joaquin Valley College-Santa Maria is located in Santa Maria, California.
What programs does San Joaquin Valley College-Santa Maria offer?
5 different programs, most commonly Medical Assisting, Practical Nursing, Medical Assisting. 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-Santa Maria?
27 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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