Public Bachelor's Strong 82/100

Santa Ana College

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

Compare This College

Santa Ana, California

About Santa Ana College

Thinking about Santa Ana College, a college in California where more students graduate in Liberal Arts 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.

Santa Ana College is a public institution offering bachelor's degrees based in Santa Ana, California. It enrolls 22,485 students (a very 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.

Acceptance
—
Graduation
10.6%
Net Price
$3,133
Median Earnings (10yr)
$43,552
Enrollment
22,485
Student : Faculty
32:1

Accreditor Western Association of Schools and Colleges Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges
Academic Calendar Semester

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 Open / Online), 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.

Strong
82/100
UCD Score · 4-Year Open / Online
Outcomes 65
Value 97
Affordability 54
Selectivity —

Admissions & Acceptance Rate

Santa Ana College does not report an acceptance rate. Schools that do not publish one are usually open-admission, but confirm with the admissions office before you assume it.

Acceptance Rate
—
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 $3,133 a year on average, it sits well below what public colleges charge nationally. At that level cost is rarely the reason to rule a college out. 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
$3,133
Per year, after typical aid
Receive Pell Grants
16%
Need-based federal aid
Receive Federal Loans
1%
Borrowing to attend

Full Cost Breakdown

Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.

Tuition & Fees (in-state)
$1,180
Tuition & Fees (out-of-state)
$10,756
Room & Board (off-campus)
$22,126
Books & Supplies
$1,126
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$6,930
Total Cost of Attendance
$12,375

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
    $1,970
  • $30,001 – $48,000
    $2,385
  • $48,001 – $75,000
    $5,278
  • $75,001 – $110,000
    $8,575
  • Over $110,000
    $10,160

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.

$2,000
10% percentile
$2,625
25% percentile
$6,871
Median percentile
$10,925
75% percentile
$20,250
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 $5,500 ↓ $1,371
No Pell $5,947 ↓ $924
Dependent students $3,500 ↓ $3,371
Independent students $7,500 ↑ $629
Female students $6,322 ↓ $549
Male students $5,500 ↓ $1,371
Pell recipients: 16.0% (1,103 students)No Pell: 17.4% (1,192 students)Dependent students: 10.2% (702 students)Independent students: 21.9% (1,504 students)Female students: 18.4% (1,268 students)Male students: 16.0% (1,103 students)Overall Median$6,871
Worth knowing: Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $5,500, close to what completers borrow ($6,871) but without the degree to show for it.

Graduation Rate & Retention

11% of students who start here finish within six years, and 100% 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
11%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
100%
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 $43,552 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)
$43,552
Earning > $25K
69%
10 yrs after entry

Earnings Growth After Graduation

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

$36,000$38,000$40,000$42,000$45,0006 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
$36,700

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

Male graduates
$43,400

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

The gender gap: Male graduates earn $6,700, about 15% 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 ↑ 15.5 pts across 6 years
55.9%1yr63.3%3yr61%5yr71.4%7yr
What this signals: Strong. 71% of graduates are actively reducing their debt seven years out.

Who Studies Here

Who you would actually be sitting next to: 22,485 students, a sprawling student community. Worth knowing: 70% are the first in their family to go to college, and 81% study part-time, so many are working alongside classes.

Total Enrolled
22,485
Part-Time
81%
First-Generation
70%

Race & Ethnicity Breakdown

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

GroupShareStudents
Hispanic 52.6% 11,836
White 19.1% 4,290
Asian 7.4% 1,673
Other 2.6% 580
Black 1.6% 369
International 0.7% 164
Hispanic: 52.6% (11,836 students)White: 19.1% (4,290 students)Asian: 7.4% (1,673 students)Other: 2.6% (580 students)Black: 1.6% (369 students)International: 0.7% (164 students)Total22,485

Student Life & Campus Culture

Where students live, learn, and connect at Santa Ana College. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.

Setting
Large City Santa Ana, California
Housing
Commuter campus No on-campus housing
Adult Learners
51% of students are 25 or older
Athletics
NAIA athletic-conference member
Academic Calendar
Semester scheduling structure
Designation
Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI)

What You Can Study

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

Santa Ana College offers an extensive catalog of programs: 71 distinct programs across 30 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.

2 Programs
6 Programs
6 Programs
3 Programs
8 Programs

Faculty & Resources

There are 32 students for every instructor here: high, so expect big lectures and to work harder for one-to-one time.

Student : Faculty
32:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Instruction / Student
$3,320
Annual instructional spending per enrolled student
Endowment
$14M
Modest endowment
Avg Faculty Salary
$118,728
9-month equivalent across all ranks

Faculty by Rank

263 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 263 100% $118,728

Pros & Cons of Santa Ana College

No college is right for everyone. Here is where Santa Ana College 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
  • Very affordable net price after aid
  • Strong first-year retention
  • Low typical debt at graduation
  • First-gen-friendly student body
  • Flexible part-time enrollment options
CONS
  • Larger class sizes than typical
  • Low completion rate, many students don't graduate within six years
  • Predominantly serves middle- and upper-income families
  • No graduate programs offered at this institution
  • Mostly part-time student body, less full-time campus feel
Best for: Based on the data, Santa Ana College is a fit for families focused on keeping net cost low; working adults or students needing part-time study options.

Frequently Asked Questions about Santa Ana College

The questions families ask most about Santa Ana College, answered straight from the federal data rather than from the college's own marketing.

How much does Santa Ana College cost?
Budget around $3,133 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 Santa Ana College worth it?
On the numbers, yes: strong return on investment. Ten years in, the median graduate earns $43,552 a year against a net price of $3,133, about 13.9 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 Santa Ana 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 Santa Ana College graduates earn?
About $43,552 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 Santa Ana College accredited?
Yes. Santa Ana College is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges.
How many students attend Santa Ana College?
22,485 students. Large, so expect big lectures and more independence in finding your own footing. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What is the graduation rate at Santa Ana College?
11% 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 Santa Ana College a public or private college?
It is Public. Public, so in-state students usually pay materially less than everyone else.
Where is Santa Ana College located?
Santa Ana College is located in Santa Ana, California.
What programs does Santa Ana College offer?
71 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 Santa Ana College?
32 students per instructor. On the high side, so expect big classes and to seek out contact time yourself. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.

Continue Exploring

Browse our full directory: every college, major, program, and career we track, all built from verified government data.