Santiago Canyon College is a public institution offering associate degrees based in Orange, California. It enrolls 10,579 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.
Strong
78/100
UCD Score · 2-Year
Outcomes59
Value98
Affordability50
Selectivity—
Admissions & Acceptance Rate
As a two-year college, Santiago Canyon 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 $2,129 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.
Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.
Tuition & Fees (in-state)
$1,164
Tuition & Fees (out-of-state)
$9,612
Room & Board (off-campus)
$22,086
Books & Supplies
$1,062
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$6,930
Total Cost of Attendance
$13,818
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
$-219
$30,001 – $48,000
$454
$48,001 – $75,000
$4,833
$75,001 – $110,000
$9,373
Over $110,000
$11,014
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.
$1,75010%percentile
$2,49925%percentile
$5,125Medianpercentile
$6,50075%percentile
$15,00090%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 $4,750
↓ $375
No Pell $3,500
↓ $1,625
Dependent students $3,500
↓ $1,625
Independent students $5,250
↑ $125
Female students $4,750
↓ $375
Male students $4,500
↓ $625
Worth knowing:
Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $4,500, close to what completers borrow ($5,125) but without the degree to show for it.
Graduation Rate & Retention
3% of students who start here finish within six years, and 71% 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
3%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
71%
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 $44,956 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)
$44,956
Earning > $25K
69%
10 yrs after entry
Earnings Growth After Graduation
Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.
What this means:
Strong return on investment. Every dollar of net annual cost is matched by ~$21.1 of median earnings 10 years out.
Who Studies Here
Who you would actually be sitting next to: 10,579 students, a large student community. Worth knowing: 54% are the first in their family to go to college, and 80% study part-time, so many are working alongside classes.
Total Enrolled
10,579
Part-Time
80%
First-Generation
54%
Race & Ethnicity Breakdown
Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.
GroupShareStudents
Hispanic 59.1%6,250
White 25.2%2,661
Asian 6.3%668
Other 4.4%467
Black 2.1%226
International 0.9%92
Student Life & Campus Culture
Where students live, learn, and connect at Santiago Canyon College. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.
Santiago Canyon College offers
an extensive catalog of programs:
51 distinct programs across
26 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 34 students for every instructor here: high, so expect big lectures and to work harder for one-to-one time.
Student : Faculty
34:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Instruction / Student
$3,440
Annual instructional spending per enrolled student
Endowment
$2.0M
Modest endowment
Avg Faculty Salary
$120,880
9-month equivalent across all ranks
Faculty by Rank
158 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
158
100%
$120,880
Pros & Cons of Santiago Canyon College
No college is right for everyone. Here is where Santiago Canyon 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
Modest first-year retention
Predominantly serves middle- and upper-income families
Mostly part-time student body, less full-time campus feel
Best for:
Based on the data, Santiago Canyon College is a fit for
students who want a clear path to start college without a competitive admissions barrier; families focused on keeping net cost low; working adults or students needing part-time study options.
Frequently Asked Questions about Santiago Canyon College
The questions families ask most about Santiago Canyon College, answered straight from the federal data rather than from the college's own marketing.
Is Santiago Canyon College hard to get into?
Not especially. Santiago Canyon 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 Santiago Canyon 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 Santiago Canyon College cost?
Budget around $2,129 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 Santiago Canyon College worth it?
On the numbers, yes: strong return on investment. Ten years in, the median graduate earns $44,956 a year against a net price of $2,129, about 21.1 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 Santiago Canyon College known for?
Mostly Liberal Arts, Liberal Arts, Biological and Physical Sciences. 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 Santiago Canyon College graduates earn?
About $44,956 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 Santiago Canyon College accredited?
Yes. Santiago Canyon College is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges.
How many students attend Santiago Canyon College?
10,579 students. Big enough for a wide course catalogue without feeling anonymous. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What is the graduation rate at Santiago Canyon College?
3% 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 Santiago Canyon College a public or private college?
It is Public. Public, so in-state students usually pay materially less than everyone else.
Where is Santiago Canyon College located?
Santiago Canyon College is located in Orange, California.
What programs does Santiago Canyon College offer?
51 different programs, most commonly Liberal Arts, Liberal Arts, Biological and Physical Sciences. 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 Santiago Canyon College?
34 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.
Liberal Arts
Liberal Arts
Biological and Physical Sciences
Related Guides
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.
