Community CollegePublicHSI

American River College

Sacramento, California·Public, 2-year·Far West·arc.losrios.edu
Acceptance
Open admission
—
6-yr Graduation
37%
—
Total enrollment
30,462
peer median 8,516
Avg net price
$7,999
+$117 vs Community College
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AboutOutcomesProgram outcomesAccreditationCostFederal aidLoan defaultsAcademic programsEnrollment trendsAthleticsCampus safetyFacultyPeersIR OfficeDocumentsGrantsAlumni

About

American River College (ARC) is a public community college in unincorporated Sacramento, California. It is one of four colleges in the Los Rios Community College District and is part of the California Community Colleges System.

Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

IPEDS
Overall completion
37%
Full-time retention
72%

Pell equity

0.4pp gap
Pell recipients
37%164 of 447
Non-Pell (all)
37%218 of 596
Subsidized loan, no Pell
0%0 of 4
No Federal Aid
37%218 of 592

Pell and non-Pell students graduate at nearly identical rates, a notably small equity gap.

Source: IPEDS Graduation Rates (GR) — Pell/SSL cohort, 2024 cohort.

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

FVT/GE

Of 186 Title IV programs, 3 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 183 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
186
Passing
3
1.6% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

186programs
  • Passing3 · 1.6%
  • No Data183 · 98.4%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
0
Watch
1
Safe
2
No data
183

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Earnings premium gap

Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.

3
Biological and Physical Sciences
Associate Degree · Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies
+20.1%
$43,319 vs $36,082
Social Sciences General
Associate Degree · Social Sciences
+32.3%
$47,731 vs $36,082
Registered Nursing Nursing Administration Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
Associate Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+239.2%
$122,386 vs $36,082

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

DAPIP
AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges

Accredited since 1959Next review Oct 2029

Programmatic accreditations · 1

Action history · 4

  1. Apr 2023Accreditation Reaffirmed: Probation Removed
    American Board of Funeral Service Education, Committee on Accreditation · Funeral Service Education (FUSER) - Institutions and programs awarding diplomas, associate degrees and bachelor's degrees
  2. Jan 2023Renewal of Accreditation
    Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges
  3. Apr 2022Probation or Equivalent or a More Severe Status: Probation
    American Board of Funeral Service Education, Committee on Accreditation · Funeral Service Education (FUSER) - Institutions and programs awarding diplomas, associate degrees and bachelor's degrees
  4. Oct 2018Renewal of Accreditation
    American Board of Funeral Service Education, Committee on Accreditation · Funeral Service Education (FUSER) - Institutions and programs awarding diplomas, associate degrees and bachelor's degrees

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

College Scorecard

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$7,599
$30–48k$6,219
$48–75k$9,538
$75–110k$11,652
$110k+$13,845

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price
$7,999
+$117vs Community College median $7,882
Federal loans
2.9%
In-state tuition
$1,288
Out-of-state
$12,616

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

Federal Student Aid

In AY 2024–25, 9,914 students received $38.7M in Pell grants, alongside $8.9M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
9,914
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$38.7M
$38,741,669 total
Direct Loans
$8.9M
2,208 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

8k
’20
7k
’21
7k
’22
8k
’23
10k
’24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$3.6M
1,124 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$5.3M
1,084 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Cohort Default Rate

Of 826 borrowers who entered repayment, 31 (3.7%) defaulted within three years — above the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
3.7%
+1.4pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
826
Defaulted
31
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
17.3%
2017
17.3%
2018
14.9%
2019
3.7%
2020*
0.1%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at American River College

Top program areas ranked by completions.

IPEDS
Distinct CIP programs125
UndergraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

2,043 total completions
01Social Sciences
50824.9%
02Business
32716.0%
03Multi/Interdisciplinary
32115.7%
04Health Professions
22711.1%
05Psychology
1899.3%
06Physical Sciences
1266.2%
07Computer Sciences
1135.5%
08Security/Protective
924.5%
09Family/Consumer Sci
824.0%
10Visual/Performing Arts
582.8%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

IPEDS
Fall total
30,462
12-mo unduplicated
47,212
Undergraduate
47,212
Graduate
0

Gender split

Men
50%23,801
Women
50%23,411

Race / ethnicity composition

White
36.6%
Hispanic
31.8%
Asian
13.2%
Black
6.5%
Two or more
6.4%
Unknown
3.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.5%
Non-resident
0.2%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.

EADA
Athletes
463
316 M · 147 W
Women athletes
31.7%
Athletic aid
$0
Total student aid
Budget
$2.8M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$0
$0
Recruiting expense
$0
$0
Head-coach salaries
$52K
$44K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 12

Football
137 M · —
$441K
Track and Field (Outdoor)
46 M · 29 W
$207K
Swimming and Diving (combined)
35 M · 23 W
$292K
Soccer
31 M · 23 W
$255K
Water Polo
21 M · 19 W
$185K
Baseball
37 M · —
$177K

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Clery Act
Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
0.13
4 offenses · 29,908 students

3-year trend

0.122 yrs ago0.111 yr ago0.13Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
10
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
5
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
0

Criminal offenses by type

Burglary
2
Arson
1
Motor vehicle theft
1

By location

4total
  • On campus4

VAWA offenses

0
Domestic violence
0
Dating violence
0
Stalking
0 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

No hate crimes reported.

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons10
Drugs10
Liquor00

Residence-hall fires

No residence-hall fires reported.

Data quality: 2 reports were later determined unfounded across the reporting period and are excluded from the totals above.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

IPEDS
Student-to-faculty
29.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
318

American River College vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions American River College selected for federal comparison reporting.

IPEDS
GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
This institutionPeer median

A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

Carnegie
SubjectAmerican River College
37%Open admission30,462$7,999Community College
Anne Arundel Community College
—Open admission11,481$14,915Community College
Century College
—Open admission8,726$10,906Community College
City Colleges of Chicago-Malcolm X College
—Open admission9,303$7,220Community College
Cosumnes River College
—Open admission15,744$5,981Community College
Davidson-Davie Community College
—Open admission4,305$8,753Community College
De Anza College
—Open admission17,425$6,642Community College
Erie Community College
—Open admission8,090$7,765Community College
Fayetteville Technical Community College
—Open admission11,755$3,589Community College
Fresno City College
—Open admission28,071$8,069Community College
Hudson Valley Community College
—Open admission9,227$8,501Community College
Iowa Central Community College
—Open admission4,949$9,328Community College
John C Calhoun State Community College
—Open admission9,119$7,660Community College
Johnston Community College
—Open admission5,371$1,776Community College
Joliet Junior College
—Open admission14,414$1,672Community College
Kilgore College
—Open admission7,198$5,364Community College
Lehigh Carbon Community College
—Open admission6,221$9,203Community College
Minneapolis Community and Technical College
—Open admission6,733$13,812Community College
Montgomery County Community College
—Open admission9,278$11,124Community College
New Mexico State University-Dona Ana
—Open admission7,200$6,048Community College
Raritan Valley Community College
—98.6%6,762$6,778Community College
Rochester Community and Technical College
—Open admission5,205$14,435Community College
Saint Paul College
—Open admission5,198$11,495Community College
San Jose City College
—Open admission8,609$16,959Community College
Southern Maine Community College
—Open admission7,900$11,086Community College
Tidewater Community College
—Open admission16,884$11,762Community College
Trident Technical College
—Open admission13,552$1,406Community College
Victor Valley College
—Open admission8,423$1,947Community College
Virginia Peninsula Community College
—Open admission6,410$7,012Community College
Virginia Western Community College
—Open admission6,332$4,966Community College
Peer group median37%98.6%8,516$7,882

Institutions like American River College

Explore the federal data for institutions in American River College's comparison group.

IPEDS

American River College Institutional Research office

The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.

Office
Office of Institutional Research
Reports to Office of Equity, Institutional Effectiveness, and Innovation
Address
Administration building

To provide a broad array of planning and decision support services to each of ARC's stakeholder groups, as well as to various external entities, facilitating the collection, analysis, and interpretation of institutional data to support planning and decision-making aimed at achieving ARC’s mission and strategic goals.

Visit IR office page
Team
6 members
  • Brenda Valles
    Dean of Institutional Effectiveness and Innovation
  • Ryal Strom
    Administrative Assistant
  • Yuj Shimizu
    Faculty Research Coordinator
  • Jonathan Newnam
    IT Business Analyst
  • Diana Lopez
    Research Analyst
  • Juan Aguilar
    Research Analyst

Reports & documents (2)

Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.

Grants & funding (8)

Federal grant awards and open funding opportunities awarded to this institution.

USA Spending

Notable alumni of American River College (13)

A curated list of alumni recognized for notable achievements across industries.

  • Jen Allred
  • Ken Balcomb
  • Lloyd Connelly
  • Jenny Dearborn
  • Pam Mark Hall
  • Wally Herger
  • Jed Johnson
    Interior Design
  • Adrian Lamo
    Computer Hacking
  • Jim McClarin
  • Edward C. Noonan
  • Anthony Swofford
    Literature
  • Ralph Watkins
Showing 1–12 of 13
1 / 2

Frequently asked questions about American River College

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about American River College.

What is the acceptance rate at American River College?

American River College does not have a reported acceptance rate. This institution has an open admission policy: it admits all applicants who meet basic requirements, so it does not report a selective admit rate.

What is the graduation rate at American River College?

American River College reports a 6-year graduation rate of 37% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend American River College?

American River College reports a total enrollment of 30,462 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at American River College?

The average net price at American River College is $7,999 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

Where is American River College located?

American River College is located in Sacramento, California 95841-4286.

Who runs Institutional Research at American River College?

American River College's IR work is done by the Office of Institutional Research, which reports to Office of Equity, Institutional Effectiveness, and Innovation.

About the data on this page

Every figure comes from an official federal or public source. Here is each one and the release it is currently on.

IPEDSFall 2025–26 release, published July 28, 2026
Enrollment, completions, graduation rates, tuition, financial aid, staffing, and finance for every U.S. institution in federal student aid programs.
National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education
College ScorecardJune 10, 2026 release (merged 2025–26 files)
Institution and field-of-study costs, graduate earnings, debt, completion, and admissions outcomes compiled from federal aid records, tax data, and IPEDS.
U.S. Department of Education
FVT/GE program performanceProvisional preview, May 18, 2026 release
Program-level debt-to-earnings and earnings-premium measures behind the FVT/GE and STATS accountability frameworks.
U.S. Department of Education
DAPIP accreditationContinuously refreshed
Accreditation status for institutions and programs, reported by recognized accrediting agencies.
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
Federal Pell Grant & loan volumeAY 2025–26 (through Q3), through March 31, 2026
Pell Grant and Direct Loan recipient counts, award amounts, and disbursement volume by institution and award year.
U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
Cohort Default RatesFY 2022 official rates
Institution-level federal student loan default rates, measuring borrowers who default within three years of entering repayment.
U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid
Equity in Athletics (EADA)Academic year 2024–25
Athletics participation, coaching, revenues, and expenses by sport and gender for Title IV institutions.
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
Campus Safety & SecurityData through reporting year 2024
Criminal offenses, arrests, disciplinary actions, VAWA offenses, and fire statistics reported by campus under the Clery Act.
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education
Last reviewed July 2026All data sources & release dates →

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