Community CollegePublicHSI

Cerritos College

Norwalk, California·Public, 2-year·Far West·cerritos.edu
6-yr Graduation
31%
Total enrollment
21,859
peer median 12,472
Avg net price
$693
-$4.3k vs Community College
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About

Cerritos College is a public community college in Norwalk, California, United States. It was established in 1955 after a collective regional effort through a landmark vote by residents across seven distinct school districts in the Gateway Cities of Southeast Los Angeles.

Graduation rate & outcomes

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

Overall completion
31%
Full-time retention
67%

Pell equity

3.0pp gap
Pell recipients
30%
Non-Pell
33%

Non-Pell students graduate at a 3.0-point higher rate than Pell recipients.

Program outcomes

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

Of 140 Title IV programs, 7 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 1 fails. 132 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
140
Passing
7
5.0% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
1
0.7% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.7%
+0.1pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

140programs
  • Passing7 · 5.0%
  • No Data132 · 94.3%
  • Failing1 · 0.7%

Severity spectrum

Critical
1
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
0
Watch
1
Safe
6
No data
132

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.

8
Human Development Family Studies and Related Services
Associate Degree · Family And Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences
-27.3%
$26,222 vs $36,082
Liberal Arts and Sciences General Studies and Humanities
Associate Degree · Liberal Arts And Sciences, General Studies And Humanities
+19.0%
$42,923 vs $36,082
Biological and Physical Sciences
Associate Degree · Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies
+40.0%
$50,527 vs $36,082
Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services
Associate Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+63.4%
$58,974 vs $36,082
Business Administration Management and Operations
Associate Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
+67.2%
$60,343 vs $36,082
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies Other
Associate Degree · Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies
+91.0%
$68,923 vs $36,082
Dental Support Services and Allied Professions
Associate Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+141.9%
$87,282 vs $36,082
Registered Nursing Nursing Administration Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
Associate Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+199.6%
$108,092 vs $36,082

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

1
Registered Nursing Nursing Administration Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
Associate Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
13%
$13,750 debt · $108,092 earn

Accreditation status & history

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

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges

Accredited since 1959Next review Mar 2027

Programmatic accreditations · 4

Action history · 15

  1. Aug 2025Renewal of Accreditation
    American Dental Association, Commission on Dental Accreditation · Dental Hygiene (DH)
  2. Aug 2025Renewal of Accreditation
    American Dental Association, Commission on Dental Accreditation · Dental Assisting (DA)
  3. Aug 2025Grant Substantive Change: Program
    American Dental Association, Commission on Dental Accreditation · Dental Assisting (DA)
  4. Aug 2025Grant Substantive Change: Program
    American Dental Association, Commission on Dental Accreditation · Dental Hygiene (DH)
  5. Jan 2024Grant Substantive Change: Other
    Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, Inc. — May 6, 2013 Formerly: National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission · Nursing (ADNUR) - Associate degree programs

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$0
$30–48k$670
$48–75k$2,917
$75–110k$4,990
$110k+$6,728

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

Avg net price
$693
-$4,308vs Community College median $5,001
Federal loans
2.3%
In-state tuition
$1,364
Out-of-state
$12,004

Federal aid volume & trends

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

In AY 2024–25, 10,017 students received $44.7M in Pell grants, alongside $6.2M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
10,017
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$44.7M
$44,706,009 total
Direct Loans
$6.2M
1,510 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

9k
20
8k
21
8k
22
9k
23
10k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$2.5M
748 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$3.8M
762 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.

Of 481 borrowers who entered repayment, 22 (4.5%) defaulted within three years above the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
4.5%
+2.2pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
481
Defaulted
22
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
11.2%
2017
7.0%
2018
10.6%
2019
4.5%
2020*
0.0%
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 Cerritos College

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs105
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

2,186 total completions
01Liberal Arts
60427.6%
02Business
45620.9%
03Social Sciences
1999.1%
04Psychology
1858.5%
05Health Professions
1838.4%
06Multi/Interdisciplinary
1768.1%
07Family/Consumer Sci
1406.4%
08Security/Protective
954.3%
09Communication
753.4%
10Visual/Performing Arts
733.3%

Enrollment trends & demographics

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

Fall total
21,859
12-mo unduplicated
30,699
Undergraduate
30,699
Graduate
0

Gender split

Men
46%14,104
Women
54%16,595

Race / ethnicity composition

Hispanic
70.3%
White
9.8%
Asian
7.1%
Black
6.8%
Unknown
2.9%
Two or more
2.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.2%
Non-resident
0.2%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

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

Athletes
500
335 M · 165 W
Women athletes
33.0%
Athletic aid
$0
Total student aid
Budget
$4.5M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$0
$0
Recruiting expense
$0
$0
Head-coach salaries
$83K
$69K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 12

Football
111 M ·
$401K
Wrestling
56 M · 25 W
$306K
Track and Field (Outdoor)
42 M · 29 W
$145K
Soccer
32 M · 20 W
$284K
Water Polo
21 M · 17 W
$245K
Cross Country
22 M · 15 W
$204K

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

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

Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
0.15
3 offenses · 19,469 students

3-year trend

0.202 yrs ago0.211 yr ago0.15Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
11
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
0
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
0

Criminal offenses by type

Motor vehicle theft
2
Burglary
1

By location

3total
  • On campus3

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
Weapons00
Drugs00
Liquor00

Residence-hall fires

No residence-hall fires reported.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

Student-to-faculty
26.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
219

Cerritos College vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions Cerritos College selected for federal comparison reporting.

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
SubjectCerritos College
31%21,859$693Community College
13,532$8,263Baccalaureate
50%30,746$4,751Baccalaureate
3,226$12,347Community College
12,861$11,812Community College
14,494$29Community College
2,019$7,962Community College
28,071$1,699Community College
11,273$2,895Community College
8,873$1,697Community College
24,985$5,001Community College
9,463$11,245Community College
10,690$11,972Community College
8,455$5,692Community College
4,225$7,500Community College
12,472$4,260Community College
0%18,258$10,176Baccalaureate
7,361$659Community College
4,784$3,728Community College
17,441$11,903Baccalaureate
21,730$4,026Community College
20,969$8,508Community College
20,986$10,893Community College
8,423$3,228Community College
6,320$3,573Community College
Peer group median31%12,472$5,001

Institutions like Cerritos College

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

Cerritos College Institutional Research office

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

Office
Institutional Effectiveness, Research, Planning, and Grants
Phone
562-860-2451
Address
IERPG Division Office (LC-114) 11110 Alondra Boulevard Norwalk, CA 90650

The Institutional Effectiveness, Research, Planning, and Grants (IERPG) Division at Cerritos College provides unbiased research, analysis, and reporting grounded in a holistic understanding of complex college processes. Our goal is to facilitate data-informed decision-making that supports the college’s mission, strategic goals, and commitment to student success and equity.

Visit IR office page
Team
4 members
  • Esthela Chavez-Prado
    Research Analyst, Institutional Effectiveness, Research, Planning, and Grants
  • Julia Foley
    Research Analyst, IERPG
  • Amber Hroch
    Dean, Institutional Effectiveness, Research, Planning, and Grants, IERPG
  • Dylan Grkinich
    Research Analyst, IERPG

Reports & documents (3)

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

Grants & funding (1)

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

Notable alumni of Cerritos College (34)

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

  • Eric Draper
    Art and literature
  • John Saul
    Art and literature
  • John Corbett
    Entertainment
  • Bobby McFerrin
    Entertainment
  • Rodney Allen Rippy
    Entertainment
  • Han Ye-seul
    Entertainment
  • Steve Seungjun Yoo
    Entertainment
  • Anthony Rendon
    Politics
  • Grace Napolitano
    Politics
  • Art Olivier
    Politics
  • Bob Apodaca
    Sports
  • Rod Barajas
    Sports
Showing 112 of 34
1 / 3

Frequently asked questions about Cerritos College

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Cerritos College.

What is the graduation rate at Cerritos College?

Cerritos College reports a 6-year graduation rate of 31% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend Cerritos College?

Cerritos College reports a total enrollment of 21,859 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at Cerritos College?

The average net price at Cerritos College is $693 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

Where is Cerritos College located?

Cerritos College is located in Norwalk, California 90650-6298.

Who runs Institutional Research at Cerritos College?

Cerritos College's IR work is done by the Institutional Effectiveness, Research, Planning, and Grants.

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