Community CollegePublicHSI

Fullerton College

Fullerton, California·Public, 2-year·Far West·fullcoll.edu
Acceptance
Open admission
—
6-yr Graduation
34%
—
Total enrollment
19,521
peer median 17,333
Avg net price
$6,134
-$68 vs Community College
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AboutOutcomesProgram outcomesAccreditationCostFederal aidLoan defaultsAcademic programsEnrollment trendsAthleticsCampus safetyFacultyPeersIR OfficeDocumentsAlumni

About

Fullerton College (FC) is a public community college in Fullerton, California, United States. It is part of the California Community Colleges System and the North Orange County Community College District. Established in 1913, it is the oldest community college in continuous operation in California.

Graduation rate & outcomes

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

IPEDS
Overall completion
34%
Full-time retention
72%

Pell equity

3.9pp gap
Pell recipients
32%277 of 871
Non-Pell (all)
36%309 of 861
Subsidized loan, no Pell
25%1 of 4
No Federal Aid
36%308 of 857

Non-Pell students graduate at a 3.9-point higher rate than Pell recipients.

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 164 Title IV programs, 0 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 164 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
164
Passing
0
0.0% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

164programs
  • Passing0 · 0.0%
  • No Data164 · 100.0%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
0
Watch
0
Safe
0
No data
164

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.

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 1952Next review Oct 2031

Action history · 2

  1. Jan 2025Renewal of Accreditation
    Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges
  2. Jan 2018Renewal of Accreditation
    Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges

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$4,944
$30–48k$5,200
$48–75k$7,915
$75–110k$10,392
$110k+$11,574

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

Avg net price
$6,134
vs Community College median $6,202
Federal loans
2.0%
In-state tuition
$1,150
Out-of-state
$12,379

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, 6,751 students received $32.4M in Pell grants, alongside $3.3M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
6,751
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$32.4M
$32,381,169 total
Direct Loans
$3.3M
892 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

7k
’20
6k
’21
6k
’22
6k
’23
7k
’24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$1.5M
486 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$1.7M
406 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 806 borrowers who entered repayment, 75 (9.3%) defaulted within three years — above the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
9.3%
+7.0pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
806
Defaulted
75
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
14.0%
2017
15.9%
2018
22.4%
2019
9.3%
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 Fullerton College

Top program areas ranked by completions.

IPEDS
Distinct CIP programs111
UndergraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

2,655 total completions
01Multi/Interdisciplinary
1,19044.8%
02Business
40315.2%
03Visual/Performing Arts
2017.6%
04Social Sciences
1917.2%
05Psychology
1846.9%
06Communication
1345.0%
07Security/Protective
1204.5%
08Family/Consumer Sci
873.3%
09Education
782.9%
10Physical Sciences
672.5%

Enrollment trends & demographics

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

IPEDS
Fall total
19,521
12-mo unduplicated
28,804
Undergraduate
28,804
Graduate
0

Gender split

Men
46%13,203
Women
54%15,601

Race / ethnicity composition

Hispanic
60.5%
White
14.8%
Asian
12.9%
Two or more
5.7%
Black
3.0%
Unknown
1.6%
Non-resident
1.0%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.2%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

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

EADA
Athletes
407
291 M · 116 W
Women athletes
28.5%
Athletic aid
$0
Total student aid
Budget
$3.0M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$0
$0
Recruiting expense
$0
$0
Head-coach salaries
$60K
$52K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 13

Football
123 M · —
$440K
Soccer
42 M · 14 W
$296K
Baseball
50 M · —
$220K
Track and Field (Outdoor)
20 M · 11 W
$102K
Basketball
14 M · 15 W
$318K
Volleyball
19 M · 9 W
$188K

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
0.38
7 offenses · 18,569 students

3-year trend

0.002 yrs ago0.221 yr ago0.38Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
11
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
3
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
1
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
0

Criminal offenses by type

Robbery
3
Burglary
2
Motor vehicle theft
2

By location

7total
  • On campus7

VAWA offenses

0
Domestic violence
1
Dating violence
0
Stalking
1 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

No hate crimes reported.

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons00
Drugs10
Liquor01

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.

IPEDS
Student-to-faculty
25.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
292

Fullerton College vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions Fullerton 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
SubjectFullerton College
34%Open admission19,521$6,134Community College
Bergen Community College
—Open admission11,720$10,345Community College
Blinn College District
—Open admission18,095$10,844Community College
Cerritos College
—Open admission21,859$2,424Community College
Chaffey College
—Open admission22,460$5,672Community College
Citrus College
—Open admission10,429$4,135Community College
College of the Sequoias
—Open admission14,494$480Community College
Community College of Philadelphia
—Open admission12,926$11,911Community College
Community College of Rhode Island
—Open admission12,275$6,513Community College
CUNY Borough of Manhattan Community College
—Open admission20,123$4,976Community College
CUNY LaGuardia Community College
—Open admission14,494$6,120Community College
Diablo Valley College
—Open admission17,228$8,312Community College
El Camino Community College District
—Open admission21,664$5,968Community College
El Paso Community College
—Open admission25,567$3,206Community College
Georgia State University-Perimeter College
—90.8%17,437$11,453Community College
Glendale Community College
—Open admission12,075$8,365Community College
Grossmont College
—Open admission14,440$5,311Community College
Long Beach City College
—Open admission24,985$6,202Community College
Merced College
—Open admission12,472$5,040Community College
Metropolitan Community College-Kansas City
—Open admission13,523$8,398Community College
Moorpark College
—Open admission14,583$0 or lessCommunity College
Nassau Community College
—Open admission12,301$7,095Community College
Orange Coast College
—Open admission17,096$7,203Community College
Pasadena City College
—Open admission24,597$3,864Community College
Riverside City College
—Open admission21,730$8,377Community College
Santa Barbara City College
—Open admission12,334$11,315Community College
Southwestern College
—Open admission20,986$12,671Community College
Suffolk County Community College
—Open admission19,973$5,258Community College
Tarrant County College District
—Open admission43,928$4,337Community College
Wake Technical Community College
—Open admission24,609$8,759Community College
Peer group median34%90.8%17,333$6,202

Institutions like Fullerton College

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

IPEDS

Fullerton College Institutional Research office

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

Office
Office of Institutional Effectiveness
Email
IE [at] fullcoll.edu
Phone
(714) 992-7063
Address
321 E. Chapman Ave. Fullerton, CA 92832

Our mission is to support a culture of collaborative inquiry so that staff, faculty, administrators, and students can work to dismantle institutional barriers and achieve educational justice.

Visit IR office page
Team
6 members
  • Daniel Berumen
    Director of Institutional Research & Planning
  • Mike Gieck
    Senior Research & Planning Analyst
  • Karina Corona
    Senior Research & Planning Analyst
  • Victor Manchik
    Senior Research & Planning Analyst
  • Bianca Gladen
    Administrative Assistant III
  • Vinnie Wu
    Senior Research & Planning Analyst

Reports & documents (4)

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

Notable alumni of Fullerton College (5)

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

  • James Cameron
    Film
  • Gwen Stefani
    Music
  • Matthew Lillard
    Acting
  • Melissa Villaseñor
    Comedy
  • Mike Wilson
    Politics

Frequently asked questions about Fullerton College

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

What is the acceptance rate at Fullerton College?

Fullerton 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 Fullerton College?

Fullerton College reports a 6-year graduation rate of 34% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend Fullerton College?

Fullerton College reports a total enrollment of 19,521 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at Fullerton College?

The average net price at Fullerton College is $6,134 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

Where is Fullerton College located?

Fullerton College is located in Fullerton, California 92832-2095.

Who runs Institutional Research at Fullerton College?

Fullerton College's IR work is done by the Office of Institutional Effectiveness.

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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