Community CollegePublicHSI

San Diego City College

San Diego, California·Public, 2-year·Far West·sdcity.edu
Acceptance
Open admission
—
6-yr Graduation
30%
—
Total enrollment
13,242
peer median 9,380
Avg net price
$7,935
+$72 vs Community College
Use this data
Ask Clema
AboutOutcomesProgram outcomesAccreditationCostFederal aidLoan defaultsAcademic programsEnrollment trendsAthleticsCampus safetyFacultyPeersIR OfficeDocumentsGrantsAlumni

About

San Diego City College is a public community college in San Diego, California. It is part of San Diego Community College District and the California Community Colleges system. The college is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC).

Graduation rate & outcomes

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

IPEDS
Overall completion
30%
Full-time retention
61%

Pell equity

0.6pp gap
Pell recipients
30%92 of 304
Non-Pell (all)
31%49 of 160
Subsidized loan, no Pell
0%0 of 1
No Federal Aid
31%49 of 159

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 172 Title IV programs, 9 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 1 fails. 162 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
172
Passing
9
5.2% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
1
0.6% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.6%
vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

172programs
  • Passing9 · 5.2%
  • No Data162 · 94.2%
  • Failing1 · 0.6%

Severity spectrum

Critical
1
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
2
Watch
1
Safe
6
No data
162

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.

10
English Language and Literature General
Associate Degree · English Language And Literature/Letters
-22.4%
$28,005 vs $36,082
Psychology General
Associate Degree · Psychology
+4.6%
$37,754 vs $36,082
Liberal Arts and Sciences General Studies and Humanities
Associate Degree · Liberal Arts And Sciences, General Studies And Humanities
+8.3%
$39,081 vs $36,082
Human Services General
Associate Degree · Public Administration And Social Service Professions
+24.1%
$44,787 vs $36,082
Biology General
Associate Degree · Biological And Biomedical Sciences
+39.9%
$50,465 vs $36,082
Business Administration Management and Operations
Associate Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
+41.3%
$51,001 vs $36,082
Communication and Media Studies
Associate Degree · Communication, Journalism, And Related Programs
+68.3%
$60,716 vs $36,082
Fine and Studio Arts
Associate Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+97.6%
$71,302 vs $36,082

Near the line (±5%)

Programs within five points of the pass line, one cohort year from flipping.

1
Psychology General
Associate Degree · Psychology
+4.6%
+$1,672

Debt vs earnings

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

1
Liberal Arts and Sciences General Studies and Humanities
Undergraduate Certificate · Liberal Arts And Sciences, General Studies And Humanities
15%
$6,750 debt · $44,078 earn

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 Jun 2031

Programmatic accreditations · 1

Action history · 6

  1. Jun 2024Renewal of Accreditation
    Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges
  2. Nov 2022Grant Substantive Change: Degree
    Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges
  3. Mar 2022Renewal of Accreditation
    Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, Inc. — May 6, 2013 Formerly: National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission · Nursing (ADNUR) - Associate degree programs
  4. Jan 2019Renewal of Accreditation
    Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges
  5. Jan 2019Renewal 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$7,181
$30–48k$8,159
$48–75k$10,265
$75–110k$15,594
$110k+$17,766

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

Avg net price
$7,935
vs Community College median $7,863
Federal loans
1.6%
In-state tuition
$1,146
Out-of-state
$10,002

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, 5,523 students received $22.5M in Pell grants, alongside $2.0M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
5,523
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$22.5M
$22,538,724 total
Direct Loans
$2.0M
488 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

3k
’20
4k
’21
4k
’22
5k
’23
6k
’24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$962K
294 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$928K
191 loan awards
Parent PLUS$90K
3 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 268 borrowers who entered repayment, 16 (5.9%) defaulted within three years — above the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
5.9%
+3.6pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
268
Defaulted
16
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
14.8%
2017
16.5%
2018
18.2%
2019
5.9%
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 San Diego City College

Top program areas ranked by completions.

IPEDS
Distinct CIP programs84
UndergraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

852 total completions
01Liberal Arts
20423.9%
02Business
10812.7%
03Biological Sciences
9411.0%
04Psychology
9210.8%
05Visual/Performing Arts
829.6%
06Health Professions
708.2%
07Social Sciences
617.2%
08Public Admin
505.9%
09Computer Sciences
475.5%
10Communication
445.2%

Enrollment trends & demographics

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

IPEDS
Fall total
13,242
12-mo unduplicated
22,424
Undergraduate
22,424
Graduate
0

Gender split

Men
46%10,399
Women
54%12,025

Race / ethnicity composition

Hispanic
49.7%
White
22.6%
Asian
10.2%
Black
9.6%
Two or more
6.2%
Unknown
1.0%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.2%
Non-resident
0.1%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

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

EADA
Athletes
171
84 M · 87 W
Women athletes
50.9%
Athletic aid
$0
Total student aid
Budget
$1.8M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$0
$0
Recruiting expense
$0
$0
Head-coach salaries
$36K
$31K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 9

Soccer
23 M · 16 W
$133K
Baseball
29 M · —
$127K
Basketball
13 M · 12 W
$250K
Tennis
9 M · 10 W
$122K
Cross Country
10 M · 8 W
$84K
Softball
— · 17 W
$80K

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
2.35
31 offenses · 13,197 students

3-year trend

1.082 yrs ago2.141 yr ago2.35Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
71
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
16
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
4
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
0

Criminal offenses by type

Burglary
10
Motor vehicle theft
8
Robbery
7
Aggravated assault
3
Rape
2
Arson
1

By location

31total
  • On campus21
  • Non-campus4
  • Public property6

VAWA offenses

7
Domestic violence
0
Dating violence
1
Stalking
8 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

No hate crimes reported.

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons50
Drugs270
Liquor10

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
22.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
179

San Diego City College vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions San Diego City 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
SubjectSan Diego City College
30%Open admission13,242$7,935Community College
Anoka-Ramsey Community College
—Open admission8,486$16,434Community College
Brightpoint Community College
—Open admission9,380$5,490Community College
Camden County College
—Open admission7,622$5,996Community College
City Colleges of Chicago-Harry S Truman College
—Open admission6,839$7,863Community College
City Colleges of Chicago-Wilbur Wright College
—Open admission7,798$6,375Community College
Clovis Community College
—Open admission10,358$4,590Community College
Coastline Community College
—Open admission9,008$16,341Community College
College of Lake County
—Open admission12,530$7,607Community College
College of Western Idaho
—Open admission11,015$8,500Community College
Community College of Aurora
—Open admission8,833$8,656Community College
Illinois Central College
—Open admission7,906$12,961Community College
Johnson County Community College
—Open admission18,743$14,176Community College
Lane Community College
—Open admission6,810$9,123Community College
Los Angeles City College
—Open admission14,611$10,261Community College
Los Angeles Mission College
—Open admission10,690$13,380Community College
McHenry County College
—Open admission9,399$7,042Community College
McLennan Community College
—Open admission7,850$5,051Community College
Mohawk Valley Community College
—Open admission5,940$8,987Community College
Normandale Community College
—Open admission11,026$12,972Community College
Oakton College
—Open admission8,329$5,183Community College
Ocean County College
—Open admission7,095$11,411Community College
Palo Alto College
—Open admission12,395$4,463Community College
Pima Community College
—Open admission16,283$3,405Community College
Reedley College
—Open admission8,796$6,814Community College
San Diego Miramar College
—Open admission14,257$3,337Community College
Scottsdale Community College
—Open admission7,065$13,336Community College
Texas Southmost College
—Open admission8,828$3,085Community College
Washtenaw Community College
—Open admission11,133$3,249Community College
Wayne County Community College District
—Open admission11,887$7,656Community College
William Rainey Harper College
—Open admission13,988$11,607Community College
Peer group median30%—9,380$7,863

Institutions like San Diego City College

Explore the federal data for institutions in San Diego City College's comparison group.

IPEDS

San Diego City College Institutional Research office

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

Office
Office of Institutional Research
Phone
619-388-3400
Address
1313 Park Boulevard, San Diego, CA 92101-4787

The purpose of the Office of Institutional Research at San Diego City College is to promote a culture of evidence and inquiry at the college through the production of data and evidence for use in institutional assessment, planning, and improving student learning.

Visit IR office page
Team
1 member
  • Dr. Susan Murray
    Dean of Institutional Effectiveness

Reports & documents (3)

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

Grants & funding (2)

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

USA Spending

Notable alumni of San Diego City College (8)

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

  • Frank Curran
    Politics
  • Katya Echazarreta
  • Adrian Garcia Marquez
  • Annette P. Jimerson
  • Paul Le Mat
    Film
  • Lou Niles
  • Raycen Raines
  • Edmundo Rodriguez

Frequently asked questions about San Diego City College

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about San Diego City College.

What is the acceptance rate at San Diego City College?

San Diego City 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 San Diego City College?

San Diego City College reports a 6-year graduation rate of 30% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend San Diego City College?

San Diego City College reports a total enrollment of 13,242 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at San Diego City College?

The average net price at San Diego City College is $7,935 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

Where is San Diego City College located?

San Diego City College is located in San Diego, California 92101-4787.

Who runs Institutional Research at San Diego City College?

San Diego City College's IR work is done by the Office of Institutional Research.

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 →

Have a question this page can’t answer?

Ask Clema anything about San Diego City College and its peers — plain language in, cited answers out, in minutes instead of days.

Try for freeBook a demo

Free for teams up to 3 · No credit card