West Valley College
About
West Valley College is a public community college located in Saratoga, California, on a 143-acre campus in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains. The college offers various academic programs across multiple disciplines, including art, health, language arts, and science. It primarily focuses on preparing students for transfer to four-year institutions and career readiness, with a notable record of over 1,400 degrees awarded in the 2024-2025 academic year.
Graduation rate & outcomes
Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.
Program outcomes
Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.
Of 109 Title IV programs, 9 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 100 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.
Pass / fail distribution
- Passing9 · 8.3%
- No Data100 · 91.7%
- Failing0 · 0.0%
Severity spectrum
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.
Accreditation status & history
Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.
Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges
Action history · 5
- Oct 2023Grant Substantive Change: ProgramAccrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges
- Sep 2023Grant Substantive Change: DegreeAccrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges
- Jan 2022Renewal of AccreditationAccrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges
- Jun 2020Renewal of AccreditationAccrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges
- Jun 2015Renewal of AccreditationAccrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges
Tuition & cost
What families actually pay, broken down by family income.
Net price by family income
Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.
Federal aid volume & trends
Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.
In AY 2024–25, 1,374 students received $6.7M in Pell grants, alongside $262K in federal Direct Loans.
Pell recipients · 5-year trend
Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25
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.
Student loan default rate
The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.
Of 119 borrowers who entered repayment, 9 (7.5%) defaulted within three years — above the 2.3% national rate.
Default rate vs national, by cohort
* 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.
Academic programs at West Valley College
Top program areas ranked by completions.
Top program families by completions
Enrollment trends & demographics
Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.
Gender split
Race / ethnicity composition
Athletics & Title IX gender equity
How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.
Men vs women · spending splits
Sport-by-sport · 9
Campus safety & crime statistics
Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.
3-year trend
Criminal offenses by type
By location
- On campus6
VAWA offenses
Hate crimes by bias
No hate crimes reported.
Arrests vs disciplinary referrals
Residence-hall fires
Student-faculty ratio
Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.
West Valley College vs Peer comparison
The peer institutions West Valley College selected for federal comparison reporting.
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 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SubjectWest Valley College | 51% | — | 7,655 | $1,842 | Community College |
| — | — | 17,425 | $4,667 | Community College | |
| — | — | 9,336 | $12,591 | Community College | |
| — | — | 12,949 | $7,549 | Baccalaureate | |
| — | — | 6,909 | $5,198 | Community College | |
| — | — | 8,609 | $16,658 | Community College | |
| Peer group median | 51% | — | 8,973 | $6,374 |
Institutions like West Valley College
Explore the federal data for institutions in West Valley College's comparison group.
- Community CollegeCalifornia
De Anza College
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment17,425Net price$4,667View data - Community CollegeCalifornia
Evergreen Valley College
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment9,336Net price$12,591View data - BaccalaureateCalifornia
Foothill College
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment12,949Net price$7,549View data - Community CollegeCalifornia
Mission College
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment6,909Net price$5,198View data - Community CollegeCalifornia
San Jose City College
Grad rate—Admit rate—Enrollment8,609Net price$16,658View data
West Valley College Institutional Research office
The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.
To strengthen institutional decision-making and planning at West Valley College through data analytics, performance and assessment reporting, and the cultivation of accessible data systems, data literacy, and integrated planning tools.
Visit IR office page- Shusaku HoribeDean of Institutional Effectiveness & Research
- Shusaku Horibe, Ph.D.Dean of Institutional Effectiveness & Research
- Alison McGannResearch Analyst
- Sam NewmanResearch Analyst
- Katie VanegasStudent Intern
Reports & documents (3)
Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.
- Data definitionFull-time Equivalent Students (FTES) – WVC College Excellence IndicatorsThis page provides definitions for various College Excellence Indicators. Full-time Equivalent Students (FTES) is highlighted as a standardized measure for calculating student workload, translating part-time enrollments into equivalent full-time students over an academic year. The page includes a list of various indicators relevant to student performance and progression.westvalley.edu
- DFR reportIPEDS Data Feedback Report 20242024nces.ed.gov
- GlossaryResearch & Planning Glossary | West Valley CollegeThe Research & Planning Glossary at West Valley College provides definitions for various terms related to institutional research and college planning. It includes general terms such as Academic Program and Census Date, and specific acronyms like FTEF and WSCH which are used in the context of faculty load and student contact hours. These terms are essential for understanding the organizational and administrative aspects of the college's academic offerings and resource allocation.westvalley.edu
Grants & funding (1)
Federal grant awards and open funding opportunities awarded to this institution.
Notable alumni of West Valley College (6)
A curated list of alumni recognized for notable achievements across industries.
- Mark BinghamAthletics
- Stan BungerBroadcasting
- Cung LeMartial Arts and Acting
- Steve LeeReligion
- Ricky MeinholdBaseball
- H. Paul ShuchScience and Music
Frequently asked questions about West Valley College
Quick answers to the questions most often asked about West Valley College.
What is the graduation rate at West Valley College?
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