10-YEAR PAYOFF CURVECumulative economic payoff after graduation
−$171,322at year 10Net gainInvestment not yet recovered
NET GAIN$0UNRECOVERED
Palomar College
⌖ San Marcos, CA · 0 reportable field-and-credential outcomes
10-year estimate · Negative payoff
−$171,322 over 10 years
Modeled from observed year-5 institution earnings and the institution-wide average net price over four years.
With these assumptions, the added earnings do not recover the cost within ten years.
64.0 yrsModeled economic break-even
−84%Modeled 10-year ROI
$48,173Observed earnings · year 5
Not reachedMaximum annual price for positive 10-year payoff
What the numbers say about Palomar College
What does Palomar College cost?
Palomar College reports an average annual net price of $5,763 after grants and scholarships. This is an institution-wide average, not an individual aid offer.
What do Palomar College graduates earn?
The observed median earnings figure is $48,173 5 years after completion. It describes a federal cohort, not a guaranteed starting salary.
How much federal debt do Palomar College graduates have?
Median federal debt for completer borrowers is not reportable in the current record.
Is every degree at Palomar College worth the same?
The current release does not contain reportable field-and-credential outcomes for Palomar College, so this page cannot compare its individual degrees.
ECONOMIC INVESTMENT → PAYBACK
Estimated payoff over ten years.
The scenario counts direct price and earnings forgone upfront, then applies the reported annual earnings premium.
FEDERAL COST DATA
Four ways to read college price.
Annual college-wide figures from the current College Scorecard release. Average net price covers full-time, first-time undergraduates receiving federal aid; public-college figures use in-state students. Program tuition and individual aid offers may differ.
PRICE SENSITIVITY
The price can change the verdict.
Hold observed earnings constant and see how the modeled ten-year payoff changes as annual price rises.
← Negative payoff$0Positive payoff →
$0Annual price−$148,270
$6,000Current college-wide context−$172,270
$8,000Annual price−$180,270
$16,000Annual price−$212,270
$24,000Annual price−$244,270
$32,000Annual price−$276,270
$40,000Annual price−$308,270
COLLEGE AT A GLANCE
Institution details
Current federal characteristics describing the college, not the outcomes of a specific program.
- Accreditor
- Western Association of Schools and Colleges Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges
- Main award level
- Certificates
- Campus setting
- Suburban
- Admissions
- Open admission
- Delivery
- Campus or mixed delivery
- Federal designation
- No special designation reported
Cost, debt, completion and earnings context
$5,763Average net price / year
$14,360Cost of attendance
Not availableMedian federal student debt · completer borrowers
Not availablePublished 10-year payment estimate
$48,173Median earnings · year 5 after completion
37.5%Completion rate
Not availableAdmission rate
17,712Student size
Institution debt covers federal student-loan borrowers who completed. Parent PLUS and private loans are excluded; missing and privacy-suppressed values remain unavailable.
WHO PAYS, WHO FINISHES, WHO EARNS
Outcomes are not the same for every family.
These federal cohorts add context that a single college average can hide. Missing figures remain unreported rather than estimated.
Complete within 150% of the expected time
30% received a Pell Grant within eight yearsMedian Parent PLUS debt
Borrower count not reportedMedian federal student debt
34% making progress in repayment after three yearsStudent family incomeMedian earnings after 10 yearsObserved federal cohorts
Lower income$41,186Earnings are not a guarantee
Middle income$45,558Earnings are not a guarantee
Higher income$56,329Earnings are not a guarantee
Three-year repayment progress
Lower income29%
Middle income49%
Higher income49%
Source: College Scorecard, June 2026 release. Parent PLUS debt belongs to parents; student-debt measures exclude Parent PLUS and private loans. Cohort definitions differ by measure.
NATIONAL CONTEXT
How this college compares
Percentiles compare this institution with currently operating colleges that report the same federal measure.
EARNINGS PATH
Reported earnings over time
Not availableYear 1
$82,130Year 4
$48,173Year 5
Separate federal cohorts may underlie different measurement years.
Comparable colleges in CA
Currently operating public institutions with the closest combination of annual net price and observed year-5 earnings. Similarity is descriptive, not a quality ranking.
Sacramento, CA
Cosumnes River College
- Annual net price
- $5,981
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $47,829
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -86%
San Diego Mesa College
- Annual net price
- $5,814
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $47,452
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -88%
Grossmont College
- Annual net price
- $5,311
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $48,599
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -82%
Gavilan College
- Annual net price
- $6,542
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $48,642
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -82%
No field-level outcomes are currently reportable.
This college remains in the national directory because it appears in the College Scorecard. Program outcomes may be unavailable, privacy-suppressed or outside the reported cohorts.
Earnings, price, completion and enrollment are observed federal measures. ROI, payoff and break-even are modeled scenarios built from those measures and fixed assumptions. College payoff is not the payoff of every degree at this school; use the program table for a more precise comparison.