10-YEAR PAYOFF CURVECumulative economic payoff after graduation
−$103,658at year 10Net gainInvestment not yet recovered
NET GAIN$0UNRECOVERED
Public · COLLEGE PAYOFF
Saddleback College
Mission Viejo, CA · 2 field-and-degree records
Earnings reported for 0 · Federal debt reported for 2
Based onObserved earnings + college priceEstimate10-year payoff
Estimated 10-year payoff
Negative payoff
−$103,658 over 10 years
Modeled from observed year-5 institution earnings and the institution-wide average net price over four years.
21.2 yrsTime to earn back the modeled cost
−53%Estimated return after 10 years
$54,295Observed earnings · year 5
Not reachedHighest annual price before payoff reaches $0
Start with your question
What do you want to understand?
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.
PUBLISHED STUDENT BUDGET · 2024–25
What makes up the annual price?
Sticker-price components reported to IPEDS. Grants and scholarships are not subtracted here.
Living off campus: $25,769 housing and food allowance plus $5,850 in other expenses.
Do not confuse this with net price. Net price subtracts average grants and scholarships. DegreeVerdict continues to use the separately labeled average net price in its standard college ROI scenario.
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−$87,050
$4,000Current college-wide context−$103,050
$8,000Annual price−$119,050
$16,000Annual price−$151,050
$24,000Annual price−$183,050
$32,000Annual price−$215,050
$40,000Annual price−$247,050
HOW STUDENTS ATTEND · 2023-24
Most students take at least some classes online.
IPEDS enrollment counts show course delivery across the whole institution. They do not indicate whether a specific degree can be completed online.
Institution-level attendance context from IPEDS. Program delivery is reported separately on degree pages and in the program directory. These figures do not enter ROI.
College identity and local contextAccreditation, institution type, dual enrollment and state prices
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
- Associate degrees
- Campus setting
- Suburban
- Admissions
- Open admission
- Delivery
- Campus or mixed delivery
- Federal designation
- No special designation reported
DUAL-ENROLLMENT CONTEXT · 2024
4,558 high-school students took college courses.
IPEDS counts students enrolled in college credit while still in high school. A large dual-enrollment population can shape headline enrollment figures, especially at community colleges.
This is participation, not a college completion rate. It does not indicate how many students later enrolled after high school, earned a credential or entered the workforce.
STATE PRICE CONTEXT · 2024
Prices in California run 11% above the U.S. level.
BEA Regional Price Parities compare price levels across states. A value of 100 equals the national average.
What it costs and what graduates earn
$4,152Average net price / year
$13,939Cost of attendance
$9,500Median federal student debt · completer borrowers
$101/moPublished 10-year payment estimate
$54,295Median earnings · year 5 after completion
48.0%Completion rate
Not availableAdmission rate
17,684Student size
Debt covers federal student-loan borrowers who completed. It does not include Parent PLUS or private loans. We show admissions scores only when a valid federal value is available.
What the numbers say about Saddleback College
What does Saddleback College cost?
Saddleback College reports an average annual net price of $4,152 after grants and scholarships. This is an institution-wide average, not an individual aid offer.
What do Saddleback College graduates earn?
The observed median earnings figure is $54,295 5 years after completion. It describes a federal cohort, not a guaranteed starting salary.
How much federal debt do Saddleback College graduates have?
Completer borrowers report median cumulative federal student debt of $9,500. Parent PLUS and private loans are not included.
Is every degree at Saddleback College worth the same?
No. The current release contains 2 field-and-degree records for Saddleback College; 0 report year-4 earnings and 2 report federal debt. Outcomes can differ substantially by field and degree level.
DEBT AFTER COLLEGE
Are borrowers making progress?
Repayment progress, default and debt at exit describe different federal borrower cohorts. They are shown separately and do not change the ROI estimate.
Source: College Scorecard. Repayment progress is the share of borrowers who reduced principal by at least $1 at the stated measurement point. Debt covers federal student loans; Parent PLUS and private loans are excluded. Cohorts and reporting periods differ across measures.
Who studied here during the year
35,452Students enrolled at any point
35,452Undergraduate students
Not availableGraduate students
Unduplicated students enrolled at any point from July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025. This full-year measure is different from a fall headcount and does not enter ROI.
More student and earnings detailPrice by family income, retention, equity and common industries
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
41% received a Pell Grant within eight yearsMedian Parent PLUS debt
Borrower count not reportedMedian federal student debt
45% making progress in repayment after three yearsStudent family incomeMedian earnings after 10 yearsObserved federal cohorts
Lower income$49,558Earnings are not a guarantee
Middle income$52,663Earnings are not a guarantee
Higher income$53,937Earnings are not a guarantee
Three-year repayment progress
Lower income41%
Middle income50%
Higher income59%
Undergraduate student composition
White42%
Black2%
Hispanic31%
Asian13%
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 OVER TIME
What graduates earned in later years
$31,115Year 1
$46,604Year 4
$54,295Year 5
Each year can represent a different federal cohort, so the points do not track the same people over time.
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.
Fairfield, CA
Solano Community College
- Annual net price
- $4,669
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $54,959
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -50%
Las Positas College
- Annual net price
- $5,377
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $53,212
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -59%
Cypress College
- Annual net price
- $4,606
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $52,233
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -64%
Modesto Junior College
- Annual net price
- $2,818
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $55,772
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -44%
Compare fields and degree levels
Showing all 2 field-and-degree records in the current release.
| Major or field | Degree level | Earnings, year 4 | Federal debt | 2024–25 graduates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma | Not available | $5,500 | 3,287 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | Associate's Degree | Not available | $5,914 | Not reported |
Graduate counts come from IPEDS and group related majors into the same federal field. Missing earnings or debt values remain labeled as unavailable.
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.