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Allan Hancock College

Public Santa Maria, CA · Urban · Far West · 80% data
A Value A Affordability B- Social Mobility
Graduation Rate
27% F
Lower completion rate than most colleges
Earnings (10yr)
$42,786 C+
Roughly in line with national averages
Net Price
$5,383 A
69% less than the typical college
Enrollment
8,052
Earnings +5% vs avg
Graduation -53% vs avg
Net Price +-69% vs avg
Mobility Top 30%

Bottom line: A C+ overall grade — average outcomes for a U.S. college. 54.6× return on investment — every $1 spent returns $54.6 over 20 years.

54.6× return on investment

Every $1 spent returns $54.6 over 20 years. Net gain: $1,154,490.

What The Data Says

  1. A C+ overall — outcomes above the typical U.S. college.

  2. Graduation of 27% — 53% below the national average.

  3. Every $1 invested returns $54.6 over 20 years — an exceptional return.

Why Allan Hancock College Matters

Allan Hancock College is a public college in Santa Maria, CA and its outcomes are not an accident. They are driven by an above-average alumni network. The result: durable upward mobility for the students it enrolls.

Interpretation generated from this school's federal outcomes, research, and mobility data.

Institutional Profile

Institution Type
Public College
Carnegie Class
Associate's College
Enrollment
8,052
Setting
Urban
Designations
HSI
Primary Strengths
Humanities, Health Professions, Computer Science & IT, Business & Marketing

Why students choose Allan Hancock College

Outstanding value
Low net price against strong graduate earnings
Strength in Humanities
Its most-awarded field of study

CollegeRanker Report Card

Graded on outcomes, against every U.S. college.

C+
Top 38% overall
C+
Earnings
$42,786 median
A
Value
7.9× net price
A
Affordability
$5,383/yr net
F
Graduation
27% graduate
B-
Social Mobility
1.9% climb Q1→Q5
D+
Diversity
0.47 index

Each grade is this school's national percentile on a real outcome — earnings, value, mobility, and more.

How we grade →

Overview

Allan Hancock College serves over 8,000 students, making it a significant player in California's community college system. With a net price of just $5,383, it offers an affordable pathway for students seeking higher education. This low cost facilitates access for a diverse student body, including a notable 24% of students receiving Pell Grants.

Data from Opportunity Insights reveals that graduates from Allan Hancock College earn a median salary of $42,786 ten years after enrollment. While the graduation rate stands at 27%, many students find success in various fields, particularly in humanities, health professions, and computer science. This college caters to those looking to improve their economic standing and gain valuable skills for the workforce.

Students who thrive here often seek practical, career-focused education. The college emphasizes programs that align with job market demands, such as business and criminal justice. While the graduation rate may appear low, Allan Hancock College remains a viable option for individuals aiming to enter the workforce quickly and affordably.

Rankings

Can I Get In?

How selective Allan Hancock College is — and how your numbers stack up.

Tool

Will I Be Accepted?

Enter your credentials to see your chances at this school.

3.0
Test Score
1050
21

Academics & Admissions

Is It Hard to Get Into Allan Hancock College? Acceptance Rate & Requirements

Based in Santa Maria, California, Allan Hancock College enrolls students across a range of programs. The graduation rate is roughly 27%.

Retention Rate
68%
Full-Time Faculty
47%
Faculty Salary (mo)
$10,744
Student–Faculty Ratio
22:1
Diversity Index
0.47
First-Gen Students
59%

Can I Afford It?

What you'll actually pay after grants and aid — not the sticker price.

Cost & Financial Aid

How Much Does It Cost to Attend Allan Hancock College? Tuition, Net Price & Aid

Published tuition at Allan Hancock College is $9,892, but few families pay that. The number to watch is net price, what students actually pay each year after federal grants and institutional scholarships. Here it averages about $5,383. Students from families earning under $30,000 typically pay closer to $3,970 after need-based grants.

In-State Tuition
$1,156
Out-of-State
$9,892
Avg Net Price
$5,383
Pell Grant Rate
24%
Federal Loan Rate
1%

What Families Actually Pay

Family Income $0–$30K
$3,970
Family Income $30K–$48K
$4,900
Family Income $48K–$75K
$6,789
Family Income $110K+
$8,619

What Happens After?

Earnings, debt, and where graduates actually land.

Students Like You

Tell us a little about yourself to see what students like you have typically experienced at Allan Hancock College — the net price for your income, your admission odds, and the outcomes that follow. These are patterns from federal data, not predictions.

Compare schools in the full simulator →Sources: College Scorecard, Common Data Set, Opportunity Insights · today's dollars (CPI-adjusted) · descriptive, not predictive

Graduate Outcomes

Is Allan Hancock College Worth It? Graduate Earnings & ROI

Ten years out, alumni of Allan Hancock College report median earnings of $42,786, a figure worth comparing against the cost of attendance before enrolling.

6 Years After Entry
$33,531
8 Years
$37,963
10 Years
$42,786
Earning > $25K
43%

Earnings Trajectory

$33,531 6yr $37,963 8yr $42,786 10yr

Graduation by Timeframe

100% (113)
11%
100% (113)
11%
100% (113)
11%
100% (113)
11%

How Allan Compares

Dot right of center = above national average.

NATIONAL AVGGraduation27%Earnings 10yr$43KNet Price$5KRetention68%Pell Grant Rate24%

Net Price by Family Income

What families actually pay after aid, by income bracket.

$4K$0-30K$5K$30-48K$7K$48-75K$9K$110K+

The Mobility Equation

Mobility = Access x Success. How many low-income students get in, and how many reach the top 20%?

ACCESS% from bottom 20%14.1%SUCCESS% who reach top 20%13.8%MOBILITY1.95%

College ROI Calculator

Is Allan Hancock College Worth It?

A data-driven look at the return on your educational investment — using real federal data.

Yes — for most students, Allan Hancock College delivers a positive return. Over four years, the typical net price is $5,383/year ($21,532 total). Graduates earn $42,786 at ten years, and over a 20-year career we project $1,176,022 in total earnings — a net gain of $1,154,490 (54.6× your investment).. With a 27% graduation rate, the path to that return is well-tested. This is a exceptional ROI compared to national averages.

Total Cost (4yr)
$21,532
Projected 20yr Earnings
$1,176,022
Net Return
$1,154,490
ROI Multiple
54.6×
Cost Per Year
$5,383
Graduation Rate
27%

Does It Change Lives?

Mobility, social capital, and innovation — does it move people up?

Social Mobility

Data: Raj Chetty's Mobility Report Card · 30M+ anonymized tax records

Does Allan Hancock College Drive Upward Mobility? Economic Mobility & Low-Income Outcomes

Allan Hancock College is a genuine engine of upward mobility. Its mobility rate, the share of students who start in the bottom income quintile and climb to the top, is 1.95%, well above the typical college. Access is a real strength here. Roughly 14.1% of students come from families in the bottom income quintile, a high share that gives low-income students a real foothold. Among bottom-quintile students who attend, roughly 13.8% go on to reach the top of the income ladder. The median family income of students sits near $65,700, a snapshot of the campus's socioeconomic mix.

Mobility Rate
1.95%
Bottom 20% → Top 20%
Success Rate
13.8%
If bottom 20% get in
From Bottom 20%
14.1%
Share of students
Parent Median Income
$89,263
today's $ (2015 cohort data)

Social Capital

Data: Opportunity Insights Social Capital Atlas

How Connected Is Allan Hancock College? Social Capital & Cross-Class Networks

Social capital, the web of cross-class friendships that researchers link to long-run upward mobility, runs above average at Allan Hancock College. Its economic connectedness score is 1.14, where about 1.0 is the national norm. Its friending bias is low (0.03), a sign that students from different economic backgrounds actually mix rather than self-segregate. Around 4% of students take part in civic and volunteering activity.

Economic Connectedness
1.14
Cross-class friendships
Friending Bias
0.03
Lower = more inclusive
Volunteering Rate
4.2%
Support Ratio
0.99
Community support

Research Note

267%
Low-income students at colleges in the top quartile of economic connectedness are 267% more likely to reach the top income quintile than peers at the least-connected schools.
Data from CollegeRanker’s review of 5,745 U.S. colleges (n=1,503). Quartile comparison of mean bottom-quintile success rate, split by economic connectedness (Opportunity Insights Social Capital Atlas × Mobility Report Card).

Institutional Finances

Data: NCES IPEDS

Investment Income
$194,953

Top Programs

The fields Allan Hancock College awards the most degrees in, by share of completions. Where federal field-of-study data exists, we show what graduates in that major earned early in their careers. Each links to its degree guide — or see what someone with your income, scores, and major would pay and earn here in the Students Like You simulator.

Early-career median earnings by major (typically 1–2 years after completion, bachelor's level where available), in today's dollars (CPI-adjusted). Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard field of study. Distinct from the school-wide 10-year median; suppressed for small programs.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is It Hard to Get Into Allan Hancock College? Acceptance Rate & Requirements

Based in Santa Maria, California, Allan Hancock College enrolls students across a range of programs. The graduation rate is roughly 27%.

How Much Does It Cost to Attend Allan Hancock College? Tuition, Net Price & Aid

Published tuition at Allan Hancock College is $9,892, but few families pay that. The number to watch is net price, what students actually pay each year after federal grants and institutional scholarships. Here it averages about $5,383. Students from families earning under $30,000 typically pay closer to $3,970 after need-based grants.

Is Allan Hancock College Worth It? Graduate Earnings & ROI

Ten years out, alumni of Allan Hancock College report median earnings of $42,786, a figure worth comparing against the cost of attendance before enrolling.

Does Allan Hancock College Drive Upward Mobility? Economic Mobility & Low-Income Outcomes

Allan Hancock College is a genuine engine of upward mobility. Its mobility rate, the share of students who start in the bottom income quintile and climb to the top, is 1.95%, well above the typical college. Access is a real strength here. Roughly 14.1% of students come from families in the bottom income quintile, a high share that gives low-income students a real foothold. Among bottom-quintile students who attend, roughly 13.8% go on to reach the top of the income ladder. The median family income of students sits near $65,700, a snapshot of the campus's socioeconomic mix.

How Connected Is Allan Hancock College? Social Capital & Cross-Class Networks

Social capital, the web of cross-class friendships that researchers link to long-run upward mobility, runs above average at Allan Hancock College. Its economic connectedness score is 1.14, where about 1.0 is the national norm. Its friending bias is low (0.03), a sign that students from different economic backgrounds actually mix rather than self-segregate. Around 4% of students take part in civic and volunteering activity.

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The State of American Higher Education Outcomes for 2026 — report cover Download PDF

The 2026 Annual Report

The State of American Higher Education Outcomes

Every state graded on what graduates earn, how far they climb, and what college really costs — the hidden geography of economic mobility, in one report.

Free · 21 pages · 5,745 institutions · 100% federal data, no surveys