Sierra College
#9 Best Criminal Justice Colleges in California- Graduation Rate
- 40% D
- Lower completion rate than most colleges
- Earnings (10yr)
- $45,294 C+
- Roughly in line with national averages
- Net Price
- $7,245 A-
- 58% less than the typical college
- Enrollment
- 14,122
Bottom line: A C+ overall grade — average outcomes for a U.S. college. 43.8× return on investment — every $1 spent returns $43.8 over 20 years. Ranked #9 in Best Criminal Justice Colleges in California.
Every $1 spent returns $43.8 over 20 years — debt pays back in ~under a year. Net gain: $1,241,210.
What The Data Says
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A C+ overall — outcomes above the typical U.S. college.
-
Graduation of 40% — 30% below the national average.
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Every $1 invested returns $43.8 over 20 years — an exceptional return.
Economic Footprint
- Inventor Rate
- 0.1%
- Top 90%
- Patents
- 29
- Linked to graduates
- Patent Citations
- 448
- Downstream influence
Why Sierra College Matters
Sierra College is a public community college in Rocklin, CA and its outcomes are not an accident. They are driven by a well-connected, high-opportunity alumni network. The result: graduate earnings well above the typical college.
Interpretation generated from this school's federal outcomes, research, and mobility data.
Institutional Profile
- Institution Type
- Public Community College
- Carnegie Class
- Associate's College
- Enrollment
- 14,122
- Setting
- Suburban
- Designations
- HSI
- Primary Strengths
- Health Professions, Social Sciences, Business & Marketing, Psychology
Why students choose Sierra College
CollegeRanker Report Card
Graded on outcomes, against every U.S. college.
Each grade is this school's national percentile on a real outcome — earnings, value, mobility, and more.
How we grade →Admissions
This school does not report a competitive admit rate — most qualified applicants are admitted.
Check your odds →Net price + aid
Students pay about $7,245 a year after grants and scholarships — 58% below the typical U.S. college. See net price by family income below.
See cost & aid →Earnings + debt
Graduates earn a median of $45,294 ten years after enrolling — 11% above the typical college, against $10,500 in median debt.
See outcomes →Mobility + social capital
Moves 1.2% of its students from the bottom income fifth to the top — top 63% nationally for mobility. High social capital (1.29 economic connectedness).
See mobility →Overview
Sierra College serves over 14,000 students, making it a significant player in California's community college system. With a net price of $7,245, it offers an affordable option for students seeking higher education without incurring crushing debt. The median student debt stands at $10,500, which is manageable compared to many four-year institutions.
The Chetty/Opportunity Insights data reveals that Sierra College graduates earn a median income of $45,294 ten years after enrolling. While the graduation rate is 40%, the college supports a diverse student body, including a 22% Pell Grant rate, indicating a commitment to low-income students. This suggests that many find pathways to economic mobility, although specific mobility data for this institution is not available.
Students who thrive at Sierra College tend to be those pursuing degrees in practical fields such as Social Sciences, Health Professions, and Business & Marketing. The college caters to a variety of career interests and offers a supportive environment for those looking to enter the workforce directly after graduation or transfer to a four-year university.
Rankings
- #9 Best Criminal Justice Colleges in California
- #10 Best Psychology Colleges in California
- #18 Best Nursing Colleges in California
- #28 Best Online Colleges in California
- #31 Best Online Nursing Programs in California
- #31 Best Online Criminal Justice Programs in California
- #33 Best Online Computer Science Programs in California
- #34 Best Community Colleges for Nursing
Can I Get In?
How selective Sierra College is — and how your numbers stack up.
Tool
Will I Be Accepted?
Enter your credentials to see your chances at this school.
Academics & Admissions
Is It Hard to Get Into Sierra College? Acceptance Rate & Requirements
Sierra College, located in Rocklin, California, enrolls students across a range of programs. The graduation rate is roughly 40%.
- Retention Rate
- 72%
- Full-Time Faculty
- 28%
- Faculty Salary (mo)
- $9,305
- Student–Faculty Ratio
- 23:1
- Diversity Index
- 0.64
- First-Gen Students
- 45%
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 Sierra College? Tuition, Net Price & Aid
Published tuition at Sierra College is $1,446, 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 $7,245. Students from families earning under $30,000 typically pay closer to $5,042 after need-based grants. The median graduate leaves with about $10,500 in federal student loans.
- In-State Tuition
- $1,446
- Out-of-State
- $1,446
- Avg Net Price
- $7,245
- Median Debt
- $10,500
- Pell Grant Rate
- 22%
- Federal Loan Rate
- 2%
What Families Actually Pay
- Family Income $0–$30K
- $5,042
- Family Income $30K–$48K
- $7,302
- Family Income $48K–$75K
- $9,663
- Family Income $110K+
- $13,386
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 Sierra College — the net price for your income, your admission odds, and the outcomes that follow. These are patterns from federal data, not predictions.
Graduate Outcomes
Is Sierra College Worth It? Graduate Earnings & ROI
Ten years out, alumni of Sierra College earn a median of $45,294, roughly in line with the national average for college graduates.
- 6 Years After Entry
- $35,054
- 8 Years
- $40,439
- 10 Years
- $45,294
- Debt-to-Earnings
- 0.23x
- Earning > $25K
- 49%
Earnings Trajectory
Graduation by Timeframe
- 100% (319)
- 17%
- 100% (319)
- 17%
- 100% (319)
- 17%
- 100% (319)
- 17%
How Sierra Compares
Dot right of center = above national average.
Net Price by Family Income
What families actually pay after aid, by income bracket.
The Mobility Equation
Mobility = Access x Success. How many low-income students get in, and how many reach the top 20%?
College ROI Calculator
Is Sierra College Worth It?
A data-driven look at the return on your educational investment — using real federal data.
Yes — for most students, Sierra College delivers a positive return. Over four years, the typical net price is $7,245/year ($28,980 total). Graduates earn $45,294 at ten years, and over a 20-year career we project $1,270,190 in total earnings — a net gain of $1,241,210 (43.8× your investment). The median debt is $10,500, which takes less than a year to pay back at typical earnings. With a 40% graduation rate, the path to that return is well-tested. This is a exceptional ROI compared to national averages.
- Total Cost (4yr)
- $28,980
- Projected 20yr Earnings
- $1,270,190
- Net Return
- $1,241,210
- ROI Multiple
- 43.8×
- Cost Per Year
- $7,245
- Median Debt
- $10,500
- Debt Payback
- Less than 1 yr
- Graduation Rate
- 40%
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 Sierra College Drive Upward Mobility? Economic Mobility & Low-Income Outcomes
Sierra 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 1.23%, well above the typical college. About 7.8% of students come from families in the bottom income quintile. Among bottom-quintile students who attend, roughly 15.7% go on to reach the top of the income ladder. The median family income of students sits near $85,900, a snapshot of the campus's socioeconomic mix.
- Mobility Rate
- 1.23%
- Bottom 20% → Top 20%
- Success Rate
- 15.7%
- If bottom 20% get in
- From Bottom 20%
- 7.8%
- Share of students
- Parent Median Income
- $116,708
- today's $ (2015 cohort data)
Innovation & Knowledge Creation
Patents, inventors, and research influence · Opportunity Insights & Times Higher Education
Sierra College produces inventors at a measurable rate, with 29 patents tied to its graduates.
- Inventor Rate
- 0.13%
- Top 90% nationally
- Patents Produced
- 29
- Linked to graduates
- Patent Citations
- 448
- Downstream influence
- Inventors From Low-Income
- 0.08%
- Bottom-20% families
Institutional Finances
Data: NCES IPEDS
- Endowment
- $9,793,312
- Federal Grants
- $4,753,886
- Investment Income
- $544,443
Top Programs
The fields Sierra 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.
- Health Professions 24%
- Social Sciences 16%
- Business & Marketing 13%
- Psychology 7%
- Criminal Justice 5%
- Visual & Performing Arts 5%
- Computer Science & IT 3%
- Humanities 2%
Top Careers
Where these majors tend to lead — common career paths for Sierra College's most popular programs, ranked by median pay with our proprietary scorecard insights.
- CChief Executive Officer$189,520 · 3% growthAdaptable 64
- C+IT Manager$169,510 · 15% growthAdaptable 52
- C+Cloud Architect$142,000 · 15% growthAdaptable 52
- B-Site Reliability Engineer$140,000 · 20% growthAdaptable 52
- CSolutions Architect$138,000 · 12% growthAdaptable 52
- CHR Manager$136,350 · 5% growthAdaptable 64
- CSales Manager$135,160 · 4% growthAdaptable 64
- B-Software Developer$132,270 · 25% growthVulnerable 40
Frequently Asked Questions
Is It Hard to Get Into Sierra College? Acceptance Rate & Requirements
Sierra College, located in Rocklin, California, enrolls students across a range of programs. The graduation rate is roughly 40%.
How Much Does It Cost to Attend Sierra College? Tuition, Net Price & Aid
Published tuition at Sierra College is $1,446, 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 $7,245. Students from families earning under $30,000 typically pay closer to $5,042 after need-based grants. The median graduate leaves with about $10,500 in federal student loans.
Is Sierra College Worth It? Graduate Earnings & ROI
Ten years out, alumni of Sierra College earn a median of $45,294, roughly in line with the national average for college graduates.
Does Sierra College Drive Upward Mobility? Economic Mobility & Low-Income Outcomes
Sierra 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 1.23%, well above the typical college. About 7.8% of students come from families in the bottom income quintile. Among bottom-quintile students who attend, roughly 15.7% go on to reach the top of the income ladder. The median family income of students sits near $85,900, a snapshot of the campus's socioeconomic mix.
How Connected Is Sierra College? Social Capital & Cross-Class Networks
Social capital, the web of cross-class friendships that researchers link to long-run upward mobility, runs high at Sierra College. Its economic connectedness score is 1.29, 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 6% of students take part in civic and volunteering activity.
Similar Schools
Schools with similar outcomes, selectivity, and student profiles to Sierra College.
- Cosumnes River CollegeSacramento, CA · Close peer36% grad $42,446 earnWhy: similar earnings · similar grad rate · similar size
- College of DuPageGlen Ellyn, IL · Close peer25% grad $46,909 earnWhy: similar earnings · similar size · similar net price
- Los Angeles Pierce CollegeWoodland Hills, CA · Close peer44% grad $44,521 earnWhy: similar earnings · similar grad rate · similar size
- Sacramento City CollegeSacramento, CA · Close peer32% grad $42,214 earnWhy: similar earnings · similar grad rate · similar size
- Fullerton CollegeFullerton, CA · Close peer34% grad $43,366 earnWhy: similar earnings · similar grad rate · similar size
- Mt San Antonio CollegeWalnut, CA · Close peer42% grad $46,283 earnWhy: similar earnings · similar grad rate · same state
Social Capital
Data: Opportunity Insights Social Capital Atlas
How Connected Is Sierra College? Social Capital & Cross-Class Networks
Social capital, the web of cross-class friendships that researchers link to long-run upward mobility, runs high at Sierra College. Its economic connectedness score is 1.29, 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 6% of students take part in civic and volunteering activity.
Research Note