Orange Coast College
A good fit for families who need the lowest possible cost and students who want a large campus community. no major red flags in the data. a public school with 16,091 students.
About This School
Orange Coast College is a public institution located in Costa Mesa, California with approximately 16,091 undergraduate students enrolled. The average net price after financial aid is $7,203 per year. The graduation rate is 46%, and the typical graduate earns $43,900 within 10 years of enrollment.
Orange Coast College (OCC) is a public community college in Costa Mesa in Orange County, California. It was founded in 1947, with its first classes opening in the fall of 1948. It provides Associate of Art and Associate of Science degrees, certificates of achievement, and lower-division classes transferable to other colleges and universities. The college enrolls approximately 24,000 undergraduate students. In terms of population size, Orange Coast College is the third-largest college in Orange County.
This is a strong option for students looking to transfer to a four-year school or earn an affordable credential in the Orange County area, with relatively low median debt of $9,500 keeping your financial risk manageable. The trade-off is that median earnings of $43,900 a decade out are modest, so it's worth being intentional about your program choice and transfer or career path rather than assuming the degree alone will do the heavy lifting. Best suited for students with a clear plan — whether that's transferring to a UC or CSU, or completing a vocational certificate with strong local job demand.
Popular Programs
Percentage of degrees awarded. Source: College Scorecard.
Notable Alumni
Source: Wikidata. Used for context only.
Admissions
SAT Scores
ACT Scores
Cost & Financial Aid
Net Price by Family Income
Average annual cost after grants/scholarships, by household income. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.
Financial Aid
Full Cost
After Graduation
Earnings 6 Years After Enrollment, by Gender
Gap: 11% less for female graduates. National avg ~16%.
What Each Major Actually Earns
Median earnings four years after graduation, by major, next to the national median for that same major at every college. The school-wide average hides this: at most schools the spread between the best- and worst-paying majors is far wider than the gap between schools.
Orange Coast College graduates earn most above the national rate in Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions ($91,682 vs $65,389 nationally), and most below it in Biological and Physical Sciences ($41,701 vs $50,181).
| Major | Grads | Here | National | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | 400 | $46,454 | $44,125 | +$2,329 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | 320 | $60,193 | $48,733 | +$11,460 |
| Psychology, General | 190 | $40,152 | $39,288 | +$864 |
| Biological and Physical Sciences | 148 | $41,701 | $50,181 | −$8,480 |
| Communication and Media Studies | 109 | $53,829 | $43,243 | +$10,586 |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions | 92 | $91,682 | $65,389 | +$26,293 |
| Engineering, General | 11 | $73,237 | $72,916 | +$321 |
U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard field-of-study data. Median earnings of graduates working and not enrolled four years after completing an associate's degreehere. Majors with too few graduates to report are omitted for privacy, so this is not the school's full program list.
Will This School Pay Off?
Strong return. Graduates earn well above their debt load.
Earnings data from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. These are means across all graduates, not specific to any major.
Student Body
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (16,091 undergraduates).
Contact & Location
Official Links
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See How Colleges Compare
Orange Coast College is one of thousands of colleges in our data studies, each built from the same U.S. Department of Education data shown on this page. Compare schools head to head:
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does Orange Coast College cost?
The average net price at Orange Coast College is about $7,203 per year after grants and scholarships, based on federal data. Your actual cost depends on your family's finances and aid package.
What is the graduation rate at Orange Coast College?
Orange Coast College has a graduation rate of 46%, according to U.S. Department of Education data.
Sources & Methodology
Primary data source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Accessed via automated sync. Latest values may come from different reporting years depending on the metric.
School overview from Wikipedia. Used for context only, not as a primary data source for admissions, cost, or outcomes claims.
- Earnings figures are institution-level averages, not major-specific.
- Some metrics are based on Title IV financial aid recipients only.
- Some values may be privacy-suppressed or rolled up by the Department of Education.
- Contact the school directly for current admissions requirements and costs.
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