Pacific College
Costa Mesa, CA 92626-3402
About Pacific College
Pacific College is a private for-profit two-year college in Costa Mesa, California, enrolling about 225 students. The college offers associate degrees, career certificates, and transfer pathways to four-year universities. The published completion rate is about 62.50% at 150% of normal time. Student demographics in federal data include Hispanic or Latino (46.7%) and Asian (15.1%) among the largest enrollment groups.
Key findings
- Median earnings 10 years after entry are $70,064.
Research findings
Finding
Modeled return on investment at Pacific College is strong.
Estimated ROI reaches about 497% using Scorecard cost and 10-year earnings fields in this extract.
Interpretation: On this institution-wide model, typical graduate earnings over a decade substantially exceed estimated net education cost.
Limitation: ROI is institution-wide and not program-specific; individual outcomes vary by major, aid package, and labor market.
Cost benchmarks
| Benchmark | Median Tuition | Median Net Price | Count |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pacific College | — | $29,363 | 1 |
| Private For-profit (national median) | $16,637 | — | 477 |
| California (state median) | $8,093 | $8,343 | 287 |
| Suburban (locale median) | $13,135 | $18,048 | 684 |
| United States (national median) | $11,900 | $17,156 | — |
Compares this campus to school-type, state, and locale medians plus a U.S. national median (College Scorecard–derived). Locale groups campuses by NCES locale type; state tuition is the median published tuition among campuses in that state.
How expensive is Pacific College really?
Evidence: average net price at Pacific College versus state, locale, and U.S. medians.
What undergraduates typically pay
Finding Average net price at Pacific College is $29,363.
Evidence College Scorecard average net price is $29,363 (cost of attendance minus average grant aid for aided undergraduates). That is about $21,020 above the California median net price. Versus suburban campuses, net price runs $11,315 above the locale median.
Method Average net price from College Scorecard; compared with state, locale, and U.S. medians from EDsmart aggregates.
Interpretation Average net price is a stronger institutional cost signal than published tuition because it incorporates grant aid.
Limitation The campus average masks large differences by household income; income-band net prices can diverge sharply from the overall average.
Pacific College: research record
Canonical EDsmart Data findings for Pacific College—costs, outcomes, admissions, and programs—with evidence and methodology notes.
Research findings
Interpretation
The combination of completion and 10-year earnings is a multidimensional outcomes signal; it does not measure educational quality by itself.
Financial profile
Avg. net price
$29,363
Net price by family income
| Income bracket | Avg. annual net price |
|---|---|
| $0–$30,000 | $29,386 |
| $30,001–$48,000 | $29,331 |
Student outcomes
Graduation rate and 10-year earnings are in the hero strip above; see Graduates for more.
What Pacific College is known for
Top program completions
- Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse78
- Licensed Practical/Vocational Nurse Training74
- Health/Health Care Administration/Management5
- Family Practice Nurse/Nursing5
- Business Administration and Management, General1
See earnings & programs for more.
Admissions landscape
- Selective — about half of applicants (or fewer) are admitted.
- Yield: 50% of admitted students enrolled.
See Admissions for the full funnel.
Is Pacific College a good school?
Data-framed fit—not a prestige rating.
Pacific College is a good school for those looking for strong completion alongside solid mid-career earnings.
EDsmart Data does not assign an opinion score; this framing summarizes the strongest Scorecard signals for this campus.
More from the data
Location, control, enrollment, and aid context for Pacific College.
Campus
Location
Costa Mesa, CA
City / state
- ZIP
- 92626-3402
- NCES locale
- Suburb
Compared with Suburban campuses nationally, net price is 63% above the median for Suburban campuses ($18,048 median).
Control
Institution type
Private For-profit
Control
- Region
- Far West
- Carnegie
- Special Focus Four-Year: Business and Management
Size
Enrollment
225
Total enrollment
- Undergraduate
- 346
- Graduate
- 18
- Full-time share
- 100%
Student aid
Debt & aid
$22,469
Median federal loan debt
- Pell grant share
- 27.98%
Total Cost, Aid & Default
Total Cost of Attendance
Costs include tuition and fees. Room & board, books, and other expenses are additional where not shown.
Tuition vs average net price after aid for Pacific College.
Financial Aid by Income Level
Financial aid distribution by income level.
Student Loan Default Rate
The published 3-year cohort default rate for borrowers at Pacific College was 0.00%.
Cohort default rates account for borrowers who default in the first three years.
Tuition tracker
Published tuition and average net price by reporting year come from the College Scorecard institution file. Values are not adjusted for inflation; missing cells mean the field was not reported or was suppressed for Pacific College in that year.
Reporting years in the table below: 2013–2023 (Scorecard labels refer to the institutional submission cycle).
| Year | In-state tuition & fees | Out-of-state tuition & fees | Average net price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | — | — | $18,086 |
| 2014 | — | — | $11,617 |
| 2015 | — | — | $18,297 |
| 2016 | — | — | $13,040 |
| 2017 | — | — | $15,778 |
| 2018 | — | — | $23,451 |
| 2019 | — | — | $28,147 |
| 2020 | — | — | $29,494 |
| 2021 | — | — | $24,579 |
| 2022 | — | — | $26,981 |
| 2023 | — | — | $21,941 |
Sticker tuition and net price over time
Where the institution reported separate in-state and out-of-state tuition, both appear. Gaps mean the value was not reported for that year.
College Scorecard reporting-year fields (not inflation-adjusted).
Net price by family income
Brackets follow Scorecard definitions for the series shown (public vs private institution).
Latest income-band net prices available in the processed extract.
How difficult is it to get in?
Acceptance Rate
This institution is selective, accepting about half of all applicants.
Applicants → admits → first-time enrollment from College Scorecard / IPEDS. Bar widths are scaled for readability at highly selective schools.
Test Scores
Test score data is not available for this institution.
Score distribution is not available for this institution.
Academic Requirements
GPA requirements are not published by this institution. Contact the admissions office for specific academic requirements.
Estimated GPA range is not available for this institution.
Enrollment & Student Demographics
Pacific College reported total enrollment of about 225 students in the latest College Scorecard extract. The student body is about 16% male and 84% female. Enrollment by race and ethnicity includes Hispanic or Latino (46.7%), Asian (15.1%), and Black or African American (14.7%). About 27.98% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants. Roughly 63.4% of students are first-generation college students.
Full-Time vs Part-Time Enrollment
100.0% Full-Time Enrollment
The total enrollment at Pacific College in 2024 is 225 students.
Undergraduate enrollment is about 346 students. Graduate enrollment is about 18 students.
Full-time vs part-time enrollment comparison.
Retention Rate over Time
N/A%
2024 Retention Rate
Retention rate measures the number of first-time students who began their studies the previous fall and returned to school the following fall.
Retention rate over time compared to similar institutions.
Enrollment by Race & Ethnicity
Largest share of total enrollment in our College Scorecard extract.
College Scorecard student demographics (total enrollment shares).
Do students complete their programs?
Time to Complete
0.00% 100% Completion Time
62.50% 150% Completion Time
In 2024, 0.00% of students graduating from Pacific College completed their program within 100% "normal time".
Completion rates over time compared to similar institutions.
Completions by Sex (Top Programs)
- Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse: 19% male / 81% female
- Licensed Practical/Vocational Nurse Training: 8% male / 92% female
- Health/Health Care Administration/Management: 0% male / 100% female
IPEDS completions by sex for the five largest programs (aggregate CIPs excluded).
Completions by Race & Ethnicity
Largest group by summed IPEDS award counts across reported programs.
Summed across program completion records in our extract.
Pacific College graduates earn a median of $70,064 ten years after entry
Finding Earnings, debt, and program mix define the financial profile of Pacific College.
Evidence Median earnings 10 years after entry: $70,064. Median federal loan debt: $22,469. Average net price used in cost models: $29,363.
Method College Scorecard median earnings (10-year), median debt, and EDsmart ROI / payback models using campus net price.
Interpretation Institution-wide ROI and debt ratios summarize campus averages; program choice still drives individual outcomes.
Limitation Salary reflects median earnings ten years after entry; ROI is not program-specific.
Key takeaway Pacific College graduates report median earnings of $70,064 ten years after entry—an institution-wide outcomes signal, not a program guarantee.
Return on Investment
Debt and 4-year net cost vs. cumulative 10-year median earnings for Pacific College.
Top Programs by Completions
Largest 5 programs by IPEDS completions (6 reported codes; aggregate/unknown CIP buckets excluded).
IPEDS award counts for the largest programs at Pacific College.
Employment Outcomes
Median earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after entry for Pacific College graduates.
Institutional resources
Finding: federal finance and Scorecard instructional fields for Pacific College—instructional staffing and expenditure. Compared with state, regional, and U.S. medians from EDsmart Data institutional financials.
Instructional Resources
- Full-time faculty share: 6.0%
- California median 33.4 pp below median (39.3%)
- Far West median 39.7 pp below median (45.7%)
- U.S. median 52.0 pp below median (58.0%)
- Average faculty salary (monthly): $5,265
- California median 0.52× the median ($10,166)
- Far West median 0.55× the median ($9,635)
- U.S. median 0.69× the median ($7,615)
- Instructional expenditure per FTE: $12,432
- California median 1.9× the median ($6,474)
- Far West median 1.8× the median ($7,030)
- U.S. median 1.7× the median ($7,288)
Instructional metrics from College Scorecard. Peer medians are campus-level; see the institutional financials deep dive. Detailed non-instructional staff counts are not included here.
Scorecard instructional metrics where reported.
Pacific College at a glance
Pacific College
Pacific College is a private for-profit institution in Costa Mesa, CA, classified as Special Focus Four-Year: Business and Management.
- Largest programs (IPEDS awards)
- Registered Nursing/Registered NurseLicensed Practical/Vocational Nurse TrainingHealth/Health Care Administration/Management
- Largest enrollment groups
- Hispanic or Latino46.7%Asian15.1%Black or African American14.7%
- Opportunity College (2025)
- Higher access & higher earnings · Browse OCU directory
Schools near Pacific College
Other campuses in Costa Mesa, CA when available, plus nearby institutions in California.
Similar schools
Peers matched by the same EDsmart outcomes grade (Grade C) within California, then by similar ownership and admissions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Pacific College located?
Pacific College is located in Costa Mesa, CA.
What is Pacific College's acceptance rate?
The acceptance rate at Pacific College is 56.0% among first-time degree-seeking students reporting admissions data. IPEDS reports 20 applicants and 10 admits in the latest admissions cycle in our extract.
How much does Pacific College cost?
Reported tuition is N/A and average net price is $29,363 in the latest College Scorecard data.
What explains Pacific College's return on investment in EDsmart Data?
EDsmart Data models ROI using campus average net price ($29,363), completion (62.5% within 150% of normal time where reported), and median earnings ten years after entry ($70,064). High completion and strong mid-career earnings relative to net cost raise modeled ROI; the estimate is institution-wide and not program-specific. Debt-to-earnings ratios, when available, further contextualize borrowing pressure. Limitations include suppressed fields, program mix, and labor-market variation over time.
What is the student body demographics at Pacific College?
Pacific College reports undergraduate enrollment of about 346 students, Hispanic or Latino (46.7%), Asian (15.1%) in federal College Scorecard data.
How many first-generation students attend Pacific College?
About 63.4% of students at Pacific College are first-generation college students.
What do graduates of Pacific College earn?
Median earnings are $62,792 six years after entry and $70,064 ten years after entry.
What is the graduation rate at Pacific College?
The 150%-time completion rate is 62.5% for the cohort reported to the College Scorecard.
How much debt do Pacific College students have?
Median federal loan debt among completers is $22,469.
Is Pacific College public or private?
Pacific College is a private for-profit institution located in Costa Mesa, CA.
Is Pacific College an HBCU?
No. Pacific College is not flagged as an HBCU in the IPEDS institutional directory.
Is Pacific College a tribal college?
No. Pacific College is not flagged as a tribal college in IPEDS.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
- Related geography & profiles
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology & Data Scope
This profile uses institution-level fields from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, merged with IPEDS directory attributes where needed for locale, ownership, and program completions.
Benchmark rows compare this campus to NCES locale-type medians (for example Suburban) from our processed location extract. Implied U.S. medians are derived from locale-vs-national percentage fields in that extract—not a separate national Scorecard table.