Glendale, California Colleges: Costs & Earnings (2026 stats)

Last updated: June 4, 2026 Source: College Scorecard

Executive Summary (TL;DR)

Colleges in Glendale, California: median public in-state tuition $5,818 (+2.1% vs national median) median 10-year earnings $30,594 (-48.5% vs U.S.) employment-outcome proxy 85.7% working & not enrolled at 8 years median graduate debt $17,756 (+31.5% vs U.S.) 11,881 students enrolled statewide.

Overview

Colleges and universities in Glendale serve students across California with associate, bachelor's, and graduate pathways. 6 reporting campuses in this city profile, with about 11,881 students enrolled in federal data, and median in-state tuition near $5,818. Tables below compare costs, completion, earnings, and standout institutions against Glendale, California and U.S. medians from the College Scorecard.

Related profiles

Glendale vs California & national benchmarks

Medians aggregate institution-level College Scorecard fields unless noted. Enrollment is total undergraduate headcount summed across reporting campuses.

State versus regional and national education metrics
Geography In-state tuition Net price Median debt Completion rate Enrollment
Glendale, California$5,818$38,196$17,75650.0%11,881
California (state median)$1,334$7,373$11,88857.0%2,131,219
United States$5,700$9,912$13,50049.3%14,465,291

Earnings & employment outcomes: Glendale, California vs benchmarks

Scorecard does not publish formal job-placement rates. We use the share of the 8-year cohort reported as working and not enrolled (working ÷ working + not working) as a federal employment-outcome proxy. 2-yr and 3-yr default rates are federal cohort default shares (0–1 scale). We show 2-yr default as the primary benchmark; 3-yr default appears only when enough campuses report non-suppressed values (otherwise —). 3-yr repayment progress is the share of completers making progress on loans after 3 years. Sample: bachelor's-predominant institutions with enrollment ≥ 200. Medians pool campus-level values.

Earnings and employment outcome benchmarks
Geography Median earnings (10 yr) Working & not enrolled (8 yr) Retention (FT yr 1) 2-yr default 3-yr default 3-yr repayment progress Debt ÷ earnings
Glendale, California$30,59485.7%100.0%0.00%—N/A0.55
California (state median)$72,18492.4%83.9%3.8%—74.5%0.26
United States$59,40193.0%76.4%5.0%—73.8%0.36

Other cities in California (3+ campuses)

Other cities in the same state with at least three reporting campuses.

Peer comparison table
City In-state tuition Net price Median debt Completion Enrollment Earnings (10 yr) Working (8 yr)
Glendale, California$5,818$38,196$17,75650.0%11,881$30,59485.7%
Los Angeles$19,196$26,276$19,15170.2%120,534$78,57292.3%
San Diego$14,032$26,450$13,67753.1%95,661$73,74193.6%
Sacramento$1,288$20,089$11,46246.9%94,048$69,01492.6%
Long Beach$4,949$26,539$12,00070.3%60,761$69,55492.8%
Fullerton$5,831$4,132$13,59453.2%56,299$60,13492.1%
Fresno$8,224$21,108$11,41153.1%54,532$64,44892.7%
Riverside$16,103$24,129$12,12555.9%53,903$67,63391.9%
Pasadena$27,670$27,036$9,50041.4%49,021$64,91291.1%
United States$5,700$9,912$13,50049.3%14,465,291$59,40193.0%

Top college in Glendale, California by 10-year ROI

Ranked by 10-year return on investment (highest first). Bachelor's-predominant institutions with enrollment ≥ 200 and a computed ROI in the EDsmart dataset.

  1. Rank 1, 10-Yr ROI, $-19,275, American Medical Sciences Center

    American Medical Sciences Center

    Private for-profit · 365 enrolled · Glendale

Most affordable college in Glendale, California (net price)

Ranked by lowest average net price (most affordable first). Uses overall net price, or mid-income bracket net price for public schools when available. Enrollment ≥ 300.

  1. Rank 1, Net Price, $41,467, American Medical Sciences Center

    American Medical Sciences Center

    Private for-profit · 365 enrolled · Glendale

In-state tuition: Glendale, California vs benchmarks

Sticker price

Glendale, California median in-state tuition is $5,818, +2.1% vs the U.S. median.

Student debt: Glendale, California vs benchmarks

Borrowing

Median debt at graduation in Glendale, California is $17,756 (+31.5% vs U.S. median $13,500). Regional median: $11,888.

Median earnings (10 years out): Glendale, California vs benchmarks

Payoff

Median earnings 10 years after entry for bachelor's-predominant campuses in Glendale, California center around $30,594 (-48.5% vs U.S.).

Median institution-level 10-year earnings. Source: College Scorecard.

Employment outcome proxy: Glendale, California vs benchmarks

Working & not enrolled

The share of the 8-year cohort reported as working and not enrolled—our Scorecard employment proxy—is 85.7% at the median Glendale, California campus (-7.3 pp vs U.S.).

Percent of 8-year cohort working and not enrolled (not a formal placement rate).

Analysis & insights

EDsmart Data aggregates institution-level College Scorecard data for this profile. Highlights below compare local medians to U.S. and regional benchmarks.

Costs & borrowing

Glendale, California median public in-state tuition is $5,818, about +2.1% vs the national median. Versus the Far West region, tuition is +77.2%.

Median graduate debt is $17,756 (+31.5% above the U.S. median of $13,500). Low sticker prices do not always mean low borrowing—living costs, time-to-degree, and aid mix matter.

Earnings, employment & retention

Among bachelor's-predominant campuses with ≥200 students, median 10-year earnings in Glendale, California are $30,594, about -48.5% vs the U.S. campus median ($59,401).

The median campus reports 85.7% of its 8-year cohort as working and not enrolled—our closest federal proxy to a placement rate. The U.S. campus median is 93.0% (-7.3 pp). Formal job-placement statistics are not published in Scorecard; treat this as a comparative outcome indicator, not a hire guarantee.

First-year, full-time retention at the median campus is 100.0% vs a U.S. median of 76.4%—a leading indicator for completion and time-to-degree.

Loan repayment indicators at the median campus: 2-yr default 0.00% (U.S. 5.0%). 3-yr default is omitted when most campuses report suppressed zeros.

Completion & workforce context

Average institution-level completion rate across all sectors in Glendale, California is 50.0% (national institution average about 49.3%).

Frequently Asked Questions

How many colleges are in Glendale?

This city profile covers 6 campuses in Glendale, California with College Scorecard cost or outcomes data.

How much does college cost in Glendale?

Median in-state tuition in Glendale is $5,818 and median net price is $38,196. For California overall, medians are $1,334 and $7,373; U.S. medians are $5,700 and $9,912.

What do graduates earn in Glendale?

Median 10-year earnings for campuses in Glendale is $30,594 vs $72,184 for California and $59,401 nationally.

What is student debt like for Glendale colleges?

Median completer debt in Glendale is $17,756 vs $11,888 for California and $13,500 nationally.

Are there HBCUs, Hispanic-serving, tribal, or religious colleges in Glendale?

Among 6 campuses in Glendale, California, 6 campuses report at least 25% Hispanic undergraduate enrollment in U.S. Department of Education data; examples include Glendale Community College, Glendale Career College, and North-West College-Glendale.

Sources & related