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Community college · Public

Monterey Peninsula College

Monterey, CA1,763 online only

Monterey Peninsula College is a public community college in Monterey, CA, with about 5,588 students on campus and 1,763 more studying only online.

Visit www.mpc.edu ↗Directions
Students on campus
5,588
plus 1,763 studying only online
Admission rate
Open
open enrollment
Net price a year
$11,373
tuition and fees $1,188; the net price adds housing and food
Graduation rate
40%
lower than at 79% of 2-year colleges
Earnings, 10 yrs later
$42,176
higher than at 54% of U.S. colleges
In brief

The short version on Monterey Peninsula College

Most students study part-time

61% of undergraduates attend part-time. The graduation rate counts only first-time, full-time students, so it covers a minority of the people studying here. The students ↓

Most undergraduates are Hispanic

51% of Monterey Peninsula College’s undergraduates are Hispanic. The students ↓

This summary is written from the data on this page. Figures are from the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard; price, graduation and earnings include online students; graduation rates count only first-time, full-time students.

★ What stands out · Who goes there

The students

5,624 degree-seeking undergraduates.

By race and ethnicity

White 29%Hispanic 51%Black 3%Asian 7%Two or more 6%

Women and men

Women 53%Men 47%
23 : 1
students per teacher
19%
get Pell grants (lower income)
1%
take federal loans
39%
undergrads 25 or older
61%
study part time
Getting in

How hard is it to get into Monterey Peninsula College?

Open

anyone with a high school diploma can enroll

Test scores of admitted students

No SAT or ACT ranges reported. Monterey Peninsula College is likely test-optional.

What it costs

The sticker price, and what families really pay

Sticker price: $19,605 a year

Before any grants · out-of-state tuition $10,572

Tuition & fees (in state) $1,188Books & supplies $1,065Other costs $17,352

After grants, the average family on aid pays $11,373.

Tuition and fees are $1,188 a year. The net price also counts housing, food and other costs at full price, so a student living at home pays less than it shows.

Your family’s price

Average net price after grants, by family income

$13,602

About $27,204 over 2 years · 31% off the sticker price

Under $30k$30–48k$48–75k$75–110kOver $110k
Outcomes

Do students finish, and does it pay off?

Graduate
40%
within 3 years · Pell students 36%
Come back for year two
68%
full-time first-year students
Earnings, 10 years later
$42,176
median, students on federal aid
Typical debt
—

Paying back loans

Federal student loans, this college

32%

of borrowers paid down at least some of their loan within three years, more than at 22% of U.S. colleges.

Almost none defaulted within three years (payments on federal loans were paused from 2020 to 2023, so recent default rates are near zero everywhere).

Earnings by family background

Median earnings 10 years after starting, by family income at enrollment

Lower incomeunder $30k
$40k
Middle income$30–75k
$48k
Higher incomeover $75k
$54k
Majors

What students study, and what it pays

Share of degrees by field

Liberal arts 23%Health professions 20%Public safety 18%Business 8%Psychology 4%Interdisciplinary 3%Everything else 23%

Associate degree programs with the most graduates

And their graduates’ median earnings four years later (one year where that’s all that’s reported).

Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities214 graduates a year
—not reported
Business Administration, Management and Operations82 graduates a year
—not reported
Psychology, General75 graduates a year
—not reported
Biological and Physical Sciences51 graduates a year
—not reported
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing32 graduates a year
—not reported
Biology, General23 graduates a year
—not reported
Economics23 graduates a year
—not reported
Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General23 graduates a year
—not reported
The town around it

Living in Monterey

10% of Monterey’s 28,953 residents are enrolled in college. What the town is like, from TownRatings’ Monterey pages.

Monterey →
MontereyMonterey, CA
$2,353/momedian rent · 16% above the state$1.15Mtypical home valueC−Safety Grade44° / 66°January low / July highAHealth GradeAll colleges in and near MontereyCompare prices, admissions and outcomes
Nearby

Other colleges within 30 miles

Straight-line distances from Monterey Peninsula College; colleges with 100 or more students on campus.

Naval Postgraduate SchoolUniversity or college · Public · Monterey
0.7 mi1,478 students
Middlebury Institute of International Studies at MontereyUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Monterey
0.9 mi334 students
California State University-Monterey BayUniversity or college · Public · Seaside
6.5 mi6,204 students
Hartnell CollegeCommunity college · Public · Salinas
13.5 mi6,904 students
Five Branches UniversityUniversity or college · For-profit · Santa Cruz
26.6 mi262 students
Cabrillo CollegeCommunity college · Public · Aptos
27.6 mi7,207 students
University of California-Santa CruzUniversity or college · Public · Santa Cruz
29.6 mi19,574 students

Ask around

Students, parents, alumni and the neighbors next door.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (institution and field-of-study files) and IPEDS (Scorecard 06/10/2026 · IPEDS 2024 · fall 2023); town figures from the Census American Community Survey and NOAA climate normals. Graduation rates count first-time, full-time students; earnings and debt are for students who received federal aid. Distances are straight-line. Colleges are described, not graded (how TownRatings describes colleges). Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.