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Is South Coast College worth it?
A first pass affordability and outcome read for South Coast, using national average inputs. Run your own numbers for a personalized score.
Worth-It Score
Stretch
South Coast sits in the stretch band for a typical family. The long-run earnings picture at $44,897 helps, but median debt of $20,938 plus yearly net price of $16,534 creates a tighter path. For context, South Coast's net price runs about 33% above the typical 2-year, private for-profit school. It can work, but the financing plan has to be deliberate.
Is the price fair?
Compared to 145 similar 2-year, private for-profit schools
This school
$29,570
/yrAverage school like this
$22,311
/yrThis weighs on your Worth-It Score
You'd pay about $7,259 more per year than the typical student at a similar school. Over 4 years that's roughly $29,000 in extra cost.
Score breakdown
The public version of the score weighs affordability, after graduation outcomes, and repayment burden.
Affordability
40% weight
The yearly net price sits in a range that leaves more room for family cash flow and lower borrowing.
Outcome
40% weight
The outcome data does not create enough margin to fully offset the cost.
Repayment
20% weight
Median debt stays in a more comfortable repayment range for a typical graduate.
The numbers behind the score
Median net price per year
$16,534
Median earnings 10 years out
$44,897
Median debt at graduation
$20,938
Graduation rate
19%
At South Coast, a typical graduate carries about $20,938 in student debt and earns roughly $44,897 ten years after enrolling. On a standard 10-year repayment plan, that works out to about $238 per month, or 6% of pre-tax income. That sits inside a borrower comfort range for many graduates.
How earnings compare to a high school diploma
Graduates earn $3,097 more than the typical high school graduate ($41,800) ten years after entering this school. A federal rule finalized in July 2026 ties undergraduate student-loan eligibility to a comparison like this one, with the first calculations expected in 2027.
65% of former students here out-earned that benchmark ten years after entry, per College Scorecard.
Context, not a federal determination: the official test will use earnings measured four years after completion and thresholds the Department of Education has not yet published, which may vary by state. Our figure is College Scorecard median earnings ten years after entry. How this works
What this means for your family
South Coast is a two year school in Orange, CA. For many families, the real question is not just sticker price but what this path unlocks next, whether that is direct employment, transfer, or a lower cost route into a four year degree.
Similar schools worth comparing
These schools share a similar sector, geography, or price range.
2-year
North Adrian's College of Beauty Inc
Modesto, CA
Worth-It Score: 64/100
Median net price: $16,561
2-year
Charles A Jones Career and Education Center
Sacramento, CA
Worth-It Score: 73/100
Median net price: $16,605
2-year
Paul Mitchell the School-Sacramento
Sacramento, CA
Worth-It Score: 64/100
Median net price: $16,717
2-year
Coastline Community
Fountain Valley, CA
Worth-It Score: 60/100
Median net price: $16,341
2-year
CET-San Jose
San Jose, CA
Worth-It Score: 64/100
Median net price: $16,101
Common questions about South Coast
The median net price at South Coast is $16,534 per year. That is the average yearly price after typical grant aid for students in the public federal data, not the published sticker price.
Get your personalized Worth-It score
National averages are a starting point. Plug in your actual aid offer, intended major, and family situation to get a score that reflects your specific picture.
The Worth-It Score weighs affordability (40%), after graduation outcomes (40%), and repayment burden (20%). Underlying data points come from publicly available federal higher education reporting. See full methodology →
Now work out how to pay for it, cheapest money first.
A Worth-It Score tells you whether the price is justified. The 2026-27 funding guide covers the borrowing order, what changed on July 1, 2026, and the current limits.
Open the 2026-27 funding guide →