SANTA BARBARA — Santa Barbara City College was ranked 11 for best associate degree salary score in GradReports’ 2021 study.
Spearheaded by education research group Optimal, GradReports compared salaries of more than 4.6 million college graduates from 885 college degree programs to determine ranks for best associate, bachelors and masters degree programs.
According to a City College news release, the report comes at a time when many students are struggling financially due to COVID-19. The report can help provide a cost-benefit analysis for students at a time when student debt is on the rise.
“This past year has created an atmosphere of enormous financial strain and uncertainty, and now more than ever, students and their families are in need of data that demonstrates earnings outcomes, giving them the ability to plan for the future and also feel confident in their decisions,” Optimal CEO Sung Rhee said in a statement.
In the rankings, SBCC received a 92.62 salary score, which is based on median alumni earnings the year after graduating. The overall score is calculated by comparing the median alumni salary to the median incomes of recent graduates from similar programs at other universities using data from the U.S. Department of Education.
— Madison Hirneisen