Match #1
Bakersfield College
Bakersfield, CA
Profile closeness82/100
Admit rate—
- 17,280 students
- Public
- City: Large
- Graduation rate 20%, close to 23%
- Enrollment 17,280 students, close to 21,440
The colleges most similar to Santa Monica College are Bakersfield College, Long Beach City College, and Santa Ana College. Santa Monica College has an average net price of $1,693 a year; 3 of its 10 alternatives cost less, in the CollegesRef 2026–27 edition.
Profile closeness (0–100) compares graduation rate, size, admit rate, net price, Carnegie class, and control with Santa Monica College. The order also uses CollegesRef matching tiers, so a later match can score higher. Admit-rate bars use a 0–100% scale.
Top 10 alternatives to Santa Monica College
Row-wise results ranked by similarity. No curated AI list exists for this school.
Match #2
Long Beach City College
Long Beach, CA
Profile closeness78/100
Admit rate—
- 22,427 students
- Public
- City: Large
- Graduation rate 22%, close to 23%
- Enrollment 22,427 students, close to 21,440
Match #3
Santa Ana College
Santa Ana, CA
Profile closeness78/100
Admit rate—
- 22,485 students
- Public
- City: Large
- Enrollment 22,485 students, close to 21,440
- Graduation rate 31%, close to 23%
Match #4
Modesto Junior College
Modesto, CA
Profile closeness77/100
Admit rate—
- 15,109 students
- Public
- City: Midsize
- Graduation rate 29%, close to 23%
- Enrollment 15,109 students, close to 21,440
Match #5
Fresno City College
Fresno, CA
Profile closeness76/100
Admit rate—
- 21,251 students
- Public
- City: Large
- Graduation rate 24%, close to 23%
- Enrollment 21,251 students, close to 21,440
Match #6
Cerritos College
Norwalk, CA
Profile closeness73/100
Admit rate—
- 18,870 students
- Public
- Suburb: Large
- Graduation rate 29%, close to 23%
- Enrollment 18,870 students, close to 21,440
Match #7
Antelope Valley Community College District
Lancaster, CA
Profile closeness73/100
Admit rate—
- 11,534 students
- Public
- Suburb: Large
- Average net price $85, close to $1,693
- Same Carnegie classification
Match #8
Palomar College
San Marcos, CA
Profile closeness73/100
Admit rate—
- 17,712 students
- Public
- Suburb: Large
- Graduation rate 29%, close to 23%
- Enrollment 17,712 students, close to 21,440
Match #9
Rio Hondo College
Whittier, CA
Profile closeness72/100
Admit rate—
- 15,684 students
- Public
- Suburb: Large
- Graduation rate 23%, close to 23%
- Enrollment 15,684 students, close to 21,440
Match #10
West Los Angeles College
Culver City, CA
Profile closeness72/100
Admit rate—
- 7,284 students
- Public
- Suburb: Large
- Graduation rate 25%, close to 23%
- Same Carnegie classification
Questions about Santa Monica College alternatives
What colleges are similar to Santa Monica College?
The closest matches to Santa Monica College are Bakersfield College, Long Beach City College, Santa Ana College, Modesto Junior College, and Fresno City College. CollegesRef ranks them on admissions, cost, graduation rate, size, and campus profile using IPEDS and College Scorecard data.
Which Santa Monica College alternatives cost less?
3 of the 10 closest alternatives have a lower average net price than Santa Monica College ($1,693 a year), including Antelope Valley Community College District ($85), Long Beach City College ($1,192), and Cerritos College ($1,577). Net price is what first-time, full-time students paid after grants; your own price depends on family income.
