Butte College vs. Cerritos College

Comparable Facts

Compare Butte College in Oroville, CA with Cerritos College in Norwalk, CA on tuition, admissions, graduation, earnings, and student body data using the table above.

Cerritos College is larger than Butte College based on total student enrollment (21,859 students vs. 10,968 students).

Location, institution type, and student-faculty ratio

• Butte College is located in Oroville, CA (Distant Rural setting); Cerritos College is in Norwalk, CA (Small City setting).
• Butte College is a public, non-profit 2-year institution. Cerritos College is a public, non-profit 2-year institution.
• Student-to-faculty ratio: Butte College 21:1; Cerritos College 26:1.

Butte College vs. Cerritos College Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, Butte College or Cerritos College? Published tuition is the sticker price; many students pay less after aid (see average net price below).

• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Cerritos College than Butte College ($4,325 vs. $9,112).
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Butte College are 19% lower than at Cerritos College ($17,894 vs. $22,088).
• Cerritos College is 0.6% more expensive for in-state tuition than Butte College (about $8 more per year; $1,364.00 vs. $1,356.00).
• Out-of-state tuition is 29.4% higher at Cerritos College than at Butte College (about $2,728 more per year; $12,004.00 vs. $9,276.00).
• A larger share of students receive grant aid at Cerritos College than at Butte College (89% vs. 88%).
• The average total grant financial aid received by Butte College students is 12.7% larger than aid received by Cerritos College students ($6,677 vs. $5,925).

Butte College vs. Cerritos College Admissions comparison

Which college is harder to get into, Butte College or Cerritos College? Typical SAT and ACT scores (midpoint estimates from the mid-50% ranges in the table above), enrolled-tester score ranges where reported, test score submission policy, deadlines, and acceptance rates summarize admission difficulty between Cerritos College and Butte College.

• Both colleges report an open admissions policy; selectivity can still vary by program or major.
• Submitting SAT or ACT scores: Butte College - Open admission; Cerritos College - Open admission.

Butte College vs. Cerritos College Graduation Outcomes Comparison

How do outcomes compare for Butte College and Cerritos College? Where federal data is available for both schools, the bullets below compare graduation rate, earnings, and student loan debt using the same College Scorecard / IPEDS fields as the comparison table. If a metric is missing for one school, that school is noted separately.

• Graduates from Butte College earn a median of about $1,400 more per year than Cerritos College graduates about ten years after starting college ($36,400 vs. $35,000), per the same Scorecard earnings definition.
• Among federal student loan borrowers, Cerritos College graduates have a $7,978 lower median loan debt than Butte College graduates ($6,000 vs. $13,978).
• Among borrowers, Cerritos College graduates have an estimated $82 lower median monthly federal student loan payment than Butte College graduates ($62 vs. $144).
• More Cerritos College graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Butte College students, three years after graduation. (35% vs. 32%)

Sources: U.S. Department of Education https://nces.ed.gov IPEDS and College Scorecard https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/. Values reflect the most recent year available in our dataset.