Long Beach City College vs. SMC

Should I go to Long Beach City College or Santa Monica College? Compare 50+ facts and figures about the colleges to help you determine if Long Beach City College or SMC is the better college for you. The CollegeSimply comparison tool allows side-by-side comparison of 50+ statistics and facts for over 2,500 colleges and universities.

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Long Beach City College vs. Santa Monica College comparison
Long Beach City College Santa Monica College College 3 College 4
Long Beach City College Santa Monica College
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Overview

Long Beach City College SMC
Location Long Beach, CA Santa Monica, CA
Setting Large City Small City
Enrollment 24,425 23,164
Type Public 2 Year Public 2 Year
National Ranking
Religious Affiliation - - - -
Status Non-profit Non-profit
Website lbcc.edu smc.edu
Team Colors                    

Costs

Long Beach City College SMC
Tuition (In State) $1,472 $1,104
Tuition (Out of State) $11,356 $9,264
Room & Board $19,431 $11,556
Avg Net Price $6,215 $5,636
Avg Grant Aid $5,702 $5,515
% Receiving Grant Aid 89% 63%

Admission

Long Beach City College SMC
Admission Chances Calculate Calculate
Applied - -
Admitted - -
Acceptance Rate Open Open
Enrolled % Open Open
Avg High School GPA - -
Typical High School Grades - -
Admissions Standards Unavailable Unavailable
Applicant Competition
ACT Range
SAT Range
Submit Test Scores
Application Deadline Aug 17, 2026 Aug 30, 2026

Academics

Long Beach City College SMC
Student to Faculty Ratio 28:1 27:1
Popular Majors
  • Health Professions (21%)
  • Personal and Culinary Services (16%)
  • Liberal Arts and Humanities (12%)
  • Work and Family Studies (11%)
  • Mechanic and Repair Technologies (10%)
  • Liberal Arts and Humanities (69%)
  • Visual and Performing Arts (8%)
  • Business (8%)
  • General Studies (6%)
  • Work and Family Studies (4%)

Outcomes

Long Beach City College SMC
Graduation Rate - -
Median Earnings (After 10 years) $32,800 $39,000
Making Student Loan Payments 24% 45%
Median Student Loan Debt N/A $6,500
Median Loan Payment N/A $67

Diversity

Long Beach City College SMC
% Men 4% 4%
% Women 6% 5%
Racial Diversity High Very High
HBCU No No
% White 14% 26%
% Black 12% 9%
% Hispanic 57% 38%
% Native American 0% 0%
% Pacific Islander 1% 0%
% Two or More Races 4% 4%
% International 1% 11%
% Unknown Race 0% 1%

Students

Long Beach City College SMC
% In-State 96% 77%
% Out-of-State 0% 0%

Campus

Long Beach City College SMC
Campus Housing No No
Freshman Dorm Required No No
Meal Plan No No
Weekend/Evening Classes Yes Yes
Daycare Facility Yes No
Learn More Details Details

Comparable Facts

  • Long Beach City College is larger than than SMC based on total student enrollment (24,425 students vs. 23,164 students)

Long Beach City College vs. SMC Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, Long Beach City College or SMC?

  • Long Beach City College is 33.3% more expensive to attend than SMC for in-state tuition ($1,472.00 vs. $1,104.00)
  • Out of state tuition is 22.6% higher at Long Beach City College than Santa Monica College ($11,356.00 vs. $9,264.00)
  • The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Santa Monica College than Long Beach City College ($5,636 vs. $6,215)
  • Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Santa Monica College are 68.1% lower than costs at Long Beach City College ($11,556 vs. $19,431)
  • More students receive financial grant aid at Long Beach City College than Santa Monica College (89% vs. 63%)
  • The average total grant financial aid received by Long Beach City College students is 3.4% larger than aid received Santa Monica College ($5,702 vs. $5,515)

Which college is harder to get into, Long Beach City College or SMC? Average SAT and ACT scores plus acceptance rates offer good insight into the difficulty of admission between SMC or Long Beach City College .

Long Beach City College vs. SMC Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, Long Beach City College or SMC? Graduation rate, salary and amount of student loan debt are indicators of a college which offers better outcomes for its graduates. Compare the following outcomes facts between SMC and Long Beach City College.

  • Graduates from Santa Monica College earn on average $6,200 more per year than Long Beach City College graduates after ten years. ($39,000 vs. $32,800)
  • More SMC graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Long Beach City College students, three years after graduation. (45% vs. 24%)

Sources: U.S. Department of Education https://nces.ed.gov IPEDS and College Scorecard https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/