Saddleback College

Mission Viejo, CA · Public · 15,959 students · Visit Website

Saddleback College offers Career Education programs designed to lead directly to employment in high-demand Orange County industries. The college emphasizes hands-on training through Cooperative Work Experience (CWE) internships with local businesses and dealerships, particularly in fields like Automotive Technology. Key trade programs include Automotive Technology, Cosmetology, Esthetician, Barbering, Manicuring, Architecture, Construction Inspection, Drafting Technology, and Computer Information Management, with many offering associate degrees and various certificates.

Programs Analyzed

2

Avg Grad Earnings

$15,465/yr

Avg TradeSchoolOutlook Score

52/100

Tuition (In-State)

$1,432/yr
Out-of-state: $13,732/yr

All Programs at Saddleback College

2 trade programs at Saddleback College, ranked by TradeSchoolOutlook Score (combines earnings, ROI, AI resilience, and job market size). Use the “compare” links to see how this school’s programs stack up against others nationally.

Program Score Earnings Debt 10yr ROI AI Risk Job Market
Cosmetology
Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services
Compare nationwide →
Compare in CA →
52 $11,257/yr 77.6x Moderate Very Large
145 openings/yr
Liberal Arts & Humanities
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities
Compare nationwide →
Compare in CA →
51 $19,673/yr $7,125 136.4x Low Medium
13 openings/yr

Reading the table: Score combines earnings, ROI, AI resilience, and job market size on a 0–100 scale. Earnings = median first-year salary from College Scorecard. Debt = median federal debt at graduation (blank where Scorecard suppresses small samples). 10yr ROI = projected 10-year earnings ÷ in-state tuition. AI Risk reflects task-level AI exposure across mapped occupations. Job Market = annual openings nationwide for connected occupations.

More Trade Schools in California

Top-scored trade schools elsewhere in California, ranked by average TradeSchoolOutlook Score across their programs.

View all trade schools in California →

Apprenticeship Pathways in California

Earn-while-you-learn alternatives in California. Registered apprenticeships skip tuition and pay you during training, though training periods are typically longer.

Browse all apprenticeship trades →

Trade Schools Near Mission Viejo

Other cities in California with multiple trade schools, sorted by distance from Mission Viejo.

About This Data

TradeSchoolOutlook analyzes 2 trade and vocational programs at Saddleback College using earnings data from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and employment projections from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2024–2034).

The TradeSchoolOutlook Score (0–100) combines graduate earnings, return on investment, AI resilience, and job market size. AI Risk reflects task-level exposure for the occupations each program feeds into. Job Market shows the size of the national hiring pool. Programs without published debt figures had small reporting samples that the College Scorecard suppresses for privacy.

Data: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (earnings, debt), Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024–2034 (employment projections). Last updated 2026.