San Diego City College

San Diego, CA · Public · 10,584 students · Visit Website

San Diego City College offers hands-on training in various career and technical education (CTE) programs, including areas like Information Technology, Cosmetology, Engineering, and skilled trades such as HVAC and Electricity. The school emphasizes practical experience through studios, labs, makerspaces, and industry-centric projects. San Diego City College also provides apprenticeship opportunities and work-based learning, connecting students with employers like MTS and SDG&E, and offers job placement assistance through its Career Center.

Programs Analyzed

3

Avg Grad Earnings

$26,411/yr

Avg TradeSchoolOutlook Score

67/100

Tuition (In-State)

$1,150/yr
Out-of-state: $9,094/yr

All Programs at San Diego City College

3 trade programs at San Diego City 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
Business Administration
Business Administration, Management and Operations
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83 $33,350/yr 225.8x High Very Large
1,753 openings/yr
Liberal Arts & Humanities
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities
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62 $32,438/yr 342.9x Low Medium
13 openings/yr
Cosmetology
Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services
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56 $13,445/yr 98.7x Moderate Very Large
145 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.

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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 San Diego

Other cities in California with multiple trade schools, sorted by distance from San Diego.

About This Data

TradeSchoolOutlook analyzes 3 trade and vocational programs at San Diego City 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.