Santa Ana College
Santa Ana College offers career training in fields like Registered Nursing, Fire Protection, Precision Metal Working, and Automotive Technology. Many programs emphasize hands-on learning in well-equipped labs, such as the Advanced Manufacturing Technology and Automation program with its modern CNC mills and lathes, or the Automotive Technology program with its focus on current vehicle systems. The college also has connections to industry, including a Mopar Automotive Technician degree that provides a direct pipeline to Stellantis dealerships and a Vocational Construction Technology program that introduces union apprenticeship opportunities.
Programs Analyzed
Avg Grad Earnings
Avg TradeSchoolOutlook Score
Tuition (In-State)
All Programs at Santa Ana College
9 trade programs at Santa Ana 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Nursing
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing Compare nationwide → Compare in CA → |
91 | $98,493/yr | $10,500 |
|
Business Administration
Business Administration, Management and Operations Compare nationwide → Compare in CA → |
81 | $30,315/yr | — |
|
Fire Protection
Compare nationwide → |
80 | $53,847/yr | — |
|
Welding & Metalworking
Precision Metal Working Compare nationwide → Compare in CA → |
74 | $45,864/yr | — |
|
Vehicle Repair Technology
Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies Compare nationwide → Compare in CA → |
74 | $36,380/yr | — |
|
Medical Assisting
Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services Compare nationwide → Compare in CA → |
71 | $28,687/yr | — |
|
Human Development & Family Studies
Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services Compare nationwide → Compare in CA → |
71 | $23,863/yr | — |
|
Liberal Arts & Humanities
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities Compare nationwide → Compare in CA → |
59 | $30,117/yr | $6,065 |
|
Biological & Physical Sciences
Biological and Physical Sciences Compare nationwide → Compare in CA → |
58 | $25,393/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.
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.
Trade Schools Near Santa Ana
Other cities in California with multiple trade schools, sorted by distance from Santa Ana.
About This Data
TradeSchoolOutlook analyzes 9 trade and vocational programs at Santa Ana 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.