Is Citrus College Worth It?

Citrus College costs $3,800 a year and leaves you with under $8,000 in median debt, so the downside risk here is small. That low cost matters because the median earnings ten years out sit around $42,000, which is a modest return on its own but a strong one once you factor in how little you borrow to get there.

Your program choice decides everything. The nursing associate degree pays about $74,600 a decade later, more than triple what the general business associate ($21,500) or the cosmetology certificate ($9,286) return. Nursing is the clear financial winner and the reason to enroll. Criminal justice lands near $29,700, and business barely clears $21,500, both below the school-wide median. Cosmetology is the weakest bet on the page, so if that certificate is your plan, expect earnings that make even Citrus's low tuition hard to recoup quickly.

The main financial risk is the 44% graduation rate. More than half of students don't finish, and an unfinished associate degree still costs you time and tuition without the credential that unlocks the nursing salary. Nursing programs are also selective and capacity-limited, so admission into that track isn't guaranteed by enrolling.

The net price tiers reward lower-income families most: you pay around $2,400 to $2,600 if your family earns under $48,000, but that jumps to $6,600 in the $48-75k range and past $10,000 if you earn over $110,000. The pricing still stays affordable across the board.

Citrus is a good fit if you can get into and finish the nursing program, or if you're using it as a low-cost stepping stone before transferring to a four-year school. Look elsewhere if your goal is the cosmetology certificate, since those earnings won't support the debt for long.