College of Southern Nevada vs MiraCosta College

College of Southern Nevada (CSN) and MiraCosta College stand out as two exceptional community colleges, each offering unique opportunities for higher education. While both institutions share a commitment to providing accessible and affordable education, they differ in several key aspects. CSN boasts a higher acceptance rate, making it a more accessible option for students seeking admission. MiraCosta College, on the other hand, offers a wider range of popular majors, including programs in engineering, computer science, and health sciences. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to delve into further details about these institutions, including student body demographics, graduation rates, and additional factors that may influence your decision. Discover which college aligns best with your academic goals and personal preferences, and take the first step towards a fulfilling higher education journey.

	College of Southern Nevada	MiraCosta College
Overview
Location	Las Vegas, Nevada	Oceanside, California
Campus setting	City: Large	Suburb: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate		100.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	Open Admission	Open Admission
Application fees	$20
SAT range	N/A	N/A
ACT range	N/A	N/A
Students submitting SAT score
Students submitting ACT score
Total number of applicants
Total number of admissions given out
Admitted students who chose to enroll
Yield rate
Test scores (SAT/ACT)		Not required
High school GPA	N/A	N/A
Recommendation letters	N/A	N/A
High school transcript	N/A	N/A
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	N/A	N/A

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $20,698 Out of state: $28,384	In state: $23,484 Out of state: $30,852
Average net price	$7,773	$6,946
Tuition	In state: $3,293 Out of state: $10,979	In state: $1,104 Out of state: $8,472
Room & board
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	80.0% Average amount $5,256	75.0% Average amount $4,697
Students receiving federal student loan	9.0% Average amount $3,426	1.0% Average amount $6,068
Students taking out private loans	0.0% Average amount $4,333	0.0% Average amount $0

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	29,942 Men 41.9% Women 58.1%	11,125 Men 39.9% Women 60.1%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	1.1%	5.2%
International students	0.8%	0.9%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	N/A	N/A
First year students are required to live on campus?	N/A	N/A
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Nevada California Hawaii Utah Michigan	California

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Liberal Arts Business Science Technologies Computer and Information Science	Liberal Arts Business Multidisciplinary Studies Family and Consumer Sciences Psychology
Students to faculty ratio	21:1	18:1
Institutional accreditation	Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	16.4%	35.9%
Dropout rate	38.2%	48.6%
Transferred out	16.5%	11.8%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $66,521 Year 2: $72,118 Year 3: $74,234 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $58,687 Year 2: $62,012 Year 3: $66,642 Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration Maintenance Technology/Technician (HAC, HACR, HVAC, HVACR) (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $40,440 Year 2: $40,467 Year 3: $52,841 Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $33,046 Year 2: $42,123 Year 3: $41,764 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $34,308 Year 2: $25,889 Year 3: $40,431 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $33,336 Year 2: $30,771 Year 3: $36,851 Science Technologies/Technicians, Other (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $28,145 Year 2: $25,856 Year 3: $35,857 Legal Support Services (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $41,937 Year 3: $35,338 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $33,755 Year 3: $34,807 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $29,612 Year 2: $29,250 Year 3: $31,132	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $47,260 Year 3: $43,335 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $21,665 Year 2: $13,702 Year 3: $28,834

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