Rio Salado vs Arizona Western College (AZWC)

Rio Salado College and Arizona Western College, both esteemed community colleges in Arizona, offer distinct educational experiences. Rio Salado, known for its open admissions policy, boasts a 100% acceptance rate, making it an accessible option for students of all backgrounds. In contrast, Arizona Western College operates with a selective admissions process, resulting in a lower acceptance rate of 88%. While Rio Salado excels in online learning, with over 80% of its courses offered virtually, Arizona Western College emphasizes hands-on learning through its extensive career and technical education programs. Explore the detailed comparison table below to delve into further differences, including popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates, to determine which institution best aligns with your academic aspirations and learning preferences.

	Arizona Western College	Rio Salado College
Overview
Location	Yuma, Arizona	Tempe, Arizona
Campus setting	City: Small	City: Midsize
College type	2 year	2 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	66.0%	37.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	Open Admission	Open Admission
Application fees
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	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: $18,951 Out of state: $27,501	In state: $14,542 Out of state: $20,326
Average net price	$9,877	$9,426
Tuition	In state: $2,700 Out of state: $11,250	In state: $2,040 Out of state: $7,824
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $2,378 Meal plan: $5,324
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	85.0% Average amount $5,800	71.0% Average amount $5,379
Students receiving federal student loan	1.0% Average amount $1,875	26.0% Average amount $4,710
Students taking out private loans	0.0% Average amount $10,000	0.0% Average amount $0

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	8,081 Men 41.7% Women 58.3%	15,682 Men 40.6% Women 59.4%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	12.0%
International students	1.3%	0.2%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	300	N/A
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	N/A
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	Arizona California Texas Louisiana Alabama

Academics
Popular study areas	Liberal Arts Health Professions Law Enforcement and Firefighting Business Social Sciences	Law Enforcement and Firefighting Business Liberal Arts Visual & Performing Arts Computer and Information Science
Students to faculty ratio	20:1	25:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	23.4%	8.5%
Dropout rate	46.3%	64.9%
Transferred out	12.1%	20.2%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $63,434 Year 2: $64,196 Year 3: $67,016 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $27,123 Year 2: $24,267 Year 3: $34,023 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $22,318 Year 2: $21,508 Year 3: $30,486 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $18,087 Year 3: N/A Social Sciences, General (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $20,066 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $32,048 Year 2: $37,208 Year 3: N/A Business Administration, Management and Operations (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $23,589 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A	Criminal Justice and Corrections (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: $42,986 Year 2: $41,884 Year 3: $44,530 Business Operations Support and Assistant Services (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: $42,922 Year 2: $34,348 Year 3: $39,074 Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $39,369 Year 3: $37,704 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $37,568 Year 3: $34,090 Legal Support Services (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $30,047 Year 3: $28,264 Data Processing (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $33,938 Year 3: N/A Dental Support Services and Allied Professions (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $52,941 Year 3: N/A

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