Rio Salado vs Central Arizona College

Rio Salado College and Central Arizona College, both esteemed community colleges in Arizona, offer diverse educational opportunities to students seeking higher education. While they share a commitment to academic excellence and student success, they also possess distinct characteristics that cater to different needs and preferences. Rio Salado College stands out with its open admissions policy, ensuring accessibility to all aspiring learners, while Central Arizona College boasts a higher acceptance rate, providing a more selective admissions process. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to delve into further details regarding acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, graduation rates, and more, empowering you to make an informed decision that aligns with your academic goals and aspirations.

	Central Arizona College	Rio Salado College
Overview
Location	Coolidge, Arizona	Tempe, Arizona
Campus setting	Rural: Fringe	City: Midsize
College type	2 year	2 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	59.0%	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: $13,980 Out of state: $16,560	In state: $14,542 Out of state: $20,326
Average net price	$5,933	$9,426
Tuition	In state: $2,580 Out of state: $5,160	In state: $2,040 Out of state: $7,824
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $3,000 Meal plan: $4,300
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	72.0% Average amount $4,254	71.0% Average amount $5,379
Students receiving federal student loan	2.0% Average amount $4,685	26.0% Average amount $4,710
Students taking out private loans	0.0% Average amount $0	0.0% Average amount $0

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	4,841 Men 36.6% Women 63.4%	15,682 Men 40.6% Women 59.4%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	2.6%	12.0%
International students	1.0%	0.2%
Campus local/setting	Rural: Fringe	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	250	N/A
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	N/A
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Arizona California Washington New Mexico Oregon	Arizona California Texas Louisiana Alabama

Academics
Popular study areas	Liberal Arts Health Professions Education Business Law Enforcement and Firefighting	Law Enforcement and Firefighting Business Liberal Arts Visual & Performing Arts Computer and Information Science
Students to faculty ratio	15:1	25:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	19.4%	8.5%
Dropout rate	52.1%	64.9%
Transferred out	17.2%	20.2%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $59,124 Year 3: $72,832 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: $29,186 Year 2: $30,277 Year 3: $32,235 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $30,579 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Health and Medical Administrative Services (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: $45,246 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $25,967 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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