Riverside City College vs Palomar

Riverside City College and Palomar College, both esteemed community colleges in California, offer diverse educational opportunities to students seeking higher education. While they share similarities, each institution possesses unique characteristics that cater to different academic aspirations and preferences. Riverside City College boasts a higher acceptance rate, welcoming a broader range of students, while Palomar College maintains a slightly more selective admissions process. In terms of academic offerings, Riverside City College excels in the fields of Liberal Arts and Humanities, while Palomar College shines in the areas of Business, Management, and Health Professions. Explore the detailed comparison table below to delve into further distinctions between these two exceptional colleges, including student body demographics, graduation rates, and additional program offerings, to determine which institution best aligns with your academic goals and aspirations.

	Palomar College	Riverside City College
Overview
Location	San Marcos, California	Riverside, California
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	City: Large
College type	2 year	2 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	66.0%	64.0%
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: $29,408 Out of state: $38,004	In state: $26,406 Out of state: $35,106
Average net price	$6,659	$7,161
Tuition	In state: $1,288 Out of state: $9,884	In state: $1,380 Out of state: $10,080
Room & board
Available payment plans

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	79.0% Average amount $4,544	85.0% Average amount $5,311
Students receiving federal student loan	0.0% Average amount $2,598	0.0% Average amount $5,034
Students taking out private loans	0.0% Average amount $0	0.0% Average amount $0

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	17,566 Men 51.0% Women 49.0%	17,960 Men 39.0% Women 61.0%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	6.7%	1.6%
International students	0.6%	0.6%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	City: 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	California	California

Academics
Popular study areas	Liberal Arts Social Sciences Health Professions Business Law Enforcement and Firefighting	Liberal Arts Multidisciplinary Studies Business Health Professions Family and Consumer Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	22:1	23:1
Institutional accreditation	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	29.1%	33.7%
Dropout rate	46.1%	45.5%
Transferred out	10.8%	8.5%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $77,544 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $68,079 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $52,107 Year 3: $44,438 Social Sciences, General (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $24,035 Year 3: $29,028 Electrical and Power Transmission Installers (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $84,691 Year 3: N/A	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $74,385 Year 2: $75,204 Year 3: $83,133 Biological and Physical Sciences (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $27,551 Year 2: $32,925 Year 3: $34,804 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $25,819 Year 2: $21,117 Year 3: $25,068 Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $18,494 Year 2: $17,310 Year 3: $14,878 Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: $17,573 Year 2: $10,617 Year 3: $14,621 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $17,764 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Criminal Justice and Corrections (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $27,401 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Business Administration, Management and Operations (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $27,510 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A

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