Cerritos College vs Palomar

Cerritos 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. Cerritos College boasts a higher acceptance rate, making it a more accessible option for students with varying academic backgrounds. Palomar College, on the other hand, offers a wider range of popular majors, including engineering, nursing, and business administration, attracting students seeking specialized programs. 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.

	Cerritos College	Palomar College
Overview
Location	Norwalk, California	San Marcos, California
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	Suburb: Large
College type	2 year	2 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	62.0%	66.0%
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: $27,998 Out of state: $36,678	In state: $29,408 Out of state: $38,004
Average net price	$9,557	$6,659
Tuition	In state: $1,288 Out of state: $9,968	In state: $1,288 Out of state: $9,884
Room & board
Available payment plans

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	88.0% Average amount $5,822	79.0% Average amount $4,544
Students receiving federal student loan	2.0% Average amount $6,246	0.0% Average amount $2,598
Students taking out private loans	0.0% Average amount $0	0.0% Average amount $0

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	18,656 Men 46.1% Women 53.9%	17,566 Men 51.0% Women 49.0%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	0.7%	6.7%
International students	0.3%	0.6%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: 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	California	California

Academics
Popular study areas	Liberal Arts Business Health Professions Social Sciences Multidisciplinary Studies	Liberal Arts Social Sciences Health Professions Business Law Enforcement and Firefighting
Students to faculty ratio	26:1	22:1
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	33.2%	29.1%
Dropout rate	38.8%	46.1%
Transferred out	10.0%	10.8%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $74,847 Year 2: $71,351 Year 3: $83,079 Dental Support Services and Allied Professions (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $62,409 Year 2: $60,578 Year 3: $64,421 Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $48,147 Year 2: $51,169 Year 3: $46,983 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: $49,126 Year 2: $54,713 Year 3: $45,794 Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $33,993 Year 3: $40,060 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $37,939 Year 2: $33,281 Year 3: $36,564 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $29,118 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $30,021 Psychology, General (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $14,935 Year 3: $23,897 Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: $26,738 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $13,359 Communication and Media Studies (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $18,087 Year 3: N/A	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

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