Cerritos College vs Rio Salado

Cerritos College and Rio Salado College, both esteemed community colleges in California and Arizona respectively, offer diverse educational opportunities for students seeking higher education. While they share similarities in providing affordable tuition, flexible class schedules, and a wide range of programs, they also possess distinct characteristics that cater to different student needs. Cerritos College boasts a higher acceptance rate, allowing more students the chance to pursue their academic goals. Rio Salado College, on the other hand, excels in online learning, providing a convenient option for students who prefer a flexible learning environment. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to delve into further details about these institutions, including popular majors, student body demographics, graduation rates, and more, to determine which college best aligns with your unique educational aspirations.

	Cerritos College	Rio Salado College
Overview
Location	Norwalk, California	Tempe, Arizona
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	City: Midsize
College type	2 year	2 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	62.0%	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: $27,998 Out of state: $36,678	In state: $14,542 Out of state: $20,326
Average net price	$9,557	$9,426
Tuition	In state: $1,288 Out of state: $9,968	In state: $2,040 Out of state: $7,824
Room & board
Available payment plans		Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	88.0% Average amount $5,822	71.0% Average amount $5,379
Students receiving federal student loan	2.0% Average amount $6,246	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	18,656 Men 46.1% Women 53.9%	15,682 Men 40.6% Women 59.4%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	0.7%	12.0%
International students	0.3%	0.2%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	City: Midsize
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	Arizona California Texas Louisiana Alabama

Academics
Popular study areas	Liberal Arts Business Health Professions Social Sciences Multidisciplinary Studies	Law Enforcement and Firefighting Business Liberal Arts Visual & Performing Arts Computer and Information Science
Students to faculty ratio	26:1	25:1
Institutional accreditation	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	33.2%	8.5%
Dropout rate	38.8%	64.9%
Transferred out	10.0%	20.2%
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	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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