Desert College vs Los Angeles Valley College (LAVC)

College of the Desert and Los Angeles Valley College, both esteemed community colleges in California, offer diverse educational opportunities to students seeking higher education. While they share similarities, they also possess distinct characteristics that cater to different preferences and aspirations. College of the Desert boasts a higher acceptance rate, making it a more accessible option for students with varying academic backgrounds. In contrast, Los Angeles Valley College attracts a larger student body, providing a vibrant and diverse campus environment. Both institutions offer a wide range of academic programs, with College of the Desert excelling in fields like Liberal Arts and Humanities, while Los Angeles Valley College shines in STEM-related disciplines. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to delve into further details about these colleges, including their graduation rates, student demographics, and popular majors, to make an informed decision that aligns with your unique educational goals and aspirations.

	College of the Desert	Los Angeles Valley College
Overview
Location	Palm Desert, California	Valley Glen, California
Campus setting	City: Small	City: Large
College type	2 year	2 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	67.0%	73.0%
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: $24,465 Out of state: $32,109	In state: $24,377 Out of state: $32,151
Average net price	$14,179	$11,833
Tuition	In state: $1,288 Out of state: $8,932	In state: $1,196 Out of state: $8,970
Room & board
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	95.0% Average amount $5,621	79.0% Average amount $6,104
Students receiving federal student loan		1.0% Average amount $6,879
Students taking out private loans		0.0% Average amount $0

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	10,229 Men 41.1% Women 58.9%	14,018 Men 42.2% Women 57.8%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	1.5%	1.8%
International students	0.6%	0.4%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	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 Colorado Arizona Florida Indiana	California

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Liberal Arts Psychology Health Professions Family and Consumer Sciences	Liberal Arts Business Family and Consumer Sciences Social Sciences Communication and Journalism
Students to faculty ratio	24:1	21:1
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	29.4%	32.2%
Dropout rate	48.9%	43.2%
Transferred out	5.0%	8.7%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $79,088 Year 2: $73,446 Year 3: $79,174 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $20,301 Year 2: $37,208 Year 3: $41,242 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $22,277 Year 2: $21,781 Year 3: $25,003 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $22,771 Year 2: $30,409 Year 3: $23,897 Psychology, General (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $16,835 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $35,428 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $70,832 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $68,078 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $60,839 Year 3: $67,624 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: $30,802 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A

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