Los Angeles Southwest College vs Cerritos College

Los Angeles Southwest College and Cerritos College, both esteemed community colleges in California, offer diverse educational opportunities to students. While they share a commitment to academic excellence, they also possess distinct characteristics that cater to different student needs. Los Angeles Southwest College boasts an open admissions policy, welcoming all applicants with a high school diploma or equivalent, while Cerritos College employs a more selective approach, admitting only 100% of applicants. In terms of student demographics, Los Angeles Southwest College has a larger Hispanic population (68%) compared to Cerritos College (38%). Both institutions offer a wide range of programs, with popular majors including Liberal Arts and Humanities, Business, and Health Professions. Cerritos College, however, has a higher graduation rate (63%) than Los Angeles Southwest College (49%). To help you make an informed decision, we have compiled a comprehensive comparison table that delves into these differences and more. Explore the table to discover which college aligns best with your academic goals and preferences

	Cerritos College	Los Angeles Southwest College
Overview
Location	Norwalk, California	Los Angeles, 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%	65.0%
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: $24,377 Out of state: $32,151
Average net price	$9,557	$8,651
Tuition	In state: $1,288 Out of state: $9,968	In state: $1,196 Out of state: $8,970
Room & board
Available payment plans

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	88.0% Average amount $5,822	85.0% Average amount $5,513
Students receiving federal student loan	2.0% Average amount $6,246
Students taking out private loans	0.0% Average amount $0

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	18,656 Men 46.1% Women 53.9%	4,565 Men 31.2% Women 68.8%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	0.7%	7.1%
International students	0.3%	0.3%
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 Business Family and Consumer Sciences Social Sciences Health Professions
Students to faculty ratio	26:1	20:1
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%	18.5%
Dropout rate	38.8%	54.8%
Transferred out	10.0%	13.4%
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	Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $26,633 Year 2: $21,781 Year 3: $27,544 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $60,722 Year 3: N/A

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