Mercer County Community College vs Rio Salado

Mercer County Community College and Rio Salado College, two esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer diverse educational opportunities to students seeking a solid foundation for their academic and professional pursuits. Mercer, nestled in West Windsor, New Jersey, boasts a higher acceptance rate, welcoming a broader range of students into its academic fold. Rio Salado, based in Tempe, Arizona, stands out for its extensive online learning options, catering to students seeking flexibility and convenience in their educational journey. While both colleges offer a wide array of programs, Mercer's strengths lie in the fields of liberal arts and sciences, while Rio Salado excels in business and healthcare disciplines. Explore the detailed comparison table below to delve into further distinctions between these two exceptional institutions, and make an informed decision that aligns with your unique academic aspirations and goals.

	Mercer County Community College	Rio Salado College
Overview
Location	West Windsor, New Jersey	Tempe, Arizona
Campus setting	Rural: Fringe	City: Midsize
College type	2 year	2 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	63.0%	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: $20,148 Out of state: $22,476	In state: $14,542 Out of state: $20,326
Average net price	$12,477	$9,426
Tuition	In state: $4,728 Out of state: $7,056	In state: $2,040 Out of state: $7,824
Room & board
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	52.0% Average amount $6,042	71.0% Average amount $5,379
Students receiving federal student loan	7.0% Average amount $5,317	26.0% Average amount $4,710
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $9,465	0.0% Average amount $0

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	6,205 Men 44.0% Women 56.0%	15,682 Men 40.6% Women 59.4%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	4.7%	12.0%
International students	5.0%	0.2%
Campus local/setting	Rural: Fringe	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	New Jersey Pennsylvania New York Alabama North Carolina	Arizona California Texas Louisiana Alabama

Academics
Popular study areas	Liberal Arts Health Professions Business Law Enforcement and Firefighting Culinary and Personal Services	Law Enforcement and Firefighting Business Liberal Arts Visual & Performing Arts Computer and Information Science
Students to faculty ratio	16:1	25:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	21.0%	8.5%
Dropout rate	41.4%	64.9%
Transferred out	18.1%	20.2%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	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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