Mesa Community College vs South Mountain Community College

Mesa Community College and South Mountain Community College, both esteemed institutions within the Maricopa County Community College District, offer diverse educational opportunities to students in the Phoenix metropolitan area. While sharing a commitment to academic excellence and student success, these colleges exhibit distinct characteristics that cater to different preferences and aspirations. Mesa Community College boasts a higher acceptance rate, welcoming a broader range of students, while South Mountain Community College maintains a slightly more selective admissions process. In terms of academic offerings, Mesa Community College excels in programs such as Liberal Arts and Humanities, Business, and Health Professions, whereas South Mountain Community College shines in fields like Engineering, Computer Science, and Public Safety. Explore the detailed comparison table below to delve into further distinctions between these two exceptional community colleges and make an informed decision that aligns with your unique academic goals and aspirations.

	Mesa Community College	South Mountain Community College
Overview
Location	Mesa, Arizona	Phoenix, Arizona
Campus setting	City: Large	City: Large
College type	2 year	2 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	64.0%	68.0%
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: $22,506 Out of state: $28,290	In state: $22,506 Out of state: $28,290
Average net price	$11,733	$10,960
Tuition	In state: $2,040 Out of state: $7,824	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)	75.0% Average amount $4,595	77.0% Average amount $4,928
Students receiving federal student loan	10.0% Average amount $3,307	8.0% Average amount $3,745
Students taking out private loans	0.0% Average amount $7,360	0.0% Average amount $0

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	16,494 Men 44.8% Women 55.2%	3,597 Men 39.3% Women 60.7%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	3.7%	1.3%
International students	1.2%	0.5%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	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	Arizona California Nevada Colorado Texas	Arizona Nebraska Texas Utah

Academics
Popular study areas	Visual & Performing Arts Liberal Arts Health Professions Business Multidisciplinary Studies	Liberal Arts Visual & Performing Arts Computer and Information Science Business Multidisciplinary Studies
Students to faculty ratio	15:1	15:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	14.7%	16.3%
Dropout rate	42.5%	45.6%
Transferred out	24.8%	23.1%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $58,376 Year 2: $55,964 Year 3: $61,338 Dental Support Services and Allied Professions (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $46,774 Year 2: $44,170 Year 3: $55,456 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $34,658 Year 2: $30,771 Year 3: $49,097 Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $33,993 Year 3: $39,637 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $32,391 Year 3: $37,226 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $32,707 Year 2: $33,565 Year 3: $37,094 Funeral Service and Mortuary Science (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $30,305 Year 3: $36,892 Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: N/A Year 3: $32,575 Fine and Studio Arts (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $18,498 Year 3: $32,067 Design and Applied Arts (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: N/A Year 3: $19,766	Fine and Studio Arts (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $22,485 Year 3: $21,256

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Mesa Community College vs South Mountain Community College

Mesa Community College

South Mountain Community College

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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