MiraCosta College vs Foothill College

MiraCosta College and Foothill College, both esteemed community colleges in California, offer diverse educational opportunities to students seeking higher education. While they share similarities, each institution possesses unique characteristics that cater to different academic aspirations and preferences. MiraCosta boasts a higher acceptance rate, making it a more accessible option for students, while Foothill excels in graduation rates, ensuring a higher likelihood of successful completion. Explore the detailed comparison table to delve into further distinctions, including popular majors, student body demographics, and additional factors that may influence your decision. Discover which college aligns best with your academic goals and personal preferences, setting you on the path to a fulfilling educational journey.

	Foothill College	MiraCosta College
Overview
Location	Los Altos Hills, California	Oceanside, California
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	Suburb: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Quarter	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate		100.0%
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: $27,746 Out of state: $36,971	In state: $23,484 Out of state: $30,852
Average net price	$9,820	$6,946
Tuition	In state: $1,395 Out of state: $10,620	In state: $1,104 Out of state: $8,472
Room & board
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	65.0% Average amount $3,927	75.0% Average amount $4,697
Students receiving federal student loan	2.0% Average amount $6,083	1.0% Average amount $6,068
Students taking out private loans	0.0% Average amount $0	0.0% Average amount $0

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	12,438 Men 52.3% Women 47.7%	11,125 Men 39.9% Women 60.1%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	6.9%	5.2%
International students	3.0%	0.9%
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 Florida Texas Illinois Washington	California

Academics
Popular study areas	Liberal Arts Social Sciences Health Professions Business Psychology	Liberal Arts Business Multidisciplinary Studies Family and Consumer Sciences Psychology
Students to faculty ratio	23:1	18:1
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	57.6%	35.9%
Dropout rate	29.5%	48.6%
Transferred out	11.0%	11.8%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $97,367 Year 2: $113,107 Year 3: $114,887	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $47,260 Year 3: $43,335 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $21,665 Year 2: $13,702 Year 3: $28,834

Foothill College

MiraCosta College

Overview

Location

Los Altos Hills, California

Oceanside, California

Campus setting

Suburb: Large

College type

4 year

Control/business model

Public

Calendar system

Quarter

Semester

Degrees offered

Undergraduate

Students retention rate

100.0%

Common app member

Religious affiliation

Admission

Acceptance rate

Open Admission

Application fees

SAT range

N/A

ACT range

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

High school GPA

N/A

Recommendation letters

N/A

High school transcript

N/A

English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)

N/A

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price

In state: $27,746

Out of state: $36,971

In state: $23,484

Out of state: $30,852

Average net price

$9,820

$6,946

Tuition

In state: $1,395

Out of state: $10,620

In state: $1,104

Out of state: $8,472

Room & board

Available payment plans

Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

65.0%

Average amount $3,927

75.0%

Average amount $4,697

Students receiving federal student loan

2.0%

Average amount $6,083

1.0%

Average amount $6,068

Students taking out private loans

0.0%

Average amount $0

0.0%

Average amount $0

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students

12,438

Men 52.3% Women 47.7%

11,125

Men 39.9% Women 60.1%

Graduate students

N/A

Racial/ethnic diversity

Moderate

Out-of-state students

6.9%

5.2%

International students

3.0%

0.9%

Campus local/setting

Suburb: Large

Dormitory capacity

N/A

First year students are required to live on campus?

N/A

Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from

California Florida Texas Illinois Washington

California

Academics

Popular study areas

Liberal Arts
Social Sciences
Health Professions
Business
Psychology

Liberal Arts
Business
Multidisciplinary Studies
Family and Consumer Sciences
Psychology

Students to faculty ratio

23:1

18:1

Institutional accreditation

Western Association of Schools and Colleges Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges

Outcome

Graduation rate

57.6%

35.9%

Dropout rate

29.5%

48.6%

Transferred out

11.0%

11.8%

Alumni salary by major (Top 10)

Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Associate's Degrees)

Year 1: $97,367
Year 2: $113,107
Year 3: $114,887

Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees)

Year 1: N/A
Year 2: $47,260
Year 3: $43,335

Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Associate's Degrees)

Year 1: $21,665
Year 2: $13,702
Year 3: $28,834