MiraCosta College vs Imperial Valley College

MiraCosta College and Imperial Valley College, two esteemed community colleges in California, offer distinct educational experiences tailored to diverse student aspirations. MiraCosta, nestled in the vibrant coastal region of San Diego County, boasts a higher acceptance rate, attracting a larger and more diverse student body. Imperial Valley, situated in the fertile Imperial Valley, excels in providing affordable education, with lower tuition and fees. Both institutions offer a wide range of academic programs, including popular majors like Business, Health Sciences, and Liberal Arts, catering to students seeking transfer opportunities or career-oriented training. While MiraCosta boasts a higher graduation rate, Imperial Valley shines in its commitment to student support services, ensuring a nurturing learning environment. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover which college aligns best with your academic goals and personal preferences.

	Imperial Valley College	MiraCosta College
Overview
Location	Imperial, California	Oceanside, California
Campus setting	Rural: Fringe	Suburb: Large
College type	2 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	77.0%	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: $25,390 Out of state: $30,910	In state: $23,484 Out of state: $30,852
Average net price	$2,300	$6,946
Tuition	In state: $1,104 Out of state: $6,624	In state: $1,104 Out of state: $8,472
Room & board
Available payment plans

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	94.0% Average amount $7,842	75.0% Average amount $4,697
Students receiving federal student loan		1.0% Average amount $6,068
Students taking out private loans		0.0% Average amount $0

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	7,225 Men 41.6% Women 58.4%	11,125 Men 39.9% Women 60.1%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	6.9%	5.2%
International students	0.0%	0.9%
Campus local/setting	Rural: Fringe	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	Multidisciplinary Studies Liberal Arts Law Enforcement and Firefighting Psychology Social Sciences	Liberal Arts Business Multidisciplinary Studies Family and Consumer Sciences Psychology
Students to faculty ratio	32:1	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	36.3%	35.9%
Dropout rate	41.5%	48.6%
Transferred out	4.9%	11.8%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $61,127 Year 2: $65,238 Year 3: $71,621 Biological and Physical Sciences (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $16,769 Year 2: $26,896 Year 3: $40,086 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $18,385 Year 2: $17,794 Year 3: $25,987 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $12,572 Year 2: $14,759 Year 3: $20,293 Psychology, General (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $10,969 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $33,565 Year 3: N/A	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

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MiraCosta College vs Imperial Valley College

Imperial Valley College

MiraCosta College

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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