Palo Alto vs South Mountain Community College

Palo Alto College and South Mountain Community College, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer unique educational experiences to students seeking academic excellence. While they share a commitment to providing quality education, they differ in several key aspects. Palo Alto College, located in San Antonio, Texas, boasts a higher acceptance rate, allowing more students the opportunity to pursue their academic goals. South Mountain Community College, situated in Phoenix, Arizona, stands out with its diverse student body, reflecting the vibrant cultural tapestry of its surrounding community. Both institutions offer a wide range of popular majors, catering to students' diverse interests and career aspirations. To help you make an informed decision about your educational journey, we present a comprehensive comparison of these two colleges, delving into acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates. Explore the table below to discover which institution aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Palo Alto College	South Mountain Community College
Overview
Location	San Antonio, Texas	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	60.0%	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: $21,212 Out of state: $28,742	In state: $22,506 Out of state: $28,290
Average net price	$4,951	$10,960
Tuition	In state: $6,450 Out of state: $13,980	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)	89.0% Average amount $4,868	77.0% Average amount $4,928
Students receiving federal student loan	1.0% Average amount $6,413	8.0% Average amount $3,745
Students taking out private loans	0.0% Average amount $0	0.0% Average amount $0

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	10,559 Men 38.1% Women 61.9%	3,597 Men 39.3% Women 60.7%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	1.1%	1.3%
International students	0.0%	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	Texas Washington Alaska Colorado Missouri	Arizona Nebraska Texas Utah

Academics
Popular study areas	Liberal Arts Business Education Computer and Information Science Agriculture	Liberal Arts Visual & Performing Arts Computer and Information Science Business Multidisciplinary Studies
Students to faculty ratio	32:1	15:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	33.0%	16.3%
Dropout rate	44.5%	45.6%
Transferred out	12.2%	23.1%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: N/A Year 3: $32,158 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $18,703 Year 2: $24,035 Year 3: $32,109 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $22,510 Year 2: $11,851 Year 3: $31,972 Health/Medical Preparatory Programs (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $22,163 Year 2: $26,933 Year 3: $29,307 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $27,013 Year 2: $26,933 Year 3: $28,961 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $27,432 Year 2: $18,087 Year 3: $26,279 Psychology, General (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $16,169 Year 3: $21,146 Veterinary/Animal Health Technologies/Technicians (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $30,119 Year 3: N/A	Fine and Studio Arts (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $22,485 Year 3: $21,256

Compare Similar Colleges

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Palo Alto vs South Mountain Community College

Palo Alto College

South Mountain Community College

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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