Palomar vs Cabrillo College

Palomar College and Cabrillo 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. Palomar College boasts a higher acceptance rate, making it a more accessible option for students with varying academic backgrounds. Cabrillo College, on the other hand, offers a wider range of popular majors, including Engineering, Computer Science, and Biological Sciences, appealing to students with specific career goals. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to delve into further details regarding acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, graduation rates, and more, assisting you in making an informed decision that aligns with your academic pursuits and personal preferences.

	Cabrillo College	Palomar College
Overview
Location	Aptos, California	San Marcos, California
Campus setting	Suburb: Midsize	Suburb: Large
College type	2 year	2 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	72.0%	66.0%
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: $29,009 Out of state: $36,377	In state: $29,408 Out of state: $38,004
Average net price	$18,139	$6,659
Tuition	In state: $1,104 Out of state: $8,472	In state: $1,288 Out of state: $9,884
Room & board
Available payment plans

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	99.0% Average amount $3,895	79.0% Average amount $4,544
Students receiving federal student loan	0.0% Average amount $5,250	0.0% Average amount $2,598
Students taking out private loans	0.0% Average amount $0	0.0% Average amount $0

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	9,075 Men 41.7% Women 58.3%	17,566 Men 51.0% Women 49.0%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	2.3%	6.7%
International students	0.5%	0.6%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Midsize	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	Liberal Arts Business Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Health Professions Social Sciences	Liberal Arts Social Sciences Health Professions Business Law Enforcement and Firefighting
Students to faculty ratio	18:1	22:1
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	34.6%	29.1%
Dropout rate	37.9%	46.1%
Transferred out	8.8%	10.8%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: $84,535 Year 2: $73,635 Year 3: $99,029 Dental Support Services and Allied Professions (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: $74,152 Year 2: $66,941 Year 3: $65,329 Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: $37,979 Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: $34,226 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: $17,345 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $32,336 Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: $31,620 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: $73,895 Year 2: $67,101 Year 3: N/A Business/Commerce, General (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $27,439 Year 3: N/A Accounting and Related Services (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $36,674 Year 3: N/A	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $77,544 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $68,079 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $52,107 Year 3: $44,438 Social Sciences, General (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $24,035 Year 3: $29,028 Electrical and Power Transmission Installers (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $84,691 Year 3: N/A

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