Palomar vs Chaffey

Palomar College and Chaffey 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, welcoming a broader range of students, while Chaffey College maintains a slightly smaller student body, fostering a more intimate learning environment. Explore the detailed comparison table below to delve into further distinctions, including popular majors, student demographics, graduation rates, and more, to determine which college best aligns with your academic goals and personal preferences.

	Chaffey College	Palomar College
Overview
Location	Rancho Cucamonga, California	San Marcos, California
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	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: $24,324 Out of state: $32,100	In state: $29,408 Out of state: $38,004
Average net price	$13,939	$6,659
Tuition	In state: $1,104 Out of state: $8,880	In state: $1,288 Out of state: $9,884
Room & board
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	83.0% Average amount $5,314	79.0% Average amount $4,544
Students receiving federal student loan	0.0% Average amount $5,125	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	18,688 Men 38.4% Women 61.6%	17,566 Men 51.0% Women 49.0%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	4.9%	6.7%
International students	0.4%	0.6%
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	California

Academics
Popular study areas	Liberal Arts Business Multidisciplinary Studies Social Sciences Law Enforcement and Firefighting	Liberal Arts Social Sciences Health Professions Business Law Enforcement and Firefighting
Students to faculty ratio	21:1	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	27.9%	29.1%
Dropout rate	44.4%	46.1%
Transferred out	9.2%	10.8%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $28,190 Year 2: N/A 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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