Pierce College vs Cerritos College

Pierce College District and Cerritos College, two esteemed community colleges in California, offer diverse educational opportunities to students seeking higher education. While both institutions share a commitment to academic excellence and student success, they possess distinct characteristics that cater to different needs and preferences. Pierce College District boasts a higher acceptance rate, welcoming a broader range of students, while Cerritos College maintains a slightly more selective admissions process. In terms of popular majors, Pierce College District excels in liberal arts and humanities, while Cerritos College is renowned for its strong programs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Additionally, the student body demographics vary, with Pierce College District having a larger Hispanic population and Cerritos College having a larger Asian population. As for graduation rates, Cerritos College holds a slight edge over Pierce College District. To help you make an informed decision about your educational journey, we have compiled a comprehensive comparison table that delves into these aspects and more. Explore the table to discover which college aligns best with your academic

	Cerritos College	Pierce College District
Overview
Location	Norwalk, California	Lakewood, Washington
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	City: Small
College type	2 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Quarter
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	62.0%
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: $27,998 Out of state: $36,678	In state: $19,576 Out of state: $20,038
Average net price	$9,557	$7,370
Tuition	In state: $1,288 Out of state: $9,968	In state: $3,825 Out of state: $4,287
Room & board
Available payment plans		Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	88.0% Average amount $5,822	36.0% Average amount $6,255
Students receiving federal student loan	2.0% Average amount $6,246	11.0% Average amount $5,614
Students taking out private loans	0.0% Average amount $0	0.0% Average amount $1,760

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	18,656 Men 46.1% Women 53.9%	7,363 Men 35.7% Women 64.3%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	0.7%	3.3%
International students	0.3%	1.8%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	N/A	60
First year students are required to live on campus?	N/A	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	California	Washington California Hawaii Florida Georgia

Academics
Popular study areas	Liberal Arts Business Health Professions Social Sciences Multidisciplinary Studies	Liberal Arts Business Health Professions Law Enforcement and Firefighting Education
Students to faculty ratio	26:1	22:1
Institutional accreditation	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges	Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities

Outcome
Graduation rate	33.2%	37.1%
Dropout rate	38.8%	37.4%
Transferred out	10.0%	18.6%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $74,847 Year 2: $71,351 Year 3: $83,079 Dental Support Services and Allied Professions (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $62,409 Year 2: $60,578 Year 3: $64,421 Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $48,147 Year 2: $51,169 Year 3: $46,983 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: $49,126 Year 2: $54,713 Year 3: $45,794 Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $33,993 Year 3: $40,060 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $37,939 Year 2: $33,281 Year 3: $36,564 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $29,118 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $30,021 Psychology, General (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $14,935 Year 3: $23,897 Cosmetology and Related Personal Grooming Services (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: $26,738 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $13,359 Communication and Media Studies (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $18,087 Year 3: N/A	Dental Support Services and Allied Professions (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $74,576 Year 3: $62,687 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $47,260 Year 3: $55,767 Business/Commerce, General (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: $47,345 Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $41,029 Health and Medical Administrative Services (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $30,771 Year 3: $32,496 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $22,356 Year 2: $25,405 Year 3: $29,533 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $25,194 Year 3: $26,935 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $32,569 Year 3: N/A

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