Pierce College vs MiraCosta College

Pierce College District and MiraCosta College, two esteemed community colleges in California, offer diverse educational opportunities to students seeking higher education. Pierce College District boasts an acceptance rate of 100%, welcoming all applicants with open arms, while MiraCosta College maintains a slightly more selective admissions process with an acceptance rate of 98%. Both institutions offer a wide range of academic programs, with Pierce College District excelling in fields like Liberal Arts and Humanities, and MiraCosta College gaining recognition for its strong programs in Business, Management, and Marketing. While Pierce College District caters to a larger and more diverse student body, MiraCosta College maintains a smaller student population with a higher percentage of full-time students. With distinct graduation rates of 22% and 30% respectively, both colleges strive to equip their students with the knowledge and skills necessary for success in their chosen fields. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to delve deeper into the unique characteristics of each institution and make an informed decision that aligns with your

	MiraCosta College	Pierce College District
Overview
Location	Oceanside, California	Lakewood, Washington
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	City: Small
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Quarter
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	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: $23,484 Out of state: $30,852	In state: $19,576 Out of state: $20,038
Average net price	$6,946	$7,370
Tuition	In state: $1,104 Out of state: $8,472	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)	75.0% Average amount $4,697	36.0% Average amount $6,255
Students receiving federal student loan	1.0% Average amount $6,068	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	11,125 Men 39.9% Women 60.1%	7,363 Men 35.7% Women 64.3%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	5.2%	3.3%
International students	0.9%	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 Multidisciplinary Studies Family and Consumer Sciences Psychology	Liberal Arts Business Health Professions Law Enforcement and Firefighting Education
Students to faculty ratio	18:1	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	35.9%	37.1%
Dropout rate	48.6%	37.4%
Transferred out	11.8%	18.6%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	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	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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