Rio Salado vs Northland Pioneer College

Rio Salado College and Northland Pioneer College, both esteemed community colleges in Arizona, offer unique educational experiences tailored to diverse student needs. Rio Salado, located in the vibrant city of Tempe, boasts an open admissions policy, welcoming all aspiring learners with a high school diploma or GED. In contrast, Northland Pioneer, nestled in the scenic town of Holbrook, maintains a selective admissions process, ensuring a rigorous academic environment. While Rio Salado's student body reflects the rich cultural tapestry of the Phoenix metropolitan area, Northland Pioneer's student population predominantly comprises individuals from rural communities. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to delve into further distinctions between these two institutions, including popular majors, graduation rates, and additional factors that may influence your educational journey.

	Northland Pioneer College	Rio Salado College
Overview
Location	Holbrook, Arizona	Tempe, Arizona
Campus setting	Rural: Fringe	City: Midsize
College type	2 year	2 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	42.0%	37.0%
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: $17,404 Out of state: $24,826	In state: $14,542 Out of state: $20,326
Average net price	$7,913	$9,426
Tuition	In state: $1,948 Out of state: $9,370	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)	100.0% Average amount $6,055	71.0% Average amount $5,379
Students receiving federal student loan		26.0% Average amount $4,710
Students taking out private loans		0.0% Average amount $0

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,786 Men 39.2% Women 60.8%	15,682 Men 40.6% Women 59.4%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	0.0%	12.0%
International students	0.0%	0.2%
Campus local/setting	Rural: Fringe	City: Midsize
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	Arizona	Arizona California Texas Louisiana Alabama

Academics
Popular study areas	Precision Production Health Professions Culinary and Personal Services Automotive Technology Liberal Arts	Law Enforcement and Firefighting Business Liberal Arts Visual & Performing Arts Computer and Information Science
Students to faculty ratio	12:1	25:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	21.9%	8.5%
Dropout rate	53.1%	64.9%
Transferred out	9.4%	20.2%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $52,584 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $64,747 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A	Criminal Justice and Corrections (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: $42,986 Year 2: $41,884 Year 3: $44,530 Business Operations Support and Assistant Services (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: $42,922 Year 2: $34,348 Year 3: $39,074 Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $39,369 Year 3: $37,704 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $37,568 Year 3: $34,090 Legal Support Services (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $30,047 Year 3: $28,264 Data Processing (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $33,938 Year 3: N/A Dental Support Services and Allied Professions (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $52,941 Year 3: N/A

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