Rio Salado vs Palo Alto

Rio Salado College and Palo Alto College, both esteemed community colleges in their respective states of Arizona and Texas, offer unique educational opportunities to students seeking higher education. While they share similarities in their commitment to providing affordable, accessible, and quality education, they also possess distinct characteristics that set them apart. This side-by-side comparison delves into the key differences between these two institutions, including acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates. Whether you're a prospective student seeking the best fit for your academic and personal goals or an individual curious about the diverse landscape of higher education, this comprehensive analysis will equip you with the information you need to make informed decisions about your educational journey.

	Palo Alto College	Rio Salado College
Overview
Location	San Antonio, Texas	Tempe, Arizona
Campus setting	City: Large	City: Midsize
College type	2 year	2 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	60.0%	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: $21,212 Out of state: $28,742	In state: $14,542 Out of state: $20,326
Average net price	$4,951	$9,426
Tuition	In state: $6,450 Out of state: $13,980	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)	89.0% Average amount $4,868	71.0% Average amount $5,379
Students receiving federal student loan	1.0% Average amount $6,413	26.0% Average amount $4,710
Students taking out private loans	0.0% Average amount $0	0.0% Average amount $0

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	10,559 Men 38.1% Women 61.9%	15,682 Men 40.6% Women 59.4%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	1.1%	12.0%
International students	0.0%	0.2%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	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	Texas Washington Alaska Colorado Missouri	Arizona California Texas Louisiana Alabama

Academics
Popular study areas	Liberal Arts Business Education Computer and Information Science Agriculture	Law Enforcement and Firefighting Business Liberal Arts Visual & Performing Arts Computer and Information Science
Students to faculty ratio	32:1	25:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	33.0%	8.5%
Dropout rate	44.5%	64.9%
Transferred out	12.2%	20.2%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: N/A Year 3: $32,158 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $18,703 Year 2: $24,035 Year 3: $32,109 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $22,510 Year 2: $11,851 Year 3: $31,972 Health/Medical Preparatory Programs (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $22,163 Year 2: $26,933 Year 3: $29,307 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $27,013 Year 2: $26,933 Year 3: $28,961 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $27,432 Year 2: $18,087 Year 3: $26,279 Psychology, General (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $16,169 Year 3: $21,146 Veterinary/Animal Health Technologies/Technicians (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $30,119 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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