Mesa College vs MiraCosta College

San Diego Mesa College and MiraCosta 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. San Diego Mesa College boasts a higher acceptance rate, making it a more accessible option for students with varying academic backgrounds. MiraCosta College, on the other hand, offers a wider range of popular majors, including nursing, business administration, and computer science, attracting students seeking career-oriented programs. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to delve into further details regarding acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, graduation rates, and more, assisting you in making an informed decision that aligns with your academic goals and aspirations.

	MiraCosta College	San Diego Mesa College
Overview
Location	Oceanside, California	San Diego, California
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	City: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
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: $24,286 Out of state: $31,654
Average net price	$6,946	$7,663
Tuition	In state: $1,104 Out of state: $8,472	In state: $1,104 Out of state: $8,472
Room & board
Available payment plans

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	75.0% Average amount $4,697	68.0% Average amount $4,763
Students receiving federal student loan	1.0% Average amount $6,068	1.0% Average amount $3,254
Students taking out private loans	0.0% Average amount $0	0.0% Average amount $0

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	11,125 Men 39.9% Women 60.1%	18,028 Men 43.8% Women 56.2%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	5.2%	0.9%
International students	0.9%	0.3%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	City: 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 Washington Arizona Colorado Indiana

Academics
Popular study areas	Liberal Arts Business Multidisciplinary Studies Family and Consumer Sciences Psychology	Business Liberal Arts Health Professions Social Sciences Multidisciplinary Studies
Students to faculty ratio	18:1	24:1
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	35.9%	30.8%
Dropout rate	48.6%	50.7%
Transferred out	11.8%	14.8%
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	Biology, General (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $28,413 Year 2: $25,194 Year 3: $40,042 Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $34,796 Year 2: $47,260 Year 3: $38,989 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $17,518 Year 2: $24,035 Year 3: $37,305 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $26,620 Year 2: $27,669 Year 3: $27,548 Veterinary/Animal Health Technologies/Technicians (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $30,228 Year 3: N/A Communication and Media Studies (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $21,961 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Psychology, General (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $17,293 Year 2: $26,739 Year 3: N/A Sociology (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $25,194 Year 3: N/A Design and Applied Arts (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $20,478 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Dental Support Services and Allied Professions (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $32,284 Year 3: N/A

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