Mesa College vs Rio Hondo

San Diego Mesa College and Rio Hondo College, both esteemed community colleges in California, offer unique educational experiences to students with diverse aspirations. San Diego Mesa College, nestled in the vibrant city of San Diego, boasts a higher acceptance rate, welcoming a broader range of students into its academic community. Rio Hondo College, situated in the heart of Whittier, stands out with its higher graduation rate, indicating a strong commitment to student success. While both institutions offer a wide array of programs, San Diego Mesa College excels in the arts, humanities, and social sciences, while Rio Hondo College shines in STEM fields and healthcare. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to delve into further details about these colleges, including student demographics, popular majors, and additional factors that may influence your decision. Discover which college aligns best with your academic goals and personal preferences, setting you on a path toward a fulfilling educational journey.

	Rio Hondo College	San Diego Mesa College
Overview
Location	Whittier, 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
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: $23,609 Out of state: $32,105	In state: $24,286 Out of state: $31,654
Average net price	$7,873	$7,663
Tuition	In state: $1,316 Out of state: $9,812	In state: $1,104 Out of state: $8,472
Room & board
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	82.0% Average amount $4,550	68.0% Average amount $4,763
Students receiving federal student loan	0.0% Average amount $9,404	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	15,593 Men 54.7% Women 45.3%	18,028 Men 43.8% Women 56.2%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	0.4%	0.9%
International students	0.2%	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 Nevada Illinois Delaware Florida	California Washington Arizona Colorado Indiana

Academics
Popular study areas	Liberal Arts Law Enforcement and Firefighting Business Family and Consumer Sciences Social Sciences	Business Liberal Arts Health Professions Social Sciences Multidisciplinary Studies
Students to faculty ratio	26:1	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	24.1%	30.8%
Dropout rate	61.1%	50.7%
Transferred out	9.0%	14.8%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $76,455 Year 2: $74,576 Year 3: $88,475 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $21,234 Year 3: $23,414 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $24,615 Year 3: N/A	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

Rio Hondo College

San Diego Mesa College

Overview

Location

Whittier, California

San Diego, California

Campus setting

Suburb: Large

City: Large

College type

4 year

Control/business model

Public

Calendar system

Semester

Degrees offered

Undergraduate

Students retention rate

Common app member

Religious affiliation

Admission

Acceptance rate

Open Admission

Application fees

SAT range

N/A

ACT range

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

High school GPA

N/A

Recommendation letters

N/A

High school transcript

N/A

English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)

N/A

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price

In state: $23,609

Out of state: $32,105

In state: $24,286

Out of state: $31,654

Average net price

$7,873

$7,663

Tuition

In state: $1,316

Out of state: $9,812

In state: $1,104

Out of state: $8,472

Room & board

Available payment plans

Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

82.0%

Average amount $4,550

68.0%

Average amount $4,763

Students receiving federal student loan

0.0%

Average amount $9,404

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

15,593

Men 54.7% Women 45.3%

18,028

Men 43.8% Women 56.2%

Graduate students

N/A

Racial/ethnic diversity

Very Low

Moderate

Out-of-state students

0.4%

0.9%

International students

0.2%

0.3%

Campus local/setting

Suburb: Large

City: Large

Dormitory capacity

N/A

First year students are required to live on campus?

N/A

Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from

California Nevada Illinois Delaware Florida

California Washington Arizona Colorado Indiana

Academics

Popular study areas

Liberal Arts
Law Enforcement and Firefighting
Business
Family and Consumer Sciences
Social Sciences

Business
Liberal Arts
Health Professions
Social Sciences
Multidisciplinary Studies

Students to faculty ratio

26:1

24:1

Institutional accreditation

Western Association of Schools and Colleges Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges

Outcome

Graduation rate

24.1%

30.8%

Dropout rate

61.1%

50.7%

Transferred out

9.0%

14.8%

Alumni salary by major (Top 10)

Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees)

Year 1: $76,455
Year 2: $74,576
Year 3: $88,475

Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Associate's Degrees)

Year 1: N/A
Year 2: $21,234
Year 3: $23,414

Criminal Justice and Corrections (Associate's Degrees)

Year 1: N/A
Year 2: $24,615
Year 3: N/A

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

Mesa College vs Rio Hondo

Rio Hondo College

San Diego Mesa College

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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