Southwestern College vs Rio Salado

Southwestern College and Rio Salado College, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences tailored to diverse student aspirations. Southwestern College, nestled in the heart of Chula Vista, California, boasts a higher acceptance rate, welcoming a broader range of students into its academic fold. Rio Salado College, based in Tempe, Arizona, shines with its focus on online learning, providing flexibility and accessibility to students seeking a nontraditional educational path. While Southwestern College excels in programs like Liberal Arts and Humanities, Rio Salado College stands out in fields such as Business and Public Administration. Explore the detailed comparison table below to delve into further distinctions between these two colleges, encompassing acceptance rates, popular majors, student demographics, and graduation outcomes, empowering you to make an informed decision that aligns with your unique academic goals and preferences.

	Rio Salado College	Southwestern College
Overview
Location	Tempe, Arizona	Chula Vista, California
Campus setting	City: Midsize	City: Large
College type	2 year	2 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	37.0%	70.0%
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: $14,542 Out of state: $20,326	In state: $29,143 Out of state: $37,235
Average net price	$9,426	$6,789
Tuition	In state: $2,040 Out of state: $7,824	In state: $1,288 Out of state: $9,380
Room & board
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	71.0% Average amount $5,379	85.0% Average amount $5,823
Students receiving federal student loan	26.0% Average amount $4,710	0.0% Average amount $3,000
Students taking out private loans	0.0% Average amount $0	0.0% Average amount $0

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	15,682 Men 40.6% Women 59.4%	15,985 Men 43.8% Women 56.2%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	12.0%	9.9%
International students	0.2%	0.1%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	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	Arizona California Texas Louisiana Alabama	California

Academics
Popular study areas	Law Enforcement and Firefighting Business Liberal Arts Visual & Performing Arts Computer and Information Science	Health Professions Business Law Enforcement and Firefighting Psychology Liberal Arts
Students to faculty ratio	25:1	22:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	8.5%	31.9%
Dropout rate	64.9%	40.5%
Transferred out	20.2%	9.7%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	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	Criminal Justice and Corrections (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $30,359 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A

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Southwestern College vs Rio Salado

Rio Salado College

Southwestern College

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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