College of the Desert vs. Merced College

Should I go to College of the Desert or Merced College? Compare 50+ facts and figures about the colleges to help you determine if College of the Desert or Merced College is the better college for you. The CollegeSimply comparison tool allows side-by-side comparison of 50+ statistics and facts for over 2,500 colleges and universities.
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College of the Desert vs. Merced College comparison
College of the Desert Merced College College 3 College 4
College of the Desert
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Overview

 College of the Desert Merced College
Location Palm Desert, CA Merced, CA
Setting Small City Rural Fringe
Enrollment 10,382 10,214
Type Public 2 Year Public 2 Year
National Ranking
Religious Affiliation - - - -
Status Non-profit Non-profit
Website collegeofthedesert.edu mccd.edu
Team Colors                    

Costs

 College of the Desert Merced College
Tuition (In State) $1,288 $1,104
Tuition (Out of State) $9,100 $7,800
Room & Board $17,784 $17,784
Avg Net Price $13,704 $6,934
Avg Grant Aid $6,758 $7,004
% Receiving Grant Aid 85% 95%

Admission

 College of the Desert Merced College
Admission Chances Calculate Calculate
Applied - -
Admitted - -
Acceptance Rate Open Open
Enrolled % Open Open
Avg High School GPA - -
Typical High School Grades - -
Admissions Standards Unavailable Unavailable
Applicant Competition
ACT Range
SAT Range
Submit Test Scores
Application Deadline

Academics

 College of the Desert Merced College
Student to Faculty Ratio 26:1 25:1
Popular Majors
  • Liberal Arts and Humanities (26%)
  • Health Professions (18%)
  • Business (10%)
  • General Studies (5%)
  • Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting (5%)
  • Health Professions (23%)
  • Liberal Arts and Humanities (15%)
  • Business (13%)
  • Social Sciences (10%)
  • Psychology (8%)

Outcomes

 College of the Desert Merced College
Graduation Rate - -
Median Earnings (After 10 years) $35,100 $30,300
Making Student Loan Payments 35% -
Median Student Loan Debt $5,338 N/A
Median Loan Payment $55 N/A

Diversity

 College of the Desert Merced College
% Men 42% 40%
% Women 58% 60%
Racial Diversity Medium High
HBCU No No
% White 20% 22%
% Black 3% 3%
% Hispanic 68% 59%
% Native American 0% 0%
% Pacific Islander 0% 0%
% Two or More Races 3% 3%
% International 2% 1%
% Unknown Race 1% 1%

Students

 College of the Desert Merced College
% In-State 95% 96%
% Out-of-State 2% 0%

Campus

 College of the Desert Merced College
Campus Housing No No
Freshman Dorm Required No No
Meal Plan No No
Weekend/Evening Classes Yes Yes
Daycare Facility Yes Yes
Learn More Details Details

Comparable Facts

  • College of the Desert is larger than than Merced College based on total student enrollment (10,382 students vs. 10,214 students)

College of the Desert vs. Merced College Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, College of the Desert or Merced College?

  • College of the Desert is 16.7% more expensive to attend than Merced College for in-state tuition ($1,288.00 vs. $1,104.00)
  • Out of state tuition is 16.7% higher at College of the Desert than Merced College ($9,100.00 vs. $7,800.00)
  • The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Merced College than College of the Desert ($6,934 vs. $13,704)
  • Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Merced College are 0% lower than costs at College of the Desert ($17,784 vs. $17,784)
  • More students receive financial grant aid at Merced College than College of the Desert (95% vs. 85%)
  • The average total grant financial aid received by Merced College students is 3.6% larger than aid received College of the Desert ($7,004 vs. $6,758)

Which college is harder to get into, College of the Desert or Merced College? Average SAT and ACT scores plus acceptance rates offer good insight into the difficulty of admission between Merced College or College of the Desert .

College of the Desert vs. Merced College Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, College of the Desert or Merced College? Graduation rate, salary and amount of student loan debt are indicators of a college which offers better outcomes for its graduates. Compare the following outcomes facts between Merced College and College of the Desert.

  • Graduates from College of the Desert earn on average $4,800 more per year than Merced College graduates after ten years. ($35,100 vs. $30,300)

Sources: U.S. Department of Education https://nces.ed.gov IPEDS and College Scorecard https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/