Public · Community college
College of the Desert
Palm Desert, California · Small city
- 5%
- Transfer rate
- $15,728
- Avg net price
- 31%
- Grad / completion
- $39,020
- Median earnings
College of the Desert is a public certificate-granting institution in Palm Desert, California (small city setting), enrolling 10,207 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). Admission is open to all applicants.
About Palm Desert, California
Palm Desert is a city in the Coachella Valley region of Riverside County, California. Palm Desert is in the ancestral homeland of two now-extinct Cahuilla tribes - the Las Palmas band and the San Cayetano band - of the Cahuilla people, who are nowadays organized as a division of the Morongo Band of Mission Indians. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Small city
- Highest degree offered
- Associate
- Nearest big city
- 59 miles to Riverside, CA
- To the ocean
- 68 miles
- Nearest airport
- 10 miles to Palm Springs (PSP) · major hub
How College of the Desert compares
Higher than 14% · #352 of 382 in California
Higher than 43%
Higher than 65% · #156 of 326 in California
Cheaper than 48% · #153 cheapest of 377 in California
Lower than 9%
Larger than 96%
Percentiles compare College of the Desert with the nation's 3,519 two-year and certificate schools, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count two-year and certificate schools in California.
Student body
Undergraduates by gender
- Women5,70956%
- Men4,49844%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White15%
- Black2.5%
- Hispanic74%
- Asian2.7%
- Other or multiracial6.6%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 10,207
- Student–faculty ratio
- 26 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 38%
- First-generation students
- 62%
- Students over 25
- 29%
- Median family income
- $19,994
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $115,938
- Endowment
- $51,195,398
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Where students come from
Home state of the 2,089 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From California96%
- Other U.S. states2.2%
- International2.1%
Most first-years stay in state — College of the Desert draws overwhelmingly from California.
2% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $1,326
- Out-of-state tuition
- $10,174
- Room & board
- —
- Books & supplies
- $1,062
- Total cost of attendance
- $24,607
- Average net price
- $15,728
Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.
Outcomes
- Graduated
- 31%
- First-year retention
- 70%
- Transferred to another college
- 5%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $31,085
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $39,020
- Median debt at graduation
- —
- Students with federal loans
- 1%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 28%
Graduating on time
By student background (4 years)
When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.
Campus life & athletics
- On-campus housing
- No
- Application fee
- Free
- Athletics
- CCCAA
- Varsity athletes
- 251 (160 men · 91 women)
Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.
Varsity sports (10)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- A
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 0.3 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 5
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 5
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 5 campuses (12,861 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.
Reported offenses in an average year
The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.
By offense type, per year
Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.
What you'll actually pay, by family income
Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.
College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.
Does the school pay you to attend?
Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.
Modest institutional aid: 43% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $548. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.
Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 1,173 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.
Is it worth it?
A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.
- Median earnings (10 years)
- $39,020
- Typical debt at graduation
- —
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- —
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 44%
The payoff is less clear-cut here — weigh the debt against the earnings and your intended field before borrowing heavily.
Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.
The pay gap here
Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.
Men out-earn women by $8,859 (25%) a decade out.
Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.
Campus climate
- Summer high
- 109°F
- Winter low
- 46°F
- Annual rain
- 4.6″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Palm Springs Rgnl AP, CA US station (9.4 mi from campus).
What College of the Desert graduates study — and earn
Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.
Colleges similar to College of the Desert
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare College of the Desert side by side →
San Bernardino Valley College
San Bernardino, California · Midsize city · 8 mi to Riverside
- Students
- 12,234
- Tuition
- $1k
- Transfer
- 8%
- Earnings
- $40k
Los Angeles Mission College
Sylmar, California · Large city · 21 mi to Los Angeles
- Students
- 7,999
- Tuition
- $1k
- Transfer
- 8%
- Earnings
- $40k
Laney College
Oakland, California · Large city · 9 mi to San Francisco
- Students
- 6,842
- Tuition
- $1k
- Transfer
- 17%
- Earnings
- $37k
Los Angeles Harbor College
Wilmington, California · Large city · 19 mi to Los Angeles
- Students
- 6,694
- Tuition
- $1k
- Transfer
- 9%
- Earnings
- $41k
Bakersfield College
Bakersfield, California · Large city · 4 mi to Bakersfield
- Students
- 17,280
- Tuition
- $1k
- Transfer
- 8%
- Earnings
- $37k
Los Angeles Valley College
Valley Glen, California · Large city · 13 mi to Los Angeles
- Students
- 12,601
- Tuition
- $1k
- Transfer
- 9%
- Earnings
- $43k
Colleges near College of the Desert
Elite Cosmetology School
PALM DESERT, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 115 students
International School of Beauty Inc
Palm Desert, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 132 students
California Indian Nations College
Palm Desert, CA · Public · Associate · 142 students
Milan Institute-Palm Desert
Palm Desert, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 356 students
San Joaquin Valley College-Rancho Mirage
Rancho Mirage, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 305 students
California Nurses Educational Institute
Rancho Mirage, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 200 students
Mayfield College
Cathedral City, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 292 students
MJ Barber & Beauty Academy
La Quinta, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 66 students
Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.