Private for-profit · Community college
High Desert Medical College
Lancaster, California · Large suburb
- 0%
- Transfer rate
- $29,627
- Avg net price
- 68%
- Grad / completion
- —
- Median earnings
High Desert Medical College is a private for-profit certificate-granting institution in Lancaster, California (large suburb setting), enrolling 2,245 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.
About Lancaster, California
Lancaster is a charter city in northern Los Angeles County, in the Antelope Valley of the western Mojave Desert in Southern California, United States. Antelope Valley, the area where Lancaster is now located, was home to the Paiute tribe at the time of first contact with Europeans. Originally founded as the Lancaster Museum/Art Gallery in 1986, the MOAH operates four sites within the city, serving the Antelope Valley, Los Angeles County, and parts of Kern and San Bernardino Counties. The museum contains over 10,000 art pieces about Southern California. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Large suburb
- Highest degree offered
- Associate
- Nearest big city
- 43 miles to Los Angeles, CA
- To the ocean
- 50 miles
- Nearest airport
- 35 miles to Hollywood Burbank/Bob Hope (BUR) · major hub
How High Desert Medical College compares
Higher than 59% · #180 of 382 in California
Higher than 62%
Cheaper than 9% · #316 cheapest of 377 in California
Lower than 19%
Lower than 5%
Larger than 83%
Percentiles compare High Desert Medical College 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
- Women2,04991%
- Men1969%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White14%
- Black13%
- Hispanic62%
- Asian4.2%
- Other or multiracial7.3%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 2,245
- Student–faculty ratio
- 30 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 57%
- First-generation students
- 60%
- Students over 25
- 45%
- Median family income
- $13,379
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $67,851
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Cost
- In-state tuition
- —
- Room & board
- —
- Total cost of attendance
- —
- Average net price
- $29,627
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
- 68%
- First-year retention
- 80%
- Transferred to another college
- 0%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $31,486
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- —
- Median debt at graduation
- $13,555
- Students with federal loans
- 59%
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
- $200
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%.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- A
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 0.4 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 0
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 3
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 3 campuses (2,280 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?
High Desert Medical College funds essentially no grants of its own — almost all aid here comes from federal (Pell), state, or outside sources rather than the school's own discount. Its sticker price is what it is.
Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid, 2022–23 full-time first-year undergraduates.
Campus climate
- Summer high
- 98°F
- Winter low
- 32°F
- Annual rain
- 5.9″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Palmdale AP, CA US station (4.7 mi from campus).
What High Desert Medical College 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 High Desert Medical College
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare High Desert Medical College side by side →
San Joaquin Valley College-Visalia
Visalia, California · Midsize city · 36 mi to Fresno
- Students
- 2,207
- Tuition
- —
- Transfer
- 1%
- Earnings
- $38k
American Career College-Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California · Large city · 3 mi to Los Angeles
- Students
- 2,168
- Tuition
- —
- Transfer
- 0%
- Earnings
- $38k
California Institute of Arts & Technology
National City, California · Large suburb · 5 mi to San Diego
- Students
- 2,112
- Tuition
- $22k
- Transfer
- 0%
- Earnings
- —
American Career College-Ontario
Ontario, California · Midsize city · 13 mi to Riverside
- Students
- 2,242
- Tuition
- —
- Transfer
- 0%
- Earnings
- $38k
DeVry University-California
Ontario, California · Midsize city · 14 mi to Riverside
- Students
- 2,378
- Tuition
- $17k
- Transfer
- 26%
- Earnings
- $46k
Smith Chason College
Los Angeles, California · Large city · 3 mi to Los Angeles
- Students
- 2,447
- Tuition
- $19k
- Transfer
- 0%
- Earnings
- $58k
Colleges near High Desert Medical College
Career Care Institute
Lancaster, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 620 students
Lancaster Beauty School
Lancaster, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 150 students
San Joaquin Valley College-Lancaster
Lancaster, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 257 students
Antelope Valley Community College District
Lancaster, CA · Public · Associate · 11,534 students
The Master's University and Seminary
Santa Clarita, CA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,622 students
Los Angeles Mission College
Sylmar, CA · Public · Associate · 7,999 students
College of the Canyons
Santa Clarita, CA · Public · Associate · 15,832 students
California Institute of the Arts
Valencia, CA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 860 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.














