Public · Community college
Palo Verde College
Blythe, California · Distant rural
- 10%
- Transfer rate
- $18,993
- Avg net price
- 31%
- Grad / completion
- $36,389
- Median earnings
Palo Verde College is a public certificate-granting institution in Blythe, California (distant rural setting), enrolling 3,381 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). Admission is open to all applicants.
About Blythe, California
Blythe is a city in eastern Riverside County, California, United States. Blythe was named after Thomas Henry Blythe, a San Francisco businessman and entrepreneur. Blythe established primary water rights to the Colorado River in the southwestern California region in 1877. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Distant rural
- Highest degree offered
- Associate
- Nearest big city
- 149 miles to Phoenix, AZ
- To the ocean
- 119 miles
- Nearest airport
- 65 miles to Lake Havasu City (HII)
How Palo Verde College compares
Higher than 13% · #355 of 382 in California
Higher than 12%
Higher than 54% · #195 of 326 in California
Cheaper than 36% · #192 cheapest of 377 in California
Lower than 21%
Larger than 87%
Percentiles compare Palo Verde 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
- Women2,30268%
- Men1,07932%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White25%
- Black12%
- Hispanic48%
- Asian3.9%
- Other or multiracial11%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 3,381
- Student–faculty ratio
- 22 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 12%
- First-generation students
- 64%
- Students over 25
- 82%
- Median family income
- $14,998
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $100,143
- Endowment
- $1,935,565
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $1,288
- Out-of-state tuition
- $12,880
- Room & board
- —
- Books & supplies
- $2,178
- Total cost of attendance
- $25,212
- Average net price
- $18,993
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
- 52%
- Transferred to another college
- 10%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $30,602
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $36,389
- Median debt at graduation
- —
- Students with federal loans
- 0%
Campus life & athletics
- On-campus housing
- No
- Application fee
- Free
- Athletics
- CCCAA
- Varsity athletes
- 21 (13 men · 8 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 (1)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- A
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 0.0 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 0
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 0
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 2 campuses (3,833 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.
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?
Palo Verde 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.
Is it worth it?
A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.
- Median earnings (10 years)
- $36,389
- Typical debt at graduation
- —
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- —
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 32%
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 $14,767 (48%) 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
- 110°F
- Winter low
- 38°F
- Annual rain
- 3.6″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Blythe, CA US station (4.6 mi from campus).
What Palo Verde 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 Palo Verde College
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Palo Verde College side by side →
Cerro Coso Community College
Ridgecrest, California · Fringe rural · 77 mi to Bakersfield
- Students
- 3,171
- Tuition
- $1k
- Transfer
- 13%
- Earnings
- $35k
Laney College
Oakland, California · Large city · 9 mi to San Francisco
- Students
- 6,842
- Tuition
- $1k
- Transfer
- 17%
- Earnings
- $37k
Barstow Community College
Barstow, California · Distant town · 65 mi to Riverside
- Students
- 2,657
- Tuition
- $1k
- Transfer
- 8%
- Earnings
- $35k
Porterville College
Porterville, California · Small suburb · 47 mi to Bakersfield
- Students
- 2,834
- Tuition
- $1k
- Transfer
- 7%
- Earnings
- $36k
Compton College
Compton, California · Large suburb · 12 mi to Los Angeles
- Students
- 3,142
- Tuition
- $1k
- Transfer
- 10%
- Earnings
- $34k
Lassen Community College
Susanville, California · Remote town · 76 mi to Reno
- Students
- 1,741
- Tuition
- $1k
- Transfer
- 14%
- Earnings
- $36k
Colleges near Palo Verde College
Charles of Italy Beauty College
Lake Havasu City, AZ · Private for-profit · Certificate · 76 students
Arizona Western College
Yuma, AZ · Public · Certificate · 6,374 students
Imperial Valley College
Imperial, CA · Public · Associate · 7,652 students
CET-El Centro
El Centro, CA · Private nonprofit · Certificate · 130 students
CET-Coachella
Coachella, CA · Private nonprofit · Certificate · 96 students
MJ Barber & Beauty Academy
La Quinta, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 66 students
Copper Mountain Community College
Joshua Tree, CA · Public · Associate · 1,323 students
California Indian Nations College
Palm Desert, CA · Public · Associate · 142 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.