College of the Desert

Public, 2-4 Years School Located in Palm Desert, CA

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How much is the C of the Desert tuition? For the academic year 2023-2024, C of the Desert's tuition & fees is $1,326 for California residents and $9,586 for out-of-state students.
With indirect costs not billed by school, such as room & boards and personal living expenses, the total cost of attendance for one academic year is $25,122 for California residents and $33,382 for out-of-state students when a student lives off-campus.

C of the Desert Tuition & Expenses

2022-2023 Rate
California Residents Tuition & Fees$1,326
Out-of-State Tuition & Fees$9,586
Books & Supplies Costs$1,152
Off-campus Room & Board$17,784
Off-campus Expenses$4,860
2023-2024 Estimates
California Residents Tuition & Fees$1,326
Out-of-State Tuition & Fees$10,244

Average Tuition By School Type and Comparison

Compared to 2-4 years schools nationwide, C of the Desert' tuition is lower than the average tuition of $12,960. Compared to public, 2-4 years colleges in California, its tuition is lower than the average tuition of $13,259.
In-StateOut-of-State
College of the Desert$1,326$9,586
U.S. 2-4 Years Colleges$18,672
Public Schools$7,199$12,960
Private Schools$20,937
California 2-4 Years Colleges$20,867
Public Schools$4,034$13,259
Private Schools$23,111

Compare Similar School's Tuition

The next table compares the tuition & fees between C of the Desert and similar schools. The similar colleges are selected by school type & level (public, 2-4 years), ranking, and comparison frequency by our users. The comparison is based on 2022-2023 tuition rate.
LocationIn-StateOut-of-State
College of the DesertPalm Desert, CA$1,326$9,586
Cabrillo CollegeAptos, CA$1,270$9,910
Cerritos CollegeNorwalk, CA$1,364$12,004
Chabot CollegeHayward, CA$1,150$8,686
Chaffey CollegeRancho Cucamonga, CA$1,184$11,120
Citrus CollegeGlendora, CA$1,204$9,844
Columbia CollegeSonora, CA$1,547$8,870
Crafton Hills CollegeYucaipa, CA$1,188$12,320
Diablo Valley CollegePleasant Hill, CA$1,312$9,012
El Camino Community College DistrictTorrance, CA$1,144$7,144
Fullerton CollegeFullerton, CA$1,150$9,399

Financial Aid and COA

At College of the Desert, 6,972 students (68%) received grant or scholarship from the federal government, state or local government, the institution, and other sources. The average amount of grant/scholarship received is $5,203.
After receiving financial aid, the cost of attendance (COA) at C of the Desert is $28,179 for students living off-campus.
For beginning students (i.e. first-time freshmen), 939 students received any type of financial aid including grants/scholarship and student loans. The average amount of grant/scholarship for the first-time students is $6,758 and the average amount of student loans is $4,500.
The financial aid data is based on 2021-2022 statistics from IPEDS.
California ResidentsOut-of-State
COA (off-campus)$25,122$33,382
Tuition & Fees$1,326$9,586
Indirect Costs (off-campus)$23,796$23,796
COA (off-campus) after Receiving Aid$19,919$28,179
Average Financial Aid$5,203$5,203
Type of AidNumber Receiving AidPercent Receiving AidAverage Amount of Aid Received
Grant or Scholarship6,97268%$5,203
Pell Grants3,25632%$3,838
Federal Student Loan280%$7,360
Type of AidNumber Receiving AidPercent Receiving AidAverage Amount of Aid Received
Any Financial Aid93986%-
Grants or Scholarships93685%$6,758
Federal Grants82375%$5,651
Pell Grants54850%$5,052
Other Federal Grants80674%$2,336
State/Local Grants85778%$1,774
Institutional Grants50046%$309
Student Loan Aid2-$4,500
Federal Student Loans2-$4,500
Other Student Loans0--
Income LevelNumber of StudentsNumber of Students AwardedAverage Amount Aid Awarded
All level548548$7,500
0-30,000308308$8,167
30,001-48,000143143$7,642
48,001-75,0009090$5,283
75,001-110,00066$3,119
110,001 or more11$7,691

Student Population

College of the Desert has a total of 10,382 students (all undergraduate). By gender, there are 4,205 male students and 6,024 female students attending C of the Desert. The school offers online degree programs and 4,078 students enrolled online exclusively (39.28% of all students).
TotalMaleFemale
Undergraduate10,229 4,2056,024

Directory & Academic Information

Directory Information
Address43-500 Monterey Ave, Palm Desert, CA
Phone760-346-8041
WEBcollegeofthedesert.edu
Degree & Programs
DegreeUndergraduate
Program Offered115 Programs
Academic Stats
Student Population10,382
Graduation Rate27%
Transfer-out Rate5%
Retention Rate64% (Full-time), 41% (Part-time)
Students to Faculty Ratio Rate26 to 1
Faculty & Staffs
Number of Faculties155 (Full-time), 297 (Part-time)
Number of Staffs453 (Full-time), 356 (Part-time)
Average Faculty Salary$99,281
Average Staff Salary$91,737