1. Home
  2. California
  3. College of the Desert

College of the Desert

College of the Desert is a Public, 2-4 years school located in Palm Desert, CA. The 2023 average tuition & fees is $9,138 over its programs in average.
The school has a total enrollment of 10,382 and it offers 46 programs. By program type, it has 29 1-year certificate, 17 2-years certificate, and 72 associate programs.
Last year, a total of 1,712 students completed and earned certificate or associate degree at College of the Desert.
typing

2023 Tuition & Fees, Living Costs

The average undergraduate tuition & fees at College of the Desert is $9,138 for academic year 2022-2023. The amount is the average costs over all degree programs and the vocational program tuition may be lower than the average cost.
College of the Desert offers the alternative tuition plans .
78% of enrolled students have received grants and/or scholarships and the average amount of received financial aid is $4,093 (exclude student loans).
C of the Desert 2023 Tuition & Fees, Living Costs
Tuition & Fees$9,138
Average Financial Amount$4,093

Offered Career / Vocational Programs and Completers

College of the Desert offers 46 vocational programs for Less than 1-Year Certificate and 1-2 Years Certificate programs. The following table lists number of programs by offered type and online availability along with number of completers.
Last year, 1,712 students have completed their career programs.
Offered Career Programs at College of the Desert
Award LevelTotal Number of ProgramsAvailable Online ClassNumber of Completers
Less than 1 Year Certificate290187
2 Years Certificate170108
Total4601,712

Programs by Award Level

The following table summarizes the number of completers by program and award level.
  • 187 students have earned/completed Less than 1 Year Certificate program.
  • 108 students have earned/completed 1-2 Years Certificate program.
  • 1,417 students have earned/completed Associate's program.
Less than 1 Year Certificate Programs and Number of Completers
ProgramAvailable OnlineNumber of CompletersAverage Earning after graduation
Agriculture [+] ✕ 11 completers-
Crop Production✕2-
Applied Horticulture/Horticulture Operations✕8-
Turf and Turfgrass Management✕1-
Natural Resources and Conservation [+] ✕ 2 completers-
Natural Resources/Conservation✕2-
Communication and Journalism [+] ✕ 1 completers-
Radio and Television✕1-
Communications Technologies [+] ✕ 3 completers-
Photographic and Film/Video Technology/Technician and Assistant✕1-
Recording Arts Technology/Technician✕2-
Computer and Information Sciences [+] ✕ 4 completers-
Computer Graphics✕4-
Personal and Culinary Services [+] ✕ 6 completers-
Cooking and Related Culinary Arts✕6-
Engineering Technology [+] ✕ 36 completers-
Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering Technology/Technician✕36$24,500
Work and Family Studies [+] ✕ 59 completers-
Child Care and Support Services Management✕0-
Child Care Provider/Assistant✕59-
Parks, Recreation, Leisure, and Fitness Studies [+] ✕ 3 completers-
Physical Fitness Technician✕3-
Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, and Firefighting [+] ✕ 15 completers-
Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement Administration✕8-
Criminal Justice/Police Science✕0-
Fire Prevention and Safety Technology/Technician✕7-
Fire Science/Fire-fighting✕0-
Construction Trades [+] ✕ 10 completers-
Building/Home/Construction Inspection/Inspector✕9-
Building/Construction Site Management/Manager✕1-
Mechanics and Repairers [+] ✕ 2 completers-
Automobile/Automotive Mechanics Technology/Technician✕2-
Visual and Performing Arts [+] ✕ 6 completers-
Cinematography and Film/Video Production✕3-
Music✕3-
Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences [+] ✕ 2 completers-
Emergency Medical Technology/Technician (EMT Paramedic)✕2-
Business [+] ✕ 27 completers-
Business/Commerce✕5-
Office Management and Supervision✕5-
Retail Management✕1-
Administrative Assistant and Secretarial Science✕14-
Hospitality Administration/Management✕1-
Sales, Distribution, and Marketing Operations✕1-
Total187
1-2 Years Certificate Programs and Number of Completers
ProgramAvailable OnlineNumber of CompletersAverage Earning after graduation
Agriculture [+] ✕ 3 completers-
Applied Horticulture/Horticulture Operations✕1-
Turf and Turfgrass Management✕2-
Architecture [+] ✕ 0 completers-
Architectural Technology/Technician✕0-
Computer and Information Sciences [+] ✕ 3 completers-
Information Technology✕3-
Personal and Culinary Services [+] ✕ 2 completers-
Cooking and Related Culinary Arts✕2-
Engineering Technology [+] ✕ 1 completers-
Drafting and Design Technology/Technician✕1-
Work and Family Studies [+] ✕ 40 completers-
Child Care and Support Services Management✕11-
Child Care Provider/Assistant✕29-
Liberal Arts and Sciences, Humanities [+] ✕ 13 completers$15,200
Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies✕13$15,200
Construction Trades [+] ✕ 0 completers-
Building/Construction Site Management/Manager✕0-
Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences [+] ✕ 32 completers-
Substance Abuse/Addiction Counseling✕7-
Licensed Practical/Vocational Nurse Training✕25-
Business [+] ✕ 14 completers-
Office Management and Supervision✕0-
Retail Management✕0-
Accounting Technology/Technician and Bookkeeping✕11-
Administrative Assistant and Secretarial Science✕3-
Resort Management✕0-
Total108
Associate's Programs and Number of Completers
ProgramAvailable OnlineNumber of CompletersAverage Earning after graduation
Agriculture [+] ✕ 19 completers-
Agribusiness/Agricultural Business Operations✕1-
Crop Production✕8-
Applied Horticulture/Horticulture Operations✕6-
Turf and Turfgrass Management✕4-
Natural Resources and Conservation [+] ✕ 6 completers-
Natural Resources/Conservation✕5-
Environmental Studies✕1-
Environmental Science✕0-
Architecture [+] ✕ 5 completers-
Architectural Technology/Technician✕5-
Area, Ethnic, Cultural, Gender, and Group Studies [+] ✕ 1 completers-
Area Studies (other)✕1-
Communication and Journalism [+] ✕ 55 completers-
Speech Communication and Rhetoric✕34-
Mass Communication/Media Studies✕0-
Journalism✕6-
Radio and Television✕15-
Computer and Information Sciences [+] ✕ 26 completers-
Information Technology✕8-
Computer Science✕4-
Computer Graphics✕7-
Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications✕7-
Personal and Culinary Services [+] ✕ 14 completers-
Cooking and Related Culinary Arts✕14-
Education [+] ✕ 7 completers-
Education/Teaching of Individuals in Early Childhood Special Education Programs✕7-
Engineering Technology [+] ✕ 5 completers-
Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering Technology/Technician✕5-
Drafting and Design Technology/Technician✕0-
Energy Management and Systems Technology/Technician✕0-
Foreign Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics [+] ✕ 7 completers-
Spanish Language and Literature✕7-
Work and Family Studies [+] ✕ 67 completers-
Child Care and Support Services Management✕0-
Child Care Provider/Assistant✕67-
English Language and Literature [+] ✕ 35 completers-
English Language and Literature✕35-
Creative Writing✕0-
Liberal Arts and Sciences, Humanities [+] ✕ 212 completers-
Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies✕10-
Humanities/Humanistic Studies✕202-
Biological and Biomedical Sciences [+] ✕ 11 completers-
Biology/Biological Sciences✕11-
Mathematics and Statistics [+] ✕ 19 completers-
Mathematics✕19-
Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies [+] ✕ 48 completers-
Biological and Physical Sciences✕34-
Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies (other)✕14-
Parks, Recreation, Leisure, and Fitness Studies [+] ✕ 44 completers-
Parks, Recreation and Leisure Studies✕0-
Health and Physical Education/Fitness✕0-
Kinesiology and Exercise Science✕44-
Philosophy and Religious Studies [+] ✕ 5 completers-
Philosophy✕5-
Physical Sciences [+] ✕ 13 completers-
Chemistry✕7-
Geology/Earth Science✕1-
Physics✕5-
Psychology [+] ✕ 194 completers-
Psychology✕194-
Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, and Firefighting [+] ✕ 92 completers-
Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement Administration✕86-
Criminal Justice/Police Science✕1-
Fire Prevention and Safety Technology/Technician✕5-
Social Sciences [+] ✕ 92 completers-
Social Sciences✕1-
Anthropology✕10-
Economics✕6-
Geography✕1-
Political Science and Government✕19-
Sociology✕55-
Construction Trades [+] ✕ 3 completers-
Building/Construction Site Management/Manager✕3-
Mechanics and Repairers [+] ✕ 6 completers-
Automobile/Automotive Mechanics Technology/Technician✕6-
Alternative Fuel Vehicle Technology/Technician✕0-
Visual and Performing Arts [+] ✕ 44 completers-
Visual and Performing Arts✕6-
Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts✕7-
Art/Art Studies✕22-
Music✕9-
Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences [+] ✕ 68 completers-
Athletic Training/Trainer✕2-
Health/Medical Preparatory Programs (other)✕0-
Substance Abuse/Addiction Counseling✕10-
Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse✕40-
Licensed Practical/Vocational Nurse Training✕16-
Business [+] ✕ 193 completers-
Business/Commerce✕5-
Business Administration and Management✕159-
Office Management and Supervision✕0-
Accounting Technology/Technician and Bookkeeping✕13-
Administrative Assistant and Secretarial Science✕3-
Hospitality Administration/Management✕13-
Resort Management✕0-
History [+] ✕ 35 completers-
History✕35-
Total1,417

Admission, Enrollment, and Graduation

Total 10,382 students are attending at College of the Desert. There are 155 full-time faculty (instructional/teaching staffs) and 297 part-time faculty teaching for the school.
The students to faculty ratio is 26 to 1 (3.85%). The number of non-teaching staffs is 453 (full-time) and 356 (part-time).
The graduation rate of College of the Desert is 29% and transfer-out rate is 5%. The retention rate is 67% at the school.
C of the Desert 2023 Key Statistics
Student Population10,382
Graduation Rate29%
Number of Faculty452
Student to Faculty Ratio26 to 1

Student Population at C of the Desert

For the academic year 2021-2022, total 10,229 students enrolled into College of the Desert. By gender, 4,205 male and 6,024 female students are attending the school.
The following table summarizes the student population by gender and attending status for College of the Desert.
Student Population By Gender
College of the Desert
TotalMaleFemale
Total10,2294,2056,024
Full-time3,7271,5672,160
Part-tme6,5022,6383,864
There are 1,594 White (15.58%), 242 Black/African American (2.37%), 7,561 Hispanic (73.92%), 310 Asian (3.03%), and 8,077 students with other races attending College of the Desert. 63 students are enrolled with non-resident alien status.
Student Population By Race/ethnicity at College of the Desert
TotalMaleFemale
Total10,2294,2056,024
American Indian/Native American27918
Asian310149161
Black/African American242108134
Hispanic7,5612,9384,623
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander660
White1,594756838
Two More311143168
Un-Known1156055
Non-resident Alien633627
College of the Desert offers the distance learning opportunities (online classes) for career programs.
7,621 students (74.50% of total students) are enrolled online exclusively and 1,344 students (13.14% of total students) are enrolled some online courses. The following table summarizes the online student population for College of the Desert.
Distance Learning Student Population at College of the Desert
Number of Students
Total10,229
Enrolled Online Exclusively7,621
Enrolled Some Online Courses1,344
Not in Online Courses1,264
By age range, at College of the Desert, 2,900 students are aged 20 to 24 (28.35% of total students), 4,014 students are aged below 20 (39.24%), 329 students are aged above 50 (5.30%).
Graduate Student Population By Age at College of the Desert
TotalMaleFemale
Total10,2294,2056,024
Under 181,155528627
Age 18-192,8591,3131,546
Age 20-211,698747951
Age 22-241,202501701
Age 25-291,218432786
Age 30-34791259532
Age 35-39474152322
Age 40-49503155348
Age 50-6427196175
Over 64582236

Directory and Accreditation Information

College of the Desert is accredited by Western Association of Schools and Colleges, Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (1/1/1963 - Current).
The following list shows the contact and directory information of College of the Desert.
43-500 Monterey Ave, Palm Desert, CA
760-346-8041
School Website
Admission Page
Financial Aid Information

Similar Schools to College of the Desert

Below schools are offering similar vocational programs that College of the Desert has. Compare those schools to with tuition, financial aid, offered vocational programs, and online availability.
See More Schools
Los Angeles, CA
Los Angeles Trade Technical College
Offering 61 vocational programs to and its average tuition & fees is $9,870
Santa Maria, CA
Allan Hancock College
Offering 65 vocational programs to and its average tuition & fees is $8,994
Irvine, CA
Irvine Valley College
Offering 40 vocational programs to and its average tuition & fees is $9,814
Merced, CA
Merced College
Offering 55 vocational programs to and its average tuition & fees is $7,890
Ventura, CA
Ventura College
Offering 43 vocational programs to and its average tuition & fees is $8,146
Glendale, CA
Glendale Community College
Offering 76 vocational programs to and its average tuition & fees is $8,438
Huntington Beach, CA
Golden West College
Offering 31 vocational programs to and its average tuition & fees is $9,854
Hayward, CA
Chabot College
Offering 41 vocational programs to and its average tuition & fees is $8,158
San Bernardino, CA
San Bernardino Valley College
Offering 62 vocational programs to and its average tuition & fees is $5,057
Glendora, CA
Citrus College
Offering 40 vocational programs to and its average tuition & fees is $9,310
See More Schools