by our College Data Analytics TeamThis overview covers the essential stats on College of the Desert, including its rankings, majors, diversity, and more.
College Factual analyzes over 2,000 colleges and universities in its annual rankings and ranks them in a variety of ways, including most diverse, best overall quality, best for non-traditional students, and much more.
College of the Desert was awarded 12 badges in the 2026 rankings.
Desert Community College District is ranked #1,843 out of 3,449 schools in the nation for overall quality on College Factual’s 2026 Best Colleges list.
Within the state, Desert Community College District holds the #193 spot on the Best Colleges in California ranking.
At College of the Desert, the student to faculty ratio is 26 to 1. Compared to the national average of 15 to 1, this is somewhat high. This could mean that class sizes may be larger than they are at other colleges or universities or that professors may be required to teach more classes.
When estimating how much access students will have to their teachers, some people like to look at what percentage of faculty members are full time. This is because part-time teachers may not have as much time to spend on campus as their full-time counterparts.
The full-time faculty percentage at College of the Desert is 25%. This is lower than the national average of 47%.
The freshmen retention rate tells us what percentage of first-year, full-time students choose to continue on to their sophomore year at a particular school. The rate at College of the Desert is 67%, which is about average when compared to the national rate of 68%.
When it comes to finishing their studies on time, those seeking a bachelor’s degree from Desert Community College District have a four-year graduation rate of 29%. This is comparable to the national average of 33.3%.
Find out more about the retention and graduation rates at College of the Desert.
The current enrollment includes 8,900 undergraduates at Desert Community College District.
Get more detailed information on the diversity at College of the Desert.
The typical net cost at Desert Community College District is $16,772. The affordability of the school largely depends on your financial need since net price varies by income group. See the table below for the net price for different income groups.### Net Price by Income Group for Desert Community College District
| $0-30 K | $30K-48K | $48-75 | $75-110K | $110K + |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $10,791 | $11,894 | $13,598 | $16,462 | $18,265 |
The net price is calculated by adding tuition, room, board and other costs and subtracting financial aid. Note that the net price is typically less than the published price for a school. For more information on the sticker price of Desert Community College District, see our tuition and fees and room and board pages.
While almost two-thirds of students nationwide take out loans to pay for college, the percentage may be quite different for the school you plan on attending. At Desert Community College District, approximately 1% of students took out student loans averaging $7,763 a year. That adds up to $31,052 over four years for those students. The student loan default rate is 14.1%. This is higher than the national default rate of 10.1% so you should proceed with caution when taking out student loans. Get more details about paying for College of the Desert.
Although some majors pay more than others, students who graduate from College of the Desert with a bachelor’s degree go on to jobs where they make an average salary of $39,020 in their early years. Unfortunately, this is 21% less than the average college graduate’s salary of $49,219 per year. However, graduates in your major field may make more.
See which majors at College of the Desert make the most money.
College of the Desert is a public institution located in Palm Desert, California. The location of the school is great for students who enjoy the amenities of city life. Get more details about the location of College of the Desert.
Get in touch with College of the Desert are listed below.
| Contact Details | |
|---|---|
| Address: | 43-500 Monterey Ave, Palm Desert, CA 92260 |
| Phone: | 7603468041 |
| Website: | collegeofthedesert.edu |
During the most recent year for which we have data, students from 33 majors graduated from College of the Desert. The following table lists the most popular undergraduate majors along with the average salary graduates from those majors make.
| Most Popular Majors | Completions | Average Salary of Graduates |
|---|---|---|
| Multi-Disciplinary Studies | 4,237 | NA |
| Liberal Arts General Studies | 1,239 | $22,277 |
| Child Development & Family Studies | 414 | NA |
| Teacher Education Grade Specific | 395 | NA |
| Environmental Control Technology | 281 | NA |
| Business Administration & Management | 179 | $22,771 |
| General Psychology | 140 | $16,835 |
| Health Sciences & Services | 129 | NA |
| Health/Medical Prep Programs | 125 | NA |
| Criminal Justice & Corrections | 117 | $20,301 |
Online learning options are becoming more and more popular at American colleges and universities. Online classes are great for students who have busy schedules or for those who just want to study on their own time.
8,138 students took at least one online class at College of the Desert.
Footnotes
*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.