by our College Data Analytics TeamCollege of the Desert is a public institution in Palm Desert, California enrolling 10,207 undergraduates. It has an on-time graduation rate of 31%, near the national average of 33%. College Factual ranks it #1,741 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in its 2027 Best Colleges ranking (top 34%), and its Value for Your Money analysis rates it a Fair Price.
Source: IPEDS 2025; College Scorecard July 2026; College Factual rankings 2027. Data as of: July 2026.
College of the Desert ranks #1,741 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in College Factual’s 2027 Best Colleges ranking, placing it in the top 34%.
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 24 badges in the 2027 rankings.
College Factual ranked Desert Community College District as #1,741 out of 5,159 colleges and universities in the country on its 2027 Best Colleges list.
Desert Community College District is also ranked #192 on the Best Colleges in California list.
See all of the rankings for College of the Desert.
Learn more about College of the Desert admissions.
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 27%. 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 70%, which is about average when compared to the national rate of 68%.
The on-time graduation rate is the percent of first-time, full-time students who get their bachelor’s degree within four years. At Desert Community College District this rate is 31%, which is about average when compared to the national rate of 33.3%.
Find out more about the retention and graduation rates at College of the Desert.
The current enrollment includes 10,207 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 $17,140. 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.
| $0-30 K | $30K-48K | $48-75 | $75-110K | $110K + |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $14,872 | $15,071 | $17,137 | $20,621 | $21,969 |
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 32 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 | 2,900 | NA |
| Liberal Arts General Studies | 1,374 | $22,277 |
| Business Administration & Management | 171 | $22,771 |
| General Psychology | 137 | $16,835 |
| Child Development & Family Studies | 134 | NA |
| Health Sciences & Services | 117 | NA |
| Nursing | 98 | $79,088 |
| Environmental Control Technology | 78 | NA |
| Criminal Justice & Corrections | 62 | $20,301 |
| Sociology | 58 | NA |
8,138 students took at least one online class at College of the Desert.
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.
Learn more about online learning at College of the Desert.
Interested in comparing Desert Community College District? Compare them side by side using College Combat, our free interactive tool that lets you compare colleges on the features that matter most to you.
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.