College of
the Desert
Public Community College in Palm Desert, CA. Six-year graduation rate 31%. Median 10-year earnings $39,020.
Median earnings ten years after entry come to $39,020, below what most undergraduate institutions return — the central fact to weigh against cost here. The six-year graduation rate is 31% — low enough that finishing cannot be treated as the default outcome. Mobility is where this school separates itself: 3.2% of students move from the bottom income quintile to the top.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
- ! Graduation rate 31% — below national average
Academics
A six-year graduation rate of 31% means finishing is closer to the exception than the rule. Retention of 70% means a meaningful slice of each entering class does not return. Retention runs well ahead of completion, which means students are not leaving immediately; they are leaving somewhere between the second year and the finish line. The part-time picture is harder: 44% return, against 70% full-time. A 26:1 ratio means students need to be deliberate about getting faculty time.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 8,900 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Net price lands at $18,169 a year on average, neither cheap nor punishing. Net price varies modestly by income — $14,872 at $0–30k against $21,969 at $110k+ — so the average is a fair guide for most families. About 73% get grants averaging $5,011, so plan on the possibility of paying closer to full price. Federal borrowing is uncommon here at 1% of students.
Entering first-year students
A different, smaller group than the rates above: full-time students in their first year of college anywhere. The grant series here also excludes the "other sources" counted in the all-undergraduate figure, so the two are not comparable.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · 1,125 students
Net price by family income
The same students as the headline above, limited to those who received Title IV federal aid — a narrower group, with a lower overall average. IPEDS publishes no combined figure across these bands, so they should not be averaged into one.
| Family income band | Average net price |
|---|---|
| $0–30k | $14,872 |
| $30–48k | $15,071 |
| $48–75k | $17,137 |
| $75–110k | $20,621 |
| $110k+ | $21,969 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 108 of these 8,900 students, totalling $846,204 — an average of $7,835 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Riverside County) — budget these against any cost-of-attendance housing estimate.
HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026
Veterans & GI Bill
VA GI Bill Comparison Tool (Veterans Affairs GIDS)