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College of the Desert

⌖ Palm Desert, CA · 10 reportable field-and-credential outcomes

10-year estimate · Negative payoff

−$270,972 over 10 years

Modeled from observed year-5 institution earnings and the institution-wide average net price over four years.

With these assumptions, the added earnings do not recover the cost within ten years.

—Modeled economic break-even

−112%Modeled 10-year ROI

$42,194Observed earnings · year 5

Not reachedMaximum annual price for positive 10-year payoff

Includes direct price and earnings forgone while studying. Assumes $45,000 in alternative annual earnings and no wage growth. How we calculate it

ECONOMIC INVESTMENT → PAYBACK

Estimated payoff over ten years.

The scenario counts direct price and earnings forgone upfront, then applies the reported annual earnings premium.

10-YEAR PAYOFF CURVECumulative economic payoff after graduation

−$270,972at year 10

Net gainInvestment not yet recovered

NET GAIN$0UNRECOVERED

−$242,9120

−$270,97210

FEDERAL COST DATA

Four ways to read college price.

Annual college-wide figures from the current College Scorecard release. Average net price covers full-time, first-time undergraduates receiving federal aid; public-college figures use in-state students. Program tuition and individual aid offers may differ.

Published in-state tuition$1,326

Sticker price

Published out-of-state tuition$10,174

Sticker price

Average net price$15,728

Title IV student average

Cost of attendance$24,607

Tuition + living budget

COLLEGE AT A GLANCE

Institution details

Current federal characteristics describing the college—not the outcomes of a specific program.

Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges
Main award level: Certificates
Campus setting: City
Admissions: Open admission
Delivery: Campus or mixed delivery
Federal designation: No special designation reported

Sources: College Scorecard June 2026 release and IPEDS 2024 institutional characteristics.

OBSERVED FEDERAL MEASURES

Cost, debt, completion and earnings context

$15,728Average net price / year

$24,607Cost of attendance

Not availableMedian federal student debt · completer borrowers

Not availablePublished 10-year payment estimate

$42,194Median earnings · year 5 after completion

31.1%Completion rate

Not availableAdmission rate

10,207Student size

Institution debt covers federal student-loan borrowers who completed. Parent PLUS and private loans are excluded; missing and privacy-suppressed values remain unavailable.

PRICE BY FAMILY INCOME

Average net price is not one price

Federal averages for aided students in each family-income band. Your aid offer can differ.

$0–30k$14,872

$30–48k$15,071

$48–75k$17,137

$75–110k$20,621

$110k+$21,969

LONGER-TERM CONTEXT

What happens beyond the first earnings measure

Year 5$42,194

Year 6$31,085

Year 10$39,020

Full-time retention: 69.7%
Part-time retention: 43.6%
Completion within 200% of normal time: 34.6%

Earnings timepoints may use different historical cohorts and should not be read as one group’s guaranteed salary growth.

NATIONAL CONTEXT

How this college compares

Percentiles compare this institution with currently operating colleges that report the same federal measure.

43thEarnings percentile

13thCompletion percentile

WHAT STANDS OUT

A faster read on this college

These summaries use only reportable field-and-credential records at this institution. They do not fill privacy-suppressed outcomes.

$45,349Median year-4 earnings across reportable program categories

$5,500Median federal debt across categories that report debt

60%Of earnings-reporting categories above their same-field national benchmark

EARNINGS PATH

Reported earnings over time

$32,557Year 1

$44,605Year 4

$42,194Year 5

Separate federal cohorts may underlie different measurement years.

PROGRAM PAYOFF SPREAD

The college average is not the whole story.

Observed earnings vary substantially by field and credential at the same institution.

Observed year-4 earnings · compare like fields and credentials before deciding

Strongest relative outcomes

Programs that stand out against the same-degree benchmark

This view rewards performance relative to the same field and credential—not simply majors that pay more everywhere.

1Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingAssociate's Degree · $106,782 reported+32%vs same-degree national median$13,806federal debt 2HistoryAssociate's Degree · $49,234 reported+26%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt 3Biological and Physical SciencesAssociate's Degree · $59,719 reported+19%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt 4Communication and Media StudiesAssociate's Degree · $47,357 reported+10%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt 5Business Administration, Management and OperationsAssociate's Degree · $52,620 reported+8%vs same-degree national median$5,500federal debt 6Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssociate's Degree · $45,349 reported+3%vs same-degree national median$6,500federal debt

BUILD A REAL SHORTLIST

Comparable colleges in CA

Currently operating public institutions with the closest combination of annual net price and observed year-5 earnings. Similarity is descriptive—not a quality ranking.

Sacramento, CA

Charles A Jones Career and Education Center

Annual net price: $16,605
Observed earnings · year 5: $40,227
Modeled 10-year ROI: -119%

Open college profile →Whittier, CA

Rio Hondo College

Annual net price: $14,379
Observed earnings · year 5: $43,985
Modeled 10-year ROI: -104%

Open college profile →Sylmar, CA

Los Angeles Mission College

Annual net price: $13,380
Observed earnings · year 5: $43,567
Modeled 10-year ROI: -106%

Open college profile →San Bernardino, CA

San Bernardino Valley College

Annual net price: $18,943
Observed earnings · year 5: $44,238
Modeled 10-year ROI: -103%

Open college profile →

ALL REPORTABLE PROGRAM CATEGORIES

Explore exact field-and-credential outcomes

Federal field	Credential	Earnings, year 4	Federal debt	2023–24 awards
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing	Associate's Degree	$106,782	$13,806	Not reported
Biological and Physical Sciences	Associate's Degree	$59,719	Not available	Not reported
Business Administration, Management and Operations	Associate's Degree	$52,620	$5,500	Not reported
History	Associate's Degree	$49,234	Not available	Not reported
Communication and Media Studies	Associate's Degree	$47,357	Not available	Not reported
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities	Associate's Degree	$45,349	$6,500	Not reported
Criminal Justice and Corrections	Associate's Degree	$44,704	Not available	Not reported
Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants	Associate's Degree	$40,391	Not available	Not reported
Psychology, General	Associate's Degree	$39,201	$5,500	Not reported
Sociology	Associate's Degree	$35,465	Not available	Not reported

Awards use first-major IPEDS completions aggregated to the same four-digit field and credential.

Earnings, price, completion and enrollment are observed federal measures. ROI, payoff and break-even are modeled scenarios built from those measures and fixed assumptions. College payoff is not the payoff of every degree at this school; use the program table for a more precise comparison.