College of the Desert vs. Monterey Peninsula College

Should I go to College of the Desert or Monterey Peninsula College? Compare 50+ facts and figures about the colleges to help you determine if College of the Desert or Monterey Peninsula College is the better college for you. The CollegeSimply comparison tool allows side-by-side comparison of 50+ statistics and facts for over 2,500 colleges and universities.
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College of the Desert vs. Monterey Peninsula College comparison
College of the Desert Monterey Peninsula College College 3 College 4
College of the Desert Monterey Peninsula College
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Overview

 College of the Desert Monterey Peninsula College
Location Palm Desert, CA Monterey, CA
Setting Small City Midsize Suburban
Enrollment 10,382 6,514
Type Public 2 Year Public 2 Year
National Ranking
Religious Affiliation - - - -
Status Non-profit Non-profit
Website collegeofthedesert.edu mpc.edu
Team Colors                    

Costs

 College of the Desert Monterey Peninsula College
Tuition (In State) $1,288 $1,104
Tuition (Out of State) $9,100 $8,280
Room & Board $17,784 $30,771
Avg Net Price $13,704 $11,977
Avg Grant Aid $6,758 $4,594
% Receiving Grant Aid 85% 79%

Admission

 College of the Desert Monterey Peninsula College
Admission Chances Calculate Calculate
Applied - -
Admitted - -
Acceptance Rate Open Open
Enrolled % Open Open
Avg High School GPA - -
Typical High School Grades - -
Admissions Standards Unavailable Unavailable
Applicant Competition
ACT Range
SAT Range
Submit Test Scores
Application Deadline Aug 29, 2025

Academics

 College of the Desert Monterey Peninsula College
Student to Faculty Ratio 26:1 18:1
Popular Majors
  • Liberal Arts and Humanities (26%)
  • Health Professions (18%)
  • Business (10%)
  • General Studies (5%)
  • Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting (5%)
  • Liberal Arts and Humanities (32%)
  • Health Professions (19%)
  • Business (11%)
  • Visual and Performing Arts (7%)
  • Computer and Information Sciences (3%)

Outcomes

 College of the Desert Monterey Peninsula College
Graduation Rate - -
Median Earnings (After 10 years) $35,100 $38,900
Making Student Loan Payments 35% 31%
Median Student Loan Debt $5,338 N/A
Median Loan Payment $55 N/A

Diversity

 College of the Desert Monterey Peninsula College
% Men 42% 44%
% Women 58% 56%
Racial Diversity Medium Very High
HBCU No No
% White 20% 40%
% Black 3% 4%
% Hispanic 68% 37%
% Native American 0% 0%
% Pacific Islander 0% 1%
% Two or More Races 3% 5%
% International 2% 0%
% Unknown Race 1% 5%

Students

 College of the Desert Monterey Peninsula College
% In-State 95% 94%
% Out-of-State 2% 0%

Campus

 College of the Desert Monterey Peninsula College
Campus Housing No No
Freshman Dorm Required No No
Meal Plan No No
Weekend/Evening Classes Yes No
Daycare Facility Yes Yes
Learn More Details Details

Comparable Facts

  • College of the Desert is larger than than Monterey Peninsula College based on total student enrollment (10,382 students vs. 6,514 students)

College of the Desert vs. Monterey Peninsula College Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, College of the Desert or Monterey Peninsula College?

  • College of the Desert is 16.7% more expensive to attend than Monterey Peninsula College for in-state tuition ($1,288.00 vs. $1,104.00)
  • Out of state tuition is 9.9% higher at College of the Desert than Monterey Peninsula College ($9,100.00 vs. $8,280.00)
  • The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Monterey Peninsula College than College of the Desert ($11,977 vs. $13,704)
  • Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at College of the Desert are 73% lower than costs at Monterey Peninsula College ($17,784 vs. $30,771)
  • More students receive financial grant aid at College of the Desert than Monterey Peninsula College (85% vs. 79%)
  • The average total grant financial aid received by College of the Desert students is 47.1% larger than aid received Monterey Peninsula College ($6,758 vs. $4,594)

Which college is harder to get into, College of the Desert or Monterey Peninsula College? Average SAT and ACT scores plus acceptance rates offer good insight into the difficulty of admission between Monterey Peninsula College or College of the Desert .

College of the Desert vs. Monterey Peninsula College Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, College of the Desert or Monterey Peninsula College? Graduation rate, salary and amount of student loan debt are indicators of a college which offers better outcomes for its graduates. Compare the following outcomes facts between Monterey Peninsula College and College of the Desert.

  • Graduates from Monterey Peninsula College earn on average $3,800 more per year than College of the Desert graduates after ten years. ($38,900 vs. $35,100)
  • More College of the Desert graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Monterey Peninsula College students, three years after graduation. (35% vs. 31%)

Sources: U.S. Department of Education https://nces.ed.gov IPEDS and College Scorecard https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/