IVC vs. Palomar College

Deciding between Imperial Valley College and Palomar College? The table below shows tuition, aid, admissions, and outcomes side by side. Data comes from public sources across more than 3,000 U.S. colleges and universities. No account is required.

Palomar College

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  • Overview

  • Location
  • IVC Imperial, CA
  • Palomar College San Marcos, CA
  • Setting
  • IVC Rural Fringe
  • Palomar College Small City
  • Total enrollment
  • IVC 8,873
  • Palomar College 19,550
  • Type
  • IVC Public 2 Year
  • Palomar College Public 2 Year
  • National Ranking
  • IVC
  • Palomar College
  • Religious Affiliation
  • IVC -
  • Palomar College -
  • Status
  • IVC Non-profit
  • Palomar College Non-profit
  • Team Colors
  • IVC
  • Palomar College

  • Cost

  • Tuition (In State)
  • IVC $1,148
  • Palomar College $1,354
  • Tuition (Out of State)
  • IVC $8,852
  • Palomar College $10,650
  • Room & Board
  • IVC $9,153
  • Palomar College $25,804
  • Average Net Price
  • IVC $1,890
  • Palomar College $8,372
  • Average Grant Aid
  • IVC $9,933
  • Palomar College $4,972
  • % Receiving Grant Aid
  • IVC 91%
  • Palomar College 81%

  • Admissions

  • Applied
  • IVC -
  • Palomar College -
  • Admitted
  • IVC -
  • Palomar College -
  • Acceptance Rate
  • IVC Open
  • Palomar College Open
  • Enrolled
  • IVC Open
  • Palomar College Open
  • Typical SAT score
  • IVC
  • Palomar College
  • Typical ACT score
  • IVC
  • Palomar College
  • Average High School GPA
  • IVC -
  • Palomar College -
  • Typical High School Grades
  • IVC -
  • Palomar College -
  • Admissions Standards
  • IVC Unavailable
  • Palomar College Unavailable
  • Applicant Competition
  • IVC
  • Palomar College
  • ACT Range
  • IVC
  • Palomar College
  • SAT Range
  • IVC
  • Palomar College
  • Submit Test Scores
  • IVC Open admission
  • Palomar College Open admission
  • Application Deadline
  • IVC
  • Palomar College

  • Academics

  • Student to Faculty Ratio
  • IVC 31:1
  • Palomar College 25:1
  • Popular Majors
  • IVC
    • Liberal Arts and Humanities (36%)
    • Health Professions (14%)
    • General Studies (8%)
    • Psychology (7%)
    • Social Sciences (7%)
  • Palomar College
    • Liberal Arts and Humanities (36%)
    • Social Sciences (16%)
    • General Studies (7%)
    • Business (6%)
    • Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting (6%)

  • Outcomes

  • Graduation Rate
  • IVC -
  • Palomar College -
  • Median Earnings (After 10 years)
  • IVC $28,800
  • Palomar College $39,700
  • Making Student Loan Payments
  • IVC -
  • Palomar College 30%
  • Median Student Loan Debt
  • IVC N/A
  • Palomar College $7,000
  • Median Loan Payment
  • IVC N/A
  • Palomar College $72

  • Diversity

  • % Men
  • IVC 46%
  • Palomar College 54%
  • % Women
  • IVC 54%
  • Palomar College 46%
  • Racial Diversity
  • IVC Extremely Low
  • Palomar College High
  • HBCU
  • IVC No
  • Palomar College No
  • % White
  • IVC 3%
  • Palomar College 40%
  • % Asian
  • IVC 0%
  • Palomar College 6%
  • % Black
  • IVC 1%
  • Palomar College 3%
  • % Hispanic
  • IVC 91%
  • Palomar College 40%
  • % Native American
  • IVC 0%
  • Palomar College 1%
  • % Pacific Islander
  • IVC 0%
  • Palomar College 0%
  • % Two or More Races
  • IVC 0%
  • Palomar College 5%
  • % International
  • IVC 0%
  • Palomar College 1%
  • % Unknown Race
  • IVC 5%
  • Palomar College 3%

  • Students

  • % In-State
  • IVC 95%
  • Palomar College 97%
  • % Out-of-State
  • IVC 0%
  • Palomar College 0%

  • Campus

  • Campus Housing
  • IVC No
  • Palomar College No
  • Freshman Dorm Required
  • IVC No
  • Palomar College No
  • Meal Plan
  • IVC No
  • Palomar College No
  • Weekend/Evening Classes
  • IVC Yes
  • Palomar College No
  • Daycare Facility
  • IVC Yes
  • Palomar College Yes

Comparable Facts

Compare Imperial Valley College in Imperial, CA with Palomar College in San Marcos, CA on tuition, admissions, graduation, earnings, and student body data using the table above.

Palomar College is larger than IVC based on total student enrollment (19,550 students vs. 8,873 students)

Location, institution type, and student-faculty ratio

  • Imperial Valley College is located in Imperial, CA (Rural Fringe setting); Palomar College is in San Marcos, CA (Small City setting).
  • Imperial Valley College is a public, non-profit 2-year institution. Palomar College is a public, non-profit 2-year institution.
  • Student-to-faculty ratio: Imperial Valley College 31:1; Palomar College 25:1.

IVC vs. Palomar College Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, IVC or Palomar College? Published tuition is the sticker price; many students pay less after aid (see average net price below).

  • The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Imperial Valley College than Palomar College ($1,890 vs. $8,372).
  • Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Imperial Valley College are 64.5% lower than at Palomar College ($9,153 vs. $25,804).
  • Palomar College is 17.9% more expensive for in-state tuition than IVC (about $206 more per year; $1,354.00 vs. $1,148.00).
  • Out-of-state tuition is 20.3% higher at Palomar College than at Imperial Valley College (about $1,798 more per year; $10,650.00 vs. $8,852.00).
  • A larger share of students receive grant aid at Imperial Valley College than at Palomar College (91% vs. 81%).
  • The average total grant financial aid received by Imperial Valley College students is 99.8% larger than aid received by Palomar College students ($9,933 vs. $4,972).

IVC vs. Palomar College Admissions comparison

Which college is harder to get into, IVC or Palomar College? Typical SAT and ACT scores (same estimates as in the table above), middle 50% test ranges where reported, test score submission policy, deadlines, and acceptance rates summarize admission difficulty between Palomar College and IVC.

  • Both colleges report an open admissions policy; selectivity can still vary by program or major.
  • Submitting SAT or ACT scores: IVC - Open admission; Palomar College - Open admission.

IVC vs. Palomar College Graduation Outcomes Comparison

How do outcomes compare for IVC and Palomar College? Graduation rate, earnings, and student loan debt are common indicators. The bullets below summarize the same federal outcomes fields as the comparison table (College Scorecard / IPEDS where applicable).

  • Graduates from Palomar College earn a median of about $10,900 more per year than IVC graduates about ten years after starting college ($39,700 vs. $28,800), per the same Scorecard earnings definition.

Sources: U.S. Department of Education https://nces.ed.gov IPEDS and College Scorecard https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/. Values reflect the most recent year available in our dataset.