Public

Medium

College of the Desert SAT Scores, ACT Scores, Acceptance Rate, and Admissions Requirements

SAT RangeN/A

ACT RangeN/A

Average GPAN/A

Acceptance Rate100%

At College of the Desert, admission is designed to be accessible, so your strategy should shift from proving you can get in to planning how you will start strong and stay on track. The 70% freshman retention rate makes course placement, program choice, and early academic habits more important than test scores for your first-year success.

Data on this page is sourced from our college data partners and was last updated on July 9, 2026.

College of the Desert facts and stats

Quick Facts

College of the Desert enrolls about 12,861 undergraduates in an urban campus setting. College of the Desert has a 70% freshman retention rate. The student-to-faculty ratio is 26:1.

Location

Palm Desert, CA

Undergrad Enrollment12,861

Freshman Retention70%

SettingUrban

Student to Faculty Ratio26:1

Graduation RateN/A

Test PolicyTest-optional

SAT score card showing a 1520 score with an unlocked lock

Unlock your future with Acely

Adaptive SAT and ACT practice that meets you where you are and gets you to your target score.

Start your free trial

Key College of the Desert application dates

Key dates

Application deadlines

Regular Decision

—

Early Action

Not offered

Early Decision

Not offered

Priority Deadline

—

Financial aid deadlines

Coming soon

Test dates

SAT test dates

August 22, 2026

Registration deadline: August 7, 2026

September 12, 2026

Registration deadline: August 28, 2026

October 3, 2026

Registration deadline: September 18, 2026

ACT test dates

September 19, 2026

Registration deadline: August 14, 2026

October 17, 2026

Registration deadline: September 11, 2026

December 12, 2026

Registration deadline: November 6, 2026

Take tests early for the best outcomes

If you choose to submit SAT or ACT scores to College of the Desert, plan to take your first test by the spring of junior year. Use the summer before senior year and the fall of senior year for retakes, especially if superscoring could improve your application. Since College of the Desert does not offer Early Decision or Early Action, your last useful fall retake is the one whose scores are released before the regular admission deadline.

Want to improve your scores and unlock scholarships at College of the Desert?

Higher test scores can mean bigger merit awards. Acely helps you get there faster.

Start your free trial

What you'll actually pay

College of the Desert is a public college with in-state tuition of $1,288 and out-of-state tuition of $11,144. Use these figures as a starting point, then review grants, scholarships, work-study, and loans to estimate your net cost.

In-State Tuition$1,288

Out-of-State Tuition$11,144

Room and Board$25,151

Average Merit AwardN/A

Application FeeN/A

Students on AidN/A

Average Aid PackageN/A

Average Debt at GradN/A

Out-of-state tuition at College of the Desert is $11,144, compared with $1,288 for in-state tuition. Room and board is listed at $25,151, so housing costs can make the total price much higher than tuition alone. Actual net price will depend on financial need, grants, scholarships, and living arrangements.