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Palo Verde College

Public Blythe, CA · Rural · Far West · 73% data
B Diversity C- Affordability C- Earnings
Graduation Rate
24% F
Lower completion rate than most colleges
Earnings (10yr)
$36,389 C-
Below average for college graduates
Net Price
$18,993 C-
Close to the national average
Enrollment
3,381
Earnings -11% vs avg
Graduation -57% vs avg
Net Price 11% vs avg

Bottom line: A C- overall grade — outcomes trail most U.S. colleges. 11.8× return on investment — every $1 spent returns $11.8 over 20 years.

11.8× return on investment

Every $1 spent returns $11.8 over 20 years. Net gain: $823,341.

What The Data Says

  1. A C- overall — outcomes trail most U.S. colleges on measured metrics.

  2. Graduation of 24% — 57% below the national average.

  3. Every $1 invested returns $11.8 over 20 years — an exceptional return.

About Palo Verde College

Palo Verde College is profiled below with full outcomes data from federal sources.

Interpretation generated from this school's federal outcomes, research, and mobility data.

Institutional Profile

Institution Type
Public College
Carnegie Class
Associate's College
Enrollment
3,381
Setting
Rural
Designations
HSI
Primary Strengths
Health Professions, Humanities, Business & Marketing, Mechanic & Repair Tech

Why students choose Palo Verde College

Strength in Health Professions
Its most-awarded field of study

CollegeRanker Report Card

Graded on outcomes, against every U.S. college.

C-
Top 63% overall
C-
Earnings
$36,389 median
D+
Value
1.9× net price
C-
Affordability
$18,993/yr net
F
Graduation
24% graduate
B
Diversity
0.69 index

Each grade is this school's national percentile on a real outcome — earnings, value, mobility, and more.

How we grade →

Overview

Palo Verde College serves a small student body of 3,381, providing a focused educational environment. With a graduation rate of 24%, students can expect challenges but also opportunities for growth and learning in their chosen fields.

Data from Chetty/Opportunity Insights is not available for Palo Verde College, making it difficult to assess long-term outcomes and economic mobility for graduates. However, the college’s offerings in high-demand areas like Health Professions and Business & Marketing suggest a commitment to aligning education with workforce needs.

Students looking at Palo Verde College should consider the financial aspects. The net price is $18,993, and while median debt data isn’t provided, graduates earn an average of $36,389 within ten years of completing their education. This school is likely to appeal to individuals seeking a community-focused atmosphere and practical programs that lead to jobs in essential sectors.

Can I Get In?

How selective Palo Verde College is — and how your numbers stack up.

Tool

Will I Be Accepted?

Enter your credentials to see your chances at this school.

3.0
Test Score
1050
21

Academics & Admissions

Is It Hard to Get Into Palo Verde College? Acceptance Rate & Requirements

As a public institution in Blythe, California, Palo Verde College enrolls students across a range of programs. The graduation rate is roughly 24%.

Retention Rate
52%
Full-Time Faculty
41%
Faculty Salary (mo)
$11,127
Student–Faculty Ratio
24:1
Diversity Index
0.69
First-Gen Students
64%

Can I Afford It?

What you'll actually pay after grants and aid — not the sticker price.

Cost & Financial Aid

How Much Does It Cost to Attend Palo Verde College? Tuition, Net Price & Aid

Published tuition at Palo Verde College is $12,880, but few families pay that. The number to watch is net price, what students actually pay each year after federal grants and institutional scholarships. Here it averages about $18,993. Students from families earning under $30,000 typically pay closer to $18,723 after need-based grants.

In-State Tuition
$1,288
Out-of-State
$12,880
Avg Net Price
$18,993
Pell Grant Rate
12%
Federal Loan Rate
0%

What Families Actually Pay

Family Income $0–$30K
$18,723
Family Income $30K–$48K
$19,625
Family Income $48K–$75K
$19,212

What Happens After?

Earnings, debt, and where graduates actually land.

Students Like You

Tell us a little about yourself to see what students like you have typically experienced at Palo Verde College — the net price for your income, your admission odds, and the outcomes that follow. These are patterns from federal data, not predictions.

Compare schools in the full simulator →Sources: College Scorecard, Common Data Set, Opportunity Insights · today's dollars (CPI-adjusted) · descriptive, not predictive

Graduate Outcomes

Is Palo Verde College Worth It? Graduate Earnings & ROI

Ten years out, alumni of Palo Verde College report median earnings of $36,389, a figure worth comparing against the cost of attendance before enrolling.

6 Years After Entry
$30,602
8 Years
$34,716
10 Years
$36,389
Earning > $25K
34%

Earnings Trajectory

$30,602 6yr $34,716 8yr $36,389 10yr

Graduation by Timeframe

100% (19)
30%
100% (19)
30%
100% (19)
30%
100% (19)
30%

How Palo Compares

Dot right of center = above national average.

NATIONAL AVGGraduation24%Earnings 10yr$36KNet Price$19KRetention52%Pell Grant Rate12%

Net Price by Family Income

What families actually pay after aid, by income bracket.

$19K$0-30K$20K$30-48K$19K$48-75K

College ROI Calculator

Is Palo Verde College Worth It?

A data-driven look at the return on your educational investment — using real federal data.

Yes — for most students, Palo Verde College delivers a positive return. Over four years, the typical net price is $18,993/year ($75,972 total). Graduates earn $36,389 at ten years, and over a 20-year career we project $899,313 in total earnings — a net gain of $823,341 (11.8× your investment).. With a 24% graduation rate, the path to that return is well-tested. This is a exceptional ROI compared to national averages.

Total Cost (4yr)
$75,972
Projected 20yr Earnings
$899,313
Net Return
$823,341
ROI Multiple
11.8×
Cost Per Year
$18,993
Graduation Rate
24%

Does It Change Lives?

Mobility, social capital, and innovation — does it move people up?

Social Capital

Data: Opportunity Insights Social Capital Atlas

How Connected Is Palo Verde College? Social Capital & Cross-Class Networks

Social capital, the web of cross-class friendships that researchers link to long-run upward mobility, runs around the national average at Palo Verde College. Its economic connectedness score is 0.88, where about 1.0 is the national norm. Its friending bias is low (0.01), a sign that students from different economic backgrounds actually mix rather than self-segregate. Around 4% of students take part in civic and volunteering activity.

Economic Connectedness
0.88
Cross-class friendships
Friending Bias
0.01
Lower = more inclusive
Volunteering Rate
3.6%
Support Ratio
1.00
Community support

Research Note

267%
Low-income students at colleges in the top quartile of economic connectedness are 267% more likely to reach the top income quintile than peers at the least-connected schools.
Data from CollegeRanker’s review of 5,745 U.S. colleges (n=1,503). Quartile comparison of mean bottom-quintile success rate, split by economic connectedness (Opportunity Insights Social Capital Atlas × Mobility Report Card).

Institutional Finances

Data: NCES IPEDS

Endowment
$1,662,785
Federal Grants
$1,316,299
Investment Income
$-1,461,240

Top Programs

The fields Palo Verde College awards the most degrees in, by share of completions. Where federal field-of-study data exists, we show what graduates in that major earned early in their careers. Each links to its degree guide — or see what someone with your income, scores, and major would pay and earn here in the Students Like You simulator.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is It Hard to Get Into Palo Verde College? Acceptance Rate & Requirements

As a public institution in Blythe, California, Palo Verde College enrolls students across a range of programs. The graduation rate is roughly 24%.

How Much Does It Cost to Attend Palo Verde College? Tuition, Net Price & Aid

Published tuition at Palo Verde College is $12,880, but few families pay that. The number to watch is net price, what students actually pay each year after federal grants and institutional scholarships. Here it averages about $18,993. Students from families earning under $30,000 typically pay closer to $18,723 after need-based grants.

Is Palo Verde College Worth It? Graduate Earnings & ROI

Ten years out, alumni of Palo Verde College report median earnings of $36,389, a figure worth comparing against the cost of attendance before enrolling.

How Connected Is Palo Verde College? Social Capital & Cross-Class Networks

Social capital, the web of cross-class friendships that researchers link to long-run upward mobility, runs around the national average at Palo Verde College. Its economic connectedness score is 0.88, where about 1.0 is the national norm. Its friending bias is low (0.01), a sign that students from different economic backgrounds actually mix rather than self-segregate. Around 4% of students take part in civic and volunteering activity.

Similar Schools

Schools with similar outcomes, selectivity, and student profiles to Palo Verde College.

The State of American Higher Education Outcomes for 2026 — report cover Download PDF

The 2026 Annual Report

The State of American Higher Education Outcomes

Every state graded on what graduates earn, how far they climb, and what college really costs — the hidden geography of economic mobility, in one report.

Free · 21 pages · 5,745 institutions · 100% federal data, no surveys