Palo Alto College
About
Palo Alto College is a community college located in San Antonio, Texas, and is part of the Alamo Colleges District. It offers a range of academic programs and services to support student success and access to education.
Graduation rate & outcomes
Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.
Pell equity
Pell and non-Pell students graduate at nearly identical rates — a notably small equity gap.
Program outcomes
Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.
Of 65 Title IV programs, 4 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 61 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.
Pass / fail distribution
- Passing4 · 6.2%
- No Data61 · 93.8%
- Failing0 · 0.0%
Severity spectrum
Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.
Earnings premium gap
Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.
Near the line (±5%)
Programs within five points of the pass line, one cohort year from flipping.
Debt vs earnings
Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.
Accreditation status & history
Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
Programmatic accreditations · 1
Action history · 12
- Aug 2025Renewal of AccreditationAmerican Dental Association, Commission on Dental Accreditation · Dental Hygiene (DH)
- Aug 2025Grant Substantive Change: OtherSouthern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
- Jul 2025Grant Substantive Change: ProgramSouthern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
- Jun 2025Grant Substantive Change: OtherSouthern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
- Dec 2023Grant Substantive Change: DegreeSouthern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
Tuition & cost
What families actually pay, broken down by family income.
Net price by family income
Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.
Federal aid volume & trends
Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.
In AY 2024–25, 4,634 students received $24.0M in Pell grants, alongside $2.8M in federal Direct Loans.
Pell recipients · 5-year trend
Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25
Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.
Student loan default rate
The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.
Of 303 borrowers who entered repayment, 12 (3.9%) defaulted within three years — above the 2.3% national rate.
Default rate vs national, by cohort
* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.
Academic programs at Palo Alto College
Top program areas ranked by completions.
Top program families by completions
Enrollment trends & demographics
Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.
Gender split
Race / ethnicity composition
Athletics & Title IX gender equity
How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.
Men vs women · spending splits
Sport-by-sport · 2
Campus safety & crime statistics
Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.
3-year trend
Criminal offenses by type
By location
- On campus1
VAWA offenses
Hate crimes by bias
No hate crimes reported.
Arrests vs disciplinary referrals
Residence-hall fires
Student-faculty ratio
Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.
Palo Alto College vs Peer comparison
The peer institutions Palo Alto College selected for federal comparison reporting.
A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.
| Carnegie | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SubjectPalo Alto College | 33% | — | 12,395 | $4,374 | Community College |
Austin Community College District | — | — | 39,727 | $6,306 | Baccalaureate |
Broward College | — | — | 30,728 | $20,077 | Baccalaureate |
Chandler-Gilbert Community College | — | — | 15,085 | $12,653 | Community College |
Collin County Community College District | — | — | 39,548 | $8,986 | Baccalaureate |
Cuyahoga Community College District | — | — | 17,840 | $4,538 | Community College |
Dallas College | — | — | 69,749 | $4,146 | Community College |
El Paso Community College | — | — | 25,567 | $4,154 | Community College |
Estrella Mountain Community College | — | — | 10,109 | $12,211 | Community College |
GateWay Community College | — | — | 5,553 | $12,871 | Community College |
GateWay Community College-Central City | — | — | 595 | $4,239 | — |
Glendale Community College | — | — | 13,914 | $12,158 | Community College |
Houston Community College | — | — | 53,253 | $6,738 | Community College |
Lone Star College System | — | — | 73,077 | $9,322 | Community College |
Mesa Community College | — | — | 17,077 | $13,438 | Community College |
Miami Dade College | — | — | 58,941 | $5,929 | Baccalaureate |
Northern Virginia Community College | — | — | 56,457 | $8,554 | Community College |
Northwest Vista College | — | — | 20,060 | $4,546 | Community College |
Paradise Valley Community College | — | — | 6,148 | $13,478 | Community College |
Phoenix College | — | — | 10,660 | $11,728 | Community College |
Rio Salado College | — | — | 18,841 | $8,764 | Community College |
San Antonio College | — | — | 19,901 | $5,290 | Community College |
San Jacinto Community College | — | — | 31,812 | $7,540 | Community College |
Scottsdale Community College | — | — | 7,065 | $14,380 | Community College |
South Mountain Community College | — | — | 4,516 | $11,942 | Community College |
South Texas College | 20% | — | 27,431 | $1,291 | Baccalaureate |
St Philip's College | — | — | 17,299 | $4,873 | Community College |
Tarrant County College District | — | — | 43,928 | $6,073 | Community College |
Tidewater Community College | — | — | 16,884 | $7,991 | Community College |
Valencia College | — | — | 47,425 | $10,399 | Baccalaureate |
| Peer group median | 27% | — | 19,371 | $8,273 |
Palo Alto College Institutional Research office
The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.
The Office of Institutional Research, Planning, and Effectiveness supports Palo Alto College by collecting and reporting accurate data to enhance the decision-making process for college leadership.
Visit IR office page- Dr. Eliza HernandezDirector of Institutional Research, Planning and Effectiveness
Reports & documents (6)
Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.
- DashboardDashboardalamo.edu
- Data definitionInstitutional Research and Effectiveness Services | Alamo CollegesThe Institutional Research and Effectiveness Services department at Alamo Colleges supports district-wide performance measurement and decision making by collecting, analyzing, and providing data. They offer various services including enrollment reports, grade distributions, class size averages, graduation rates, and surveys that inform policy and resource allocation.alamo.edu
- Data dictionaryInstitutional Research and Effectiveness Services2026The Institutional Research and Effectiveness Services department at Alamo Colleges collaborates with college-based Institutional Research Offices to support performance measurement throughout the district. Its mission is to collect, compile, analyze, and provide data for district-wide decision making, policy construction, and resource allocation. Services offered include daily enrollment status reports, grade distribution, average class size by term, demographic profiles, and various performance and benchmark reports. The department is committed to providing accurate and timely data to support institutional needs.alamo.edu
- DFR reportIPEDS Data Feedback Report 20242024nces.ed.gov
- GlossaryPlanning, Research, and Effectiveness - St. Philip's CollegeThe Department of Planning, Research, and Effectiveness at St. Philip's College provides data and information to support accountability, evaluation, planning, and policy formation at various levels. It offers services such as survey research design, custom studies, and training in data analysis. The department plays a key role in institutional accreditation and reporting, maintaining a professional atmosphere, and continually improving its processes to uphold quality standards.alamo.edu
- Strategic planPalo Alto College Strategic Plan2026Palo Alto College's Strategic Plan is geared towards community, employee, and student empowerment, as well as maximizing capacity to serve the community. The plan includes goals to increase access to education, strengthen infrastructure, and foster collaboration and innovation. By focusing on these strategic directions, the college aims to enhance student success, professional growth, and partnerships with industry and other sectors.alamo.edu
Grants & funding (5)
Federal grant awards and open funding opportunities awarded to this institution.
- opportunityFederal Pell GrantFederal Governmentinstitution_site
- opportunityFederal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG)Federal Governmentinstitution_site
- opportunityTexas Educational Opportunity Grant (TEOG)State of Texasinstitution_site
- opportunityTexas Public Education Grant – Continuing Education (TPEG-CE)Alamo Collegesinstitution_site
- opportunityTexas Public Education Grant (TPEG)Alamo Collegesinstitution_site
Frequently asked questions about Palo Alto College
Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Palo Alto College.
What is the graduation rate at Palo Alto College?
How many students attend Palo Alto College?
What is the average net price at Palo Alto College?
Where is Palo Alto College located?
Who runs Institutional Research at Palo Alto College?
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