College of the Desert

Information updated 08.09.2026

Overview

College of the Desert is a public community college based in Palm Desert, California, United States. College of the Desert was founded in 1958 and received its first students in fall 1962.

Current status and profile

COD is a two-year California community college with transfer and vocational programs. Its official site reports an approximate annual population of 15,000, but the rounded figure is not stored as an exact student total.