High Desert Medical College — Local services in Temecula

I am only giving this two stars because the staff are extremely nice but I have several complaints one of them. Is that the scrubs, books and other essential items are not included in the 32,000+ dollar tuition you have to come out of pocket $200 to pay for items that should be included in the tuition. Also you are not expected to work during the program because it is eight hours a day four days a week so out of pocket $200 seems a bit much especially if you don’t work it seems like it is something that should be a part of the tuition I also feel the same way about the prerequisites because that is about $850. The prerequisite should have been built in to the program so students who do not work don’t have to worry about how they are going to pay $1050. Because also, the prerequisite are eight hours a day four days a week and it is required to take that course if you do not already have your prerequisites done I also have an issue with their attendance policy it is not a realistic policy at all. There are four terms 13 weeks each in the LVN program and you are only allowed to miss 16 hours per term anything after that you will be removed from the program even though they dedicate a week at the end of each term to make up days like theory ,clinical or classes you have failed so if you have mandatory court like jury duty, or you get sick those days do count against you and you will be removed from the program it is very strict and not realist if for most people because anything literally anything can happen another one of my issues was the book situation they have us carrying around these heavy books that we paid $200 for but then when we get to class everything is 100% online so we just paid $200 for nothing because the book is free online all the instructor has to do is add you to the class they also mentioned that the instructor will not teach us for eight hours and it is up to us to read the book OK I get that but if I’m paying 32,000+ dollars I’m expecting somebody to teach me for eight entire hours that I am there not read the book to me for a couple of hours. I’m expecting someone to teach me. If any of their programs, other than their LVN program is like that, I do not recommend this school for anyone and the phone policy during class is kind of crazy If I pay $32,000 to be here and I decide I want to bring out my phone in private and text whoever I want to text for whatever reason I should be allowed to I’m grown if I want to pay $32,000 and just waste my time and my money I will they treat us like children in there, reading us books, and telling us that we can’t be on our phone they are so afraid of being recorded but if you are afraid of being recorded maybe teach the class like how it should be taught so there is no fear of being caught doing something you’re not supposed to be doing sounds also, this program is not 52 weeks it is 66 weeks they make the program seem shorter than what it is they tell you how long it is once you go to orientation that’s odd also if your computer breaks they expect you to buy a new one I should have bought one and gave them the bill of my new computer since they had and issue on how I was doing my class work it is also a bit unorganized when it comes to the assignments that are due let’s just say you guys went over chapter 1 and two January 10th and it’s due January 15 and then you guys went over chapter 3 and 5 on January 12 but it is due on January 13 that’s weird they need to change that around that’s not exactly how it went but that’s similar BUT any way I just want to say before I came here I read the reviews to this place and I also talked to a few students before I decided to come here and every single thing was bad and I still signed up for this anyway this review is to show you guys this school is a red flag and steer...

I went to CSUSB and thought college education couldn’t get any worse, until I started my classes here at HDMC. The school makes sudden changes with little to no notice, like switching from Canvas to Blackboard (learning and work submission websites) without proper communication. The front desk is disorganized, with the receptionist often giving conflicting information and losing track of important paperwork. Teachers are extremely strict with no flexibility, making it hard to balance school and life. On top of that, the courses are overpriced, almost twice the cost of a regular university in California, and yet they barely meet basic standards. It feels like the school is more focused on profit than providing a quality education. I haven’t enjoyed a single bit of it and I’ve been enrolled for more than 7 months. Every single course I have gone through has a ridiculous amount of homework due every week, which is mostly just busywork that doesn’t teach you much valuable information. Other classmates and myself started a group chat during the beginning of our enrollment, none of us have been satisfied.

0/10...

I had an incredibly disappointing experience with High Desert Medical College. I enrolled and dropped out within a week, only to find out later that HDMC still submitted a request for my Pell Grant on August 18 — after I had already withdrawn. No one told me I had to go in and fill out a cancellation form until I found out myself and went in on August 22. I was assured the cancellation would be submitted to the financial aid system to reverse the disbursement, but it never happened. Now I'm back in community college and can't receive financial aid because HDMC still shows they’re holding my Pell Grant from July 30 through January 11, 2026, even though I haven't attended since August. I had to drop out of community college due to this.

Their lack of communication, follow-up, and transparency has disrupted my education and caused financial hardship. I do not recommend this college to anyone. Be cautious if you're considering enrolling — especially if you're relying on...