Albany State vs Mercer

Albany State University and Mercer University, both esteemed institutions of higher learning in Georgia, offer distinct educational experiences. Albany State, a public university, boasts an acceptance rate of 68%, while Mercer, a private university, maintains a more selective admissions process with an acceptance rate of 60%. Albany State's student body is predominantly African American (78%), while Mercer's student body is more diverse, with a larger Caucasian population (54%). Both universities offer a wide range of undergraduate programs, with popular majors at Albany State including Business Administration and Management, Criminal Justice and Safety Studies, and Social Work, while Mercer's popular majors include Business Administration and Management, Nursing, and Biology. With graduation rates of 39% and 68% respectively, Mercer University students are more likely to complete their degrees within six years. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more key differences and make an informed decision about which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and goals.

	Albany State University	Mercer University
Overview
Location	Albany, Georgia	Macon, Georgia
Campus setting	City: Small	City: Midsize
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	65.0%	86.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	73.0%	75.4%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $25 Graduate: $25	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $50
SAT range	740 - 900	1220 - 1400
ACT range	15 - 18	28 - 32
Students submitting SAT score	46.0%	26.0%
Students submitting ACT score	26.0%	17.0%
Total number of applicants	7,655	7,201
Total number of admissions given out	5,590	5,430
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,443	950
Yield rate	25.8%	17.5%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)		N/A
High school GPA	N/A	Required
Recommendation letters	N/A	Required
High school transcript	N/A	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	N/A	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $24,718 Out of state: $36,098	$56,162
Average net price	$14,359	$21,164
Tuition	In state: $4,146 Out of state: $15,526	$38,446
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,670 Meal plan: $3,950	Room/dormitory: $6,580 Meal plan: $6,858
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	93.0% Average amount $6,872	100.0% Average amount $32,845
Students receiving federal student loan	70.0% Average amount $5,453	51.0% Average amount $5,473
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $7,233	16.0% Average amount $10,195

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	5,824 Men 26.1% Women 73.9%	4,941 Men 34.6% Women 65.4%
Graduate students	473 Men 18.2% Women 81.8%	4,068 Men 31.4% Women 68.6%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	15.7%	11.6%
International students	0.6%	2.6%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	2,425	3,025
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Georgia Florida Alabama South Carolina Texas	Georgia Florida Alabama South Carolina Tennessee

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Liberal Arts Education Business Law Enforcement and Firefighting	Health Professions Education Business Legal Profession Psychology
Students to faculty ratio	20:1	13:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	23.9%	73.6%
Dropout rate	29.8%	4.8%
Transferred out	43.2%	21.2%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $105,294 Year 2: $105,306 Year 3: $104,099 Educational Administration and Supervision (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $55,812 Year 2: $59,873 Year 3: $67,756 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,478 Year 2: $63,749 Year 3: $67,072 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $60,649 Year 2: $56,867 Year 3: $57,079 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $44,832 Year 2: $47,729 Year 3: $51,489 Social Work (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $41,423 Year 2: $43,128 Year 3: $48,039 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $36,757 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $42,490 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $39,369 Year 3: $42,433 Public Administration (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $36,994 Year 2: $33,993 Year 3: $39,828 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $33,620 Year 2: $34,526 Year 3: $38,510	Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $102,958 Year 2: $115,064 Year 3: $119,786 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $97,104 Year 2: $95,930 Year 3: $108,135 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $97,605 Year 2: $90,856 Year 3: $99,907 Computer Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $80,042 Year 2: $85,538 Year 3: $90,728 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $86,601 Year 2: $87,604 Year 3: $88,650 Business/Commerce, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $75,345 Year 2: $70,736 Year 3: $77,709 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $69,717 Year 2: $71,127 Year 3: $75,469 Curriculum and Instruction (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $72,283 Year 2: $72,682 Year 3: $74,940 Engineering, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,626 Year 2: $49,729 Year 3: $73,114 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $61,605 Year 2: $54,109 Year 3: $69,855

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