Ashford University vs Walden

Ashford University and Walden University, both prominent online institutions, offer a diverse range of programs and cater to distinct student populations. Ashford boasts a higher acceptance rate, making it more accessible to a broader range of students. Walden, on the other hand, has a more selective admissions process, resulting in a lower acceptance rate. In terms of student demographics, Ashford enrolls a larger proportion of undergraduate students, while Walden's student body primarily comprises graduate-level learners. Both universities offer popular majors in fields such as business, nursing, and education, but Walden additionally excels in psychology and social work programs. While Ashford has a slightly higher graduation rate, Walden's alumni tend to earn higher starting salaries. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more key differences and make an informed decision about which university aligns best with your academic goals and preferences.

	Ashford University	Walden University
Overview
Location	San Diego, California	Minneapolis, Minnesota
Campus setting	City: Large	City: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (For Profit)	Private (For Profit)
Calendar system	Non Traditional	Quarter
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	31.0%	25.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	Open Admission	Open Admission
Application fees
SAT range	N/A	N/A
ACT range	N/A	N/A
Students submitting SAT score
Students submitting ACT score
Total number of applicants
Total number of admissions given out
Admitted students who chose to enroll
Yield rate
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	Not required	Not required
High school GPA	N/A	N/A
Recommendation letters	N/A	N/A
High school transcript	N/A	N/A
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	N/A	N/A

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$30,665	$24,240
Average net price	$23,585	$18,772
Tuition	$13,280	$11,700
Room & board
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	93.0% Average amount $4,803	100.0% Average amount $5,468
Students receiving federal student loan	62.0% Average amount $6,400
Students taking out private loans	0.0% Average amount $0

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	33,084 Men 36.6% Women 63.4%	7,119 Men 16.1% Women 83.9%
Graduate students	7,278 Men 30.6% Women 69.4%	39,336 Men 18.6% Women 81.4%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	0.2%	1.6%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	N/A	N/A
First year students are required to live on campus?	N/A	N/A
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	North Carolina Maryland Texas Georgia Ohio

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Education Health Professions Psychology Law Enforcement and Firefighting	Health Professions Education Public Administration and Social Service Business Psychology
Students to faculty ratio	21:1	14:1
Institutional accreditation	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	9.5%	N/A
Dropout rate	72.0%	N/A
Transferred out	17.6%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Business/Managerial Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $55,719 Year 2: $61,516 Year 3: $60,293 Military Applied Sciences (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $56,415 Year 3: $58,856 Public Administration (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $43,833 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $58,095 International Business (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $49,012 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $57,228 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $54,455 Year 2: $51,179 Year 3: $49,905 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $52,247 Year 2: $48,911 Year 3: $49,817 Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,178 Year 2: $50,149 Year 3: $49,671 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $49,321 Year 2: $45,618 Year 3: $49,490 Educational/Instructional Media Design (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,651 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $47,089 Public Administration (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $45,533 Year 2: $43,872 Year 3: $45,202	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $114,492 Year 2: $108,649 Year 3: $123,708 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $93,694 Year 2: $94,227 Year 3: $98,267 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $76,573 Year 2: $88,588 Year 3: $91,407 Public Administration (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $77,767 Year 2: $90,412 Year 3: $83,405 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $76,141 Year 2: $77,487 Year 3: $81,477 Education, General (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $71,994 Year 2: $80,219 Year 3: $80,275 Public Health (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $75,638 Year 2: $72,546 Year 3: $71,950 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $64,766 Year 2: $62,012 Year 3: $69,892 Management Information Systems and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $52,969 Year 2: $67,660 Year 3: $69,365 Medical Illustration and Informatics (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $64,492 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $68,414

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Ashford University vs Walden

Ashford University

Walden University

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Financial Aid

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Academics

Outcome

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