Coastal Carolina University vs Salem State

Coastal Carolina University and Salem State University, located in Conway, South Carolina, and Salem, Massachusetts, respectively, offer distinct educational experiences. Coastal Carolina boasts a higher acceptance rate (75%) compared to Salem State's (65%), making it a more accessible option. While both universities offer a diverse range of undergraduate programs, Coastal Carolina excels in business, education, and health professions, while Salem State is known for its strong liberal arts and sciences, nursing, and social work programs. Coastal Carolina's student body is more racially and ethnically diverse, with a higher percentage of international students, while Salem State has a slightly larger student population. In terms of graduation rates, Coastal Carolina has a slightly higher four-year graduation rate (58%) compared to Salem State's (55%). 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.

	Coastal Carolina University	Salem State University
Overview
Location	Conway, South Carolina	Salem, Massachusetts
Campus setting	City: Small	Suburb: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	72.0%	75.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	79.1%	90.0%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $45 Graduate: $45	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $50
SAT range	1030 - 1190	N/A
ACT range	20 - 25	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	29.0%
Students submitting ACT score	13.0%
Total number of applicants	15,481	6,287
Total number of admissions given out	12,251	5,659
Admitted students who chose to enroll	2,519	939
Yield rate	20.6%	16.6%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $26,318 Out of state: $42,072	In state: $27,123 Out of state: $33,928
Average net price	$14,956	$18,125
Tuition	In state: $11,460 Out of state: $27,214	In state: $910 Out of state: $7,050
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,440 Meal plan: $3,928	$14,590
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	91.0% Average amount $9,834	91.0% Average amount $7,673
Students receiving federal student loan	60.0% Average amount $5,848	67.0% Average amount $4,984
Students taking out private loans	16.0% Average amount $20,291	10.0% Average amount $12,948

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	9,790 Men 44.9% Women 55.1%	5,555 Men 34.5% Women 65.5%
Graduate students	683 Men 30.7% Women 69.3%	1,576 Men 21.8% Women 78.2%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	60.2%	N/A
International students	1.2%	2.5%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	4,728	1,928
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	South Carolina New Jersey New York Pennsylvania Maryland	New York New Hampshire Connecticut Rhode Island Vermont

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Biological and Biomedical Sciences Business Communication and Journalism	Education Health Professions Business Public Administration and Social Service Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	17:1	13:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	51.2%	56.8%
Dropout rate	11.4%	40.8%
Transferred out	36.7%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $49,378 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $69,235 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $44,086 Year 2: $48,198 Year 3: $61,332 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $48,114 Year 2: $53,497 Year 3: $60,248 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,888 Year 2: $65,750 Year 3: $59,685 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $29,976 Year 2: $34,704 Year 3: $44,693 Education, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $42,824 Year 2: $42,873 Year 3: $44,446 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,464 Year 2: $37,856 Year 3: $44,425 Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,250 Year 2: $38,168 Year 3: $43,145 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,430 Year 2: $38,597 Year 3: $42,978 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,101 Year 2: $36,423 Year 3: $42,472	Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $50,461 Year 2: $67,660 Year 3: $81,500 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $68,690 Year 2: $69,261 Year 3: $74,129 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $61,511 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $69,206 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $90,183 Year 2: $71,854 Year 3: $64,195 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $59,356 Year 2: $59,124 Year 3: $61,164 Special Education and Teaching (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $47,191 Year 2: $54,855 Year 3: $59,882 Social Work (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $50,049 Year 2: $50,606 Year 3: $53,563 Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $48,859 Year 2: $48,302 Year 3: $52,492 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $47,960 Year 2: $47,729 Year 3: $51,920 Chemistry (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $43,346 Year 2: $45,696 Year 3: $51,685

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