College of Southern Maryland (CSM) vs OCC-NJ

College of Southern Maryland (CSM) and Ocean County College (OCC) are two distinct institutions offering diverse educational opportunities. CSM, located in Southern Maryland, boasts an acceptance rate of 100%, welcoming students from all backgrounds. OCC, situated in New Jersey, has a slightly more selective admissions process, with an acceptance rate of 98%. Both colleges offer a wide range of academic programs, with CSM specializing in associate degrees and OCC providing both associate and bachelor's degrees. While CSM's student body is predominantly female, OCC's population is more evenly balanced between genders. CSM's graduation rate stands at 22%, while OCC's is slightly higher at 25%. To help you make an informed decision about your higher education journey, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison table highlighting the key differences between these two institutions. Explore the table to discover which college aligns best with your academic goals and personal preferences.

	College of Southern Maryland	Ocean County College
Overview
Location	La Plata, Maryland	Toms River, New Jersey
Campus setting	Rural: Fringe	Suburb: Large
College type	2 year	2 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	66.0%	65.0%
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	In state: $23,706 Out of state: $25,686	In state: $34,448 Out of state: $36,758
Average net price	$7,549	$10,765
Tuition	In state: $5,640 Out of state: $7,224	In state: $5,790 Out of state: $8,100
Room & board
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	54.0% Average amount $4,644	61.0% Average amount $5,347
Students receiving federal student loan	7.0% Average amount $4,954	7.0% Average amount $4,835
Students taking out private loans	0.0% Average amount $5,250	1.0% Average amount $8,996

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	5,660 Men 36.8% Women 63.2%	7,321 Men 42.4% Women 57.6%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	0.9%	0.9%
International students	0.4%	1.6%
Campus local/setting	Rural: Fringe	Suburb: 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	Maryland Virginia District of Columbia New Jersey Oregon	New Jersey New York Pennsylvania Alabama Arizona

Academics
Popular study areas	Liberal Arts Health Professions Business Computer and Information Science Law Enforcement and Firefighting	Liberal Arts Business Health Professions Law Enforcement and Firefighting Computer and Information Science
Students to faculty ratio	17:1	16:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	31.2%	39.2%
Dropout rate	45.2%	36.2%
Transferred out	10.9%	11.0%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $57,691 Year 2: $56,641 Year 3: $61,812 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $25,903 Year 2: $23,042 Year 3: $30,579 Business/Commerce, General (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $33,332 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $66,635 Year 2: $62,856 Year 3: $68,574 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $24,594 Year 2: $25,484 Year 3: $30,734 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $22,263 Year 2: $23,440 Year 3: $30,337

College of Southern Maryland

Ocean County College

Overview

Location

La Plata, Maryland

Toms River, New Jersey

Campus setting

Rural: Fringe

Suburb: Large

College type

2 year

Control/business model

Public

Calendar system

Semester

Degrees offered

Undergraduate

Students retention rate

66.0%

65.0%

Common app member

Religious affiliation

Admission

Acceptance rate

Open Admission

Application fees

SAT range

N/A

ACT range

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

High school GPA

N/A

Recommendation letters

N/A

High school transcript

N/A

English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)

N/A

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price

In state: $23,706

Out of state: $25,686

In state: $34,448

Out of state: $36,758

Average net price

$7,549

$10,765

Tuition

In state: $5,640

Out of state: $7,224

In state: $5,790

Out of state: $8,100

Room & board

Available payment plans

Tuition payment plan

Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

54.0%

Average amount $4,644

61.0%

Average amount $5,347

Students receiving federal student loan

7.0%

Average amount $4,954

7.0%

Average amount $4,835

Students taking out private loans

0.0%

Average amount $5,250

1.0%

Average amount $8,996

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students

5,660

Men 36.8% Women 63.2%

7,321

Men 42.4% Women 57.6%

Graduate students

N/A

Racial/ethnic diversity

Moderate

Low

Out-of-state students

0.9%

International students

0.4%

1.6%

Campus local/setting

Rural: Fringe

Suburb: Large

Dormitory capacity

N/A

First year students are required to live on campus?

N/A

Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from

Maryland Virginia District of Columbia New Jersey Oregon

New Jersey New York Pennsylvania Alabama Arizona

Academics

Popular study areas

Liberal Arts
Health Professions
Business
Computer and Information Science
Law Enforcement and Firefighting

Liberal Arts
Business
Health Professions
Law Enforcement and Firefighting
Computer and Information Science

Students to faculty ratio

17:1

16:1

Institutional accreditation

Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome

Graduation rate

31.2%

39.2%

Dropout rate

45.2%

36.2%

Transferred out

10.9%

11.0%

Alumni salary by major (Top 10)

Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees)

Year 1: $57,691
Year 2: $56,641
Year 3: $61,812

Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Associate's Degrees)

Year 1: $25,903
Year 2: $23,042
Year 3: $30,579

Business/Commerce, General (Associate's Degrees)

Year 1: $33,332
Year 2: N/A
Year 3: N/A