Columbia State vs Northwest-Shoals Community College

Columbia State Community College and Northwest-Shoals Community College, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer unique educational experiences to students seeking a solid foundation for their academic and professional pursuits. While they share the common goal of providing accessible and affordable education, they differ in several key aspects. Columbia State boasts a higher acceptance rate, welcoming a more diverse student body, while Northwest-Shoals maintains a smaller student population, fostering a close-knit community. Their academic offerings vary, with Columbia State excelling in programs like Business and Engineering, and Northwest-Shoals specializing in fields such as Nursing and Education. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to delve into further details about these institutions, including graduation rates, tuition fees, and available student services, to determine which college best aligns with your aspirations and goals.

	Columbia State Community College	Northwest-Shoals Community College
Overview
Location	Columbia, Tennessee	Muscle Shoals, Alabama
Campus setting	Town: Distant	City: Small
College type	2 year	2 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	56.0%	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: $20,060 Out of state: $33,518	In state: $16,301 Out of state: $19,991
Average net price	$8,920	$3,493
Tuition	In state: $4,326 Out of state: $17,784	In state: $3,690 Out of state: $7,380
Room & board
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	78.0% Average amount $3,098	95.0% Average amount $5,952
Students receiving federal student loan	2.0% Average amount $4,406	24.0% Average amount $2,779
Students taking out private loans	0.0% Average amount $0	0.0% Average amount $0

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	5,383 Men 37.7% Women 62.3%	3,371 Men 43.1% Women 56.9%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	1.5%
International students	0.3%	0.6%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	City: Small
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	Alabama Tennessee Illinois

Academics
Popular study areas	Liberal Arts Health Professions Business Computer and Information Science Education	Liberal Arts Precision Production Health Professions Construction Trades Engineering Technologies
Students to faculty ratio	19:1	17:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	28.2%	26.0%
Dropout rate	59.3%	39.1%
Transferred out	6.7%	21.9%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $52,604 Year 2: $53,956 Year 3: $57,257 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $42,577 Year 2: $44,858 Year 3: $46,477 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: $40,579 Year 2: $37,328 Year 3: $38,819 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $26,964 Year 2: $24,267 Year 3: $34,528 Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $27,954 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $31,649 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $22,621 Year 2: $25,565 Year 3: $29,222 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $28,816 Year 3: $27,494 Veterinary/Animal Health Technologies/Technicians (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $28,443 Year 3: N/A	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $44,933 Year 2: $43,922 Year 3: $43,540 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $19,388 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $21,522 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A

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Columbia State vs Northwest-Shoals Community College

Columbia State Community College

Northwest-Shoals Community College

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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