Howard CC vs College of Southern Maryland (CSM)

Howard Community College and College of Southern Maryland, both esteemed institutions of higher learning in Maryland, offer unique educational experiences tailored to diverse student aspirations. Howard Community College boasts an acceptance rate of 100%, welcoming students from all backgrounds to pursue their academic goals. College of Southern Maryland, with a slightly more selective admissions process, maintains an acceptance rate of 98%. While Howard Community College excels in the fields of Liberal Arts and Humanities, College of Southern Maryland shines in Health Professions and Related Programs. Both institutions cater to a diverse student body, with Howard Community College enrolling a larger population of full-time students and College of Southern Maryland having a higher percentage of part-time students. With graduation rates of 27% and 18% respectively, both colleges are committed to providing students with the necessary support and resources to achieve their academic milestones. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to delve into further details and discover which institution aligns best with your educational aspirations and goals.

	College of Southern Maryland	Howard Community College
Overview
Location	La Plata, Maryland	Columbia, Maryland
Campus setting	Rural: Fringe	City: Midsize
College type	2 year	2 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	66.0%	68.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	Open Admission	Open Admission
Application fees		$25
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
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: $29,370 Out of state: $30,786
Average net price	$7,549	$10,632
Tuition	In state: $5,640 Out of state: $7,224	In state: $5,880 Out of state: $7,296
Room & board
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan Other alternative tuition plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	54.0% Average amount $4,644	56.0% Average amount $4,842
Students receiving federal student loan	7.0% Average amount $4,954	7.0% Average amount $4,592
Students taking out private loans	0.0% Average amount $5,250	0.0% Average amount $0

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	5,660 Men 36.8% Women 63.2%	8,080 Men 40.4% Women 59.6%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	0.9%	N/A
International students	0.4%	5.8%
Campus local/setting	Rural: Fringe	City: Midsize
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	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Liberal Arts Health Professions Business Computer and Information Science Law Enforcement and Firefighting	Liberal Arts Health Professions Business Computer and Information Science Education
Students to faculty ratio	17:1	13:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	31.2%	24.7%
Dropout rate	45.2%	30.5%
Transferred out	10.9%	23.6%
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: $63,644 Year 2: $61,144 Year 3: $66,619 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $58,405 Year 2: $55,512 Year 3: $57,869 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $25,229 Year 2: $24,228 Year 3: $32,346 Dental Support Services and Allied Professions (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $49,063 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $53,398 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A

College of Southern Maryland

Howard Community College

Overview

Location

La Plata, Maryland

Columbia, Maryland

Campus setting

Rural: Fringe

City: Midsize

College type

2 year

Control/business model

Public

Calendar system

Semester

Degrees offered

Undergraduate

Students retention rate

66.0%

68.0%

Common app member

Religious affiliation

Admission

Acceptance rate

Open Admission

Application fees

$25

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: $29,370

Out of state: $30,786

Average net price

$7,549

$10,632

Tuition

In state: $5,640

Out of state: $7,224

In state: $5,880

Out of state: $7,296

Room & board

Available payment plans

Tuition payment plan

Tuition payment plan
Other alternative tuition plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

54.0%

Average amount $4,644

56.0%

Average amount $4,842

Students receiving federal student loan

7.0%

Average amount $4,954

7.0%

Average amount $4,592

Students taking out private loans

0.0%

Average amount $5,250

0.0%

Average amount $0

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students

5,660

Men 36.8% Women 63.2%

8,080

Men 40.4% Women 59.6%

Graduate students

N/A

Racial/ethnic diversity

Moderate

Out-of-state students

0.9%

N/A

International students

0.4%

5.8%

Campus local/setting

Rural: Fringe

City: Midsize

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

N/A

Academics

Popular study areas

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

Liberal Arts
Health Professions
Business
Computer and Information Science
Education

Students to faculty ratio

17:1

13:1

Institutional accreditation

Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome

Graduation rate

31.2%

24.7%

Dropout rate

45.2%

30.5%

Transferred out

10.9%

23.6%

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: $63,644
Year 2: $61,144
Year 3: $66,619

Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Associate's Degrees)

Year 1: $58,405
Year 2: $55,512
Year 3: $57,869

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

Year 1: $25,229
Year 2: $24,228
Year 3: $32,346

Dental Support Services and Allied Professions (Associate's Degrees)

Year 1: $49,063
Year 2: N/A
Year 3: N/A

Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services (Associate's Degrees)

Year 1: $53,398
Year 2: N/A
Year 3: N/A