Salem State vs Stony Brook

Salem State University and Stony Brook University, two distinct institutions of higher learning, offer unique educational experiences to their students. Salem State, located in Salem, Massachusetts, is a public university with a smaller student body, fostering a close-knit community feel. In contrast, Stony Brook, situated in Stony Brook, New York, is a large public research university with a diverse student population. While both universities offer a wide range of academic programs, Salem State is known for its strong liberal arts and education programs, while Stony Brook excels in STEM fields and research opportunities. Explore the detailed comparison table below to delve into the acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, graduation rates, and other key differences between these two esteemed universities to determine which one aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.
Salem State University logo

Salem State University

Stony Brook University logo

Stony Brook University

Overview

Location Salem, Massachusetts Stony Brook, New York
Campus setting Suburb: Large 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 75.0% 89.0%
Common app member Yes No
Religious affiliation

Admission

Acceptance rate 90.0% 48.1%
Application fees
Undergraduate: $50

Graduate: $50
Undergraduate: $50

Graduate: $100
SAT range N/A 1300 - 1480
ACT range N/A 29 - 33
Students submitting SAT score 37.0%
Students submitting ACT score 6.0%
Total number of applicants 6,287 38,826
Total number of admissions given out 5,659 18,659
Admitted students who chose to enroll 939 3,416
Yield rate 16.6% 18.3%
Test scores (SAT/ACT) N/A N/A
High school GPA Required Required
Recommendation letters Not required Required
High school transcript Not required Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL) Required Required

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price
In state: $27,123

Out of state: $33,928
In state: $34,187

Out of state: $52,107
Average net price $18,125 $16,445
Tuition
In state: $910

Out of state: $7,050
In state: $7,070

Out of state: $24,990
Room & board $14,590
Room/dormitory: $9,908

Meal plan: $5,590
Available payment plans
  • Tuition payment plan
  • Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

91.0%
Average amount $7,673
73.0%
Average amount $10,370
Students receiving federal student loan 67.0%
Average amount $4,984
37.0%
Average amount $4,942
Students taking out private loans 10.0%
Average amount $12,948
3.0%
Average amount $15,080

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students 5,555
Men 34.5% Women 65.5%
17,999
Men 48.9% Women 51.1%
Graduate students 1,576
Men 21.8% Women 78.2%
8,609
Men 42.1% Women 57.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity
Low
Moderate
Out-of-state students N/A 11.3%
International students 2.5% 13.3%
Campus local/setting Suburb: Large Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity 1,928 10,420
First year students are required to live on campus? No No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from New York New Hampshire Connecticut Rhode Island Vermont New York New Jersey Connecticut Pennsylvania Mississippi

Academics

Popular study areas
  • Education
  • Health Professions
  • Business
  • Public Administration and Social Service
  • Biological and Biomedical Sciences
  • Health Professions
  • Engineering
  • Computer and Information Science
  • Education
  • Business
Students to faculty ratio 13:1 19:1
Institutional accreditation New England Commission on Higher Education Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome

Graduation rate 56.8% 77.7%
Dropout rate 40.8% 7.8%
Transferred out N/A 13.4%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)
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
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $107,469
  • Year 2: $114,892
  • Year 3: $132,337
Dentistry (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $62,815
  • Year 2: $72,320
  • Year 3: $117,786
Educational Administration and Supervision (Graduate/Professional Certificates)
  • Year 1: $112,109
  • Year 2: $101,964
  • Year 3: $110,440
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $106,682
  • Year 2: $105,661
  • Year 3: $107,071
Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $73,837
  • Year 2: $76,170
  • Year 3: $96,347
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $84,511
  • Year 2: $85,898
  • Year 3: $90,858
Mechanical Engineering (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $72,326
  • Year 2: $69,577
  • Year 3: $80,624
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $70,272
  • Year 2: $73,606
  • Year 3: $78,333
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $78,983
  • Year 2: $76,460
  • Year 3: $77,989
Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $59,148
  • Year 2: $60,523
  • Year 3: $77,613

Compare Similar Colleges

The list of suggested college comparisons provided below is generated automatically by our system, utilizing statistics gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and various online sources. If you don't find the colleges you wish to compare, please visit our comparison page. There, you can search for the specific colleges and initiate your comparison.
Salem State University Salem State vs University of Colorado Colorado Springs University of Colorado Colorado Springs
Salem State University Salem State vs Central Connecticut State University Central Connecticut State University
Salem State University Salem State vs Eastern Connecticut State University Eastern Connecticut State University
Salem State University Salem State vs Southern Connecticut State University Southern Connecticut State University
Salem State University Salem State vs Western Connecticut State University Western Connecticut State University
Salem State University Salem State vs University of Southern Maine University of Southern Maine
Salem State University Salem State vs Bridgewater State University Bridgewater State University
Salem State University Salem State vs Fisher College Fisher College
Salem State University Salem State vs Fitchburg State University Fitchburg State University
Salem State University Salem State vs Framingham State University Framingham State University
Salem State University Salem State vs Lasell University Lasell University
Salem State University Salem State vs Lesley University Lesley University
Salem State University Salem State vs Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts
Salem State University Salem State vs Simmons University Simmons University
Salem State University Salem State vs Southern New Hampshire University Southern New Hampshire University
Salem State University Salem State vs University of New Hampshire-Main Campus University of New Hampshire-Main Campus
Salem State University Salem State vs Plymouth State University Plymouth State University
Salem State University Salem State vs University at Buffalo University at Buffalo
Salem State University Salem State vs Stony Brook University Stony Brook University
Salem State University Salem State vs SUNY College at Geneseo SUNY College at Geneseo
Salem State University Salem State vs SUNY Oneonta SUNY Oneonta
Salem State University Salem State vs SUNY College at Potsdam SUNY College at Potsdam
Salem State University Salem State vs SUNY at Purchase College SUNY at Purchase College
Salem State University Salem State vs SUNY College at Plattsburgh SUNY College at Plattsburgh
Salem State University Salem State vs West Chester University of Pennsylvania West Chester University of Pennsylvania
Salem State University Salem State vs University of Rhode Island University of Rhode Island
Salem State University Salem State vs Northern Vermont University Northern Vermont University
Salem State University Salem State vs University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
Salem State University Salem State vs Husson University Husson University
Stony Brook University Stony Brook vs University of Arizona University of Arizona
Stony Brook University Stony Brook vs University of California-Berkeley University of California-Berkeley
Stony Brook University Stony Brook vs University of California-Davis University of California-Davis
Stony Brook University Stony Brook vs University of Colorado Boulder University of Colorado Boulder
Stony Brook University Stony Brook vs United States Air Force Academy United States Air Force Academy
Stony Brook University Stony Brook vs University of Connecticut University of Connecticut
Stony Brook University Stony Brook vs University of Delaware University of Delaware
Stony Brook University Stony Brook vs Florida State University Florida State University
Stony Brook University Stony Brook vs University of South Florida University of South Florida
Stony Brook University Stony Brook vs Georgia State University Georgia State University
Stony Brook University Stony Brook vs University of Georgia University of Georgia
Stony Brook University Stony Brook vs Iowa State University Iowa State University
Stony Brook University Stony Brook vs University of Louisville University of Louisville
Stony Brook University Stony Brook vs University of Maryland-College Park University of Maryland-College Park
Stony Brook University Stony Brook vs University of Massachusetts-Amherst University of Massachusetts-Amherst
Stony Brook University Stony Brook vs University of Michigan-Ann Arbor University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
Stony Brook University Stony Brook vs University of Missouri-Columbia University of Missouri-Columbia
Stony Brook University Stony Brook vs Rutgers University-New Brunswick Rutgers University-New Brunswick
Stony Brook University Stony Brook vs Iona College Iona College
Stony Brook University Stony Brook vs SUNY at Albany SUNY at Albany
Stony Brook University Stony Brook vs University at Buffalo University at Buffalo
Stony Brook University Stony Brook vs SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry
Stony Brook University Stony Brook vs Syracuse University Syracuse University
Stony Brook University Stony Brook vs University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Stony Brook University Stony Brook vs University of Vermont University of Vermont
Stony Brook University Stony Brook vs George Mason University George Mason University
Stony Brook University Stony Brook vs Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Stony Brook University Stony Brook vs University of Virginia-Main Campus University of Virginia-Main Campus
Stony Brook University Stony Brook vs University of Wisconsin-Madison University of Wisconsin-Madison
Stony Brook University Stony Brook vs Augusta University Augusta University