Samford vs NorthWestern

Samford University and Northwestern University, two esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Samford, a private Christian university in Birmingham, Alabama, boasts a tight-knit community and a strong emphasis on faith-based education. Northwestern, a private research university in Evanston, Illinois, is renowned for its academic rigor, world-class faculty, and vibrant campus life. While both universities provide excellent opportunities for personal and intellectual growth, they differ in several key aspects, including acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to discover which university better aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Northwestern University	Samford University
Overview
Location	Evanston, Illinois	Birmingham, Alabama
Campus setting	City: Small	Suburb: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Quarter	4-1-4
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	99.0%	89.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation		Baptist

Admission
Acceptance rate	7.0%	83.9%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $75 Graduate: $95	Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $35
SAT range	1470 - 1570	1100 - 1290
ACT range	34 - 35	23 - 29
Students submitting SAT score	43.0%	22.0%
Students submitting ACT score	39.0%	66.0%
Total number of applicants	47,636	4,217
Total number of admissions given out	3,321	3,537
Admitted students who chose to enroll	2,086	920
Yield rate	62.8%	26.0%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$83,838	$53,100
Average net price	$29,999	$31,871
Tuition	$60,276	$34,410
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $11,271 Meal plan: $6,993	Room/dormitory: $6,150 Meal plan: $5,110
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	57.0% Average amount $51,087	99.0% Average amount $19,443
Students receiving federal student loan	23.0% Average amount $4,625	31.0% Average amount $5,320
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $38,595	6.0% Average amount $19,317

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	8,847 Men 46.1% Women 53.9%	3,607 Men 33.4% Women 66.6%
Graduate students	14,562 Men 47.3% Women 52.7%	2,151 Men 32.3% Women 67.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Very Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	73.0%
International students	17.8%	0.8%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	4,409	2,375
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	Alabama Georgia Tennessee Texas Florida

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Communication and Journalism Engineering Health Professions Legal Profession	Health Professions Legal Profession Business Education Family and Consumer Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	6:1	12:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	95.2%	78.9%
Dropout rate	4.2%	20.9%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Medical Clinical Sciences/Graduate Medical Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $150,242 Year 2: $188,472 Year 3: $221,242 Business/Commerce, General (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $188,472 Year 3: $216,176 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $187,194 Year 2: $170,971 Year 3: $206,288 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $120,709 Year 2: $189,565 Year 3: $194,961 Business/Commerce, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $162,478 Year 2: $163,561 Year 3: $177,652 Engineering-Related Fields (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $111,200 Year 2: $157,779 Year 3: $159,304 Engineering, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $140,321 Year 2: $141,586 Year 3: $154,556 Medical Illustration and Informatics (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $88,288 Year 2: $118,465 Year 3: $132,325 Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $118,780 Year 2: $111,323 Year 3: $130,124 Community Organization and Advocacy (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $115,760 Year 2: $113,668 Year 3: $128,046	Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $109,542 Year 2: $120,880 Year 3: $122,995 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $97,811 Year 2: $99,380 Year 3: $104,909 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $86,528 Year 2: $91,363 Year 3: $88,884 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,304 Year 2: $52,941 Year 3: $67,171 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $56,217 Year 2: $59,124 Year 3: $64,364 Law (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $47,785 Year 2: $48,667 Year 3: $61,547 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $52,967 Year 2: $54,851 Year 3: $57,875 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,355 Year 2: $54,948 Year 3: $54,480 Theological and Ministerial Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $37,947 Year 2: $39,585 Year 3: $46,442 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $44,337 Year 2: $43,638 Year 3: $46,369

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.

NorthWestern

University of California-Berkeley