Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) vs Castleton University

Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) and Castleton University (CU) are two distinct institutions of higher learning, each offering unique educational experiences. SNHU, a private, non-profit university, boasts a significantly larger student body and a higher acceptance rate compared to CU, a public university. While both universities offer a diverse range of undergraduate and graduate programs, SNHU excels in business and healthcare, while CU is renowned for its teacher education and nursing programs. Additionally, SNHU's online learning options cater to a broader audience, while CU's focus remains primarily on traditional on-campus education. Explore the detailed comparison table below to delve into further distinctions between these two esteemed universities and determine which aligns best with your academic aspirations and learning preferences.

	Castleton University	Southern New Hampshire University
Overview
Location	Castleton, Vermont	Manchester, New Hampshire
Campus setting	Town: Distant	Suburb: Midsize
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	67.0%	62.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	87.3%	92.1%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $40
SAT range	958 - 1158	N/A
ACT range	16 - 22	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	13.0%
Students submitting ACT score	1.0%
Total number of applicants	2,447	27,953
Total number of admissions given out	2,136	25,736
Admitted students who chose to enroll	391	10,607
Yield rate	18.3%	41.2%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $27,308 Out of state: $44,276	$38,518
Average net price	$17,970	$21,502
Tuition	In state: $11,832 Out of state: $28,800	$15,000
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,312 Meal plan: $4,730	Room/dormitory: $8,000 Meal plan: $4,200
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	98.0% Average amount $13,124	79.0% Average amount $6,006
Students receiving federal student loan	75.0% Average amount $5,202	50.0% Average amount $5,176
Students taking out private loans	19.0% Average amount $13,210	0.0% Average amount $7,258

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,744 Men 44.2% Women 55.8%	121,884 Men 36.8% Women 63.2%
Graduate students	625 Men 22.6% Women 77.4%	23,649 Men 31.9% Women 68.1%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Low
Out-of-state students	50.9%	93.2%
International students	3.2%	0.6%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	Suburb: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	1,100	1,934
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Vermont New York New Hampshire Connecticut New Jersey	Texas New Hampshire Pennsylvania California Georgia

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Business Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Multidisciplinary Studies Education	Business Health Professions Psychology Liberal Arts Computer and Information Science
Students to faculty ratio	14:1	24:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	55.1%	39.1%
Dropout rate	15.3%	34.5%
Transferred out	28.5%	24.7%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,804 Year 2: $63,855 Year 3: $68,139 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $58,221 Year 3: $62,747 Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $43,798 Year 3: $49,942 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,266 Year 2: $37,363 Year 3: $42,872 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,556 Year 2: $31,581 Year 3: $40,781 Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,579 Year 2: $26,585 Year 3: $38,364 Health/Medical Preparatory Programs (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $35,193 Year 2: $33,687 Year 3: $37,105 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $32,109 Year 2: $30,409 Year 3: $35,029 Sociology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $30,047 Year 3: $33,702 History (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: N/A	Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $75,875 Year 2: $83,177 Year 3: $94,544 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $72,753 Year 2: $73,898 Year 3: $77,504 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $67,717 Year 2: $69,218 Year 3: $76,866 Finance and Financial Management Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $67,435 Year 2: $68,219 Year 3: $72,152 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $54,002 Year 2: $61,218 Year 3: $69,749 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $64,617 Year 2: $65,734 Year 3: $68,411 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $51,193 Year 2: $60,320 Year 3: $68,398 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: $52,944 Year 2: $61,516 Year 3: $65,098 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $61,847 Year 2: $58,622 Year 3: $63,145 Human Resources Management and Services (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: $54,435 Year 2: $61,516 Year 3: $61,662

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