St. Mary's University vs Abilene Christian

St. Mary's University and Abilene Christian University, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. St. Mary's, a private Catholic university in San Antonio, Texas, boasts a diverse student body and a strong liberal arts curriculum. Abilene Christian, a private Christian university in Abilene, Texas, emphasizes faith-based learning and offers a variety of undergraduate and graduate programs. While both universities share a commitment to academic excellence, they differ in acceptance rates, popular majors, student demographics, and graduation rates. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to discover which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.
Abilene Christian University logo

Abilene Christian University

St. Mary's University logo

St. Mary's University

Overview

Location Abilene, Texas San Antonio, Texas
Campus setting City: Midsize City: Large
College type 4 year 4 year
Control/business model Private (Non Profit) Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system Semester Semester
Degrees offered Undergraduate and Graduate Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate 79.0% 71.0%
Common app member Yes Yes
Religious affiliation Churches of Christ Catholic

Admission

Acceptance rate 70.1% 88.5%
Application fees $65
SAT range 1050 - 1270 N/A
ACT range 22 - 28 N/A
Students submitting SAT score 35.0%
Students submitting ACT score 28.0%
Total number of applicants 8,208 4,305
Total number of admissions given out 5,755 3,808
Admitted students who chose to enroll 833 606
Yield rate 14.5% 15.9%
Test scores (SAT/ACT) N/A N/A
High school GPA Not required Required
Recommendation letters Not required Not required
High school transcript Not required Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL) Required Required

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price $55,500 $42,864
Average net price $29,734 $17,899
Tuition $39,250 $33,518
Room & board
Room/dormitory: $5,878

Meal plan: $5,750
Room/dormitory: $7,070

Meal plan: $4,086
Available payment plans
  • Prepaid tuition plan
  • Tuition payment plan
  • Other alternative tuition plan
  • Tuition payment plan
  • Other alternative tuition plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

100.0%
Average amount $23,662
99.0%
Average amount $26,071
Students receiving federal student loan 53.0%
Average amount $5,275
54.0%
Average amount $5,583
Students taking out private loans 16.0%
Average amount $18,262
6.0%
Average amount $14,391

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students 3,138
Men 39.2% Women 60.8%
2,093
Men 41.3% Women 58.7%
Graduate students 1,774
Men 28.1% Women 71.9%
1,339
Men 42.9% Women 57.1%
Racial/ethnic diversity
Low
Low
Out-of-state students 14.8% 4.5%
International students 3.3% 5.4%
Campus local/setting City: Midsize City: Large
Dormitory capacity 2,153 1,560
First year students are required to live on campus? No No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from Texas Oklahoma California Arizona Tennessee Texas New Mexico Colorado Montana Pennsylvania

Academics

Popular study areas
  • Health Professions
  • Education
  • Business
  • Psychology
  • Kinesiology & Leisure Studies
  • Legal Profession
  • Business
  • Engineering
  • Biological and Biomedical Sciences
  • Social Sciences
Students to faculty ratio 13:1 11:1
Institutional accreditation Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome

Graduation rate 60.2% 59.2%
Dropout rate 38.8% 39.9%
Transferred out N/A N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)
Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $60,955
  • Year 2: $64,068
  • Year 3: $76,106
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $62,092
  • Year 2: $58,522
  • Year 3: $66,013
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $60,144
  • Year 2: $53,358
  • Year 3: $65,252
Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution (Graduate/Professional Certificates)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $54,661
  • Year 3: $59,374
Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $41,079
  • Year 2: $49,631
  • Year 3: $53,274
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $55,118
  • Year 2: $63,005
  • Year 3: $52,550
Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $40,619
  • Year 2: $39,009
  • Year 3: $50,422
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $41,737
  • Year 2: $44,170
  • Year 3: $46,207
Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $42,484
  • Year 2: $42,682
  • Year 3: $45,767
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $39,141
  • Year 2: $44,747
  • Year 3: $43,080
Law (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $55,618
  • Year 2: $51,458
  • Year 3: $62,917
Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $56,105
  • Year 2: $56,931
  • Year 3: $62,421
Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $56,272
  • Year 2: $55,512
  • Year 3: $62,293
Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $25,373
  • Year 2: $25,967
  • Year 3: $39,095
Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $20,975
  • Year 2: $31,133
  • Year 3: $36,564
Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $34,526
  • Year 3: $35,547
Criminology (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $26,519
  • Year 2: $31,673
  • Year 3: $34,251
Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $30,206
  • Year 2: $28,960
  • Year 3: $34,018
Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $24,035
  • Year 3: $31,992
Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $18,044
  • Year 2: $26,896
  • Year 3: $29,126

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