Empire State College vs Ashford University

SUNY Empire State College and Ashford University, while both offering flexible and accessible online learning, present distinct characteristics that cater to different student needs. SUNY Empire, a public college in New York, boasts a higher acceptance rate, allowing more students the opportunity to pursue their academic goals. In contrast, Ashford, a private university based in California, maintains a more selective admissions process. When it comes to popular majors, SUNY Empire excels in liberal arts and sciences, while Ashford offers a wider range of career-focused programs, including business, nursing, and technology. Additionally, the student body demographics vary, with SUNY Empire attracting a larger proportion of older, part-time learners and Ashford enrolling a higher percentage of younger, full-time students. As you explore the comprehensive comparison table below, you'll discover further insights into these institutions, enabling you to make an informed decision about which one aligns best with your educational aspirations and goals.

	Ashford University	SUNY Empire State College
Overview
Location	San Diego, California	Saratoga Springs, New York
Campus setting	City: Large	Suburb: Small
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (For Profit)	Public
Calendar system	Non Traditional	Trimester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	31.0%	62.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	Open Admission	Open Admission
Application fees
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	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	$30,665	In state: $22,984 Out of state: $32,894
Average net price	$23,585	$11,557
Tuition	$13,280	In state: $7,070 Out of state: $16,980
Room & board
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	93.0% Average amount $4,803	77.0% Average amount $7,031
Students receiving federal student loan	62.0% Average amount $6,400	52.0% Average amount $6,667
Students taking out private loans	0.0% Average amount $0	0.0% Average amount $0

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	33,084 Men 36.6% Women 63.4%	7,926 Men 36.0% Women 64.0%
Graduate students	7,278 Men 30.6% Women 69.4%	1,536 Men 28.2% Women 71.8%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	5.2%
International students	0.2%	0.6%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	Suburb: Small
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	N/A	New York Connecticut Florida Mississippi New Jersey

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Education Health Professions Psychology Law Enforcement and Firefighting	Public Administration and Social Service Business Multidisciplinary Studies Health Professions Physical Science
Students to faculty ratio	21:1	15:1
Institutional accreditation	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	9.5%	23.7%
Dropout rate	72.0%	55.1%
Transferred out	17.6%	17.3%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Business/Managerial Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $55,719 Year 2: $61,516 Year 3: $60,293 Military Applied Sciences (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $56,415 Year 3: $58,856 Public Administration (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $43,833 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $58,095 International Business (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $49,012 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $57,228 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $54,455 Year 2: $51,179 Year 3: $49,905 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $52,247 Year 2: $48,911 Year 3: $49,817 Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,178 Year 2: $50,149 Year 3: $49,671 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $49,321 Year 2: $45,618 Year 3: $49,490 Educational/Instructional Media Design (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,651 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $47,089 Public Administration (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $45,533 Year 2: $43,872 Year 3: $45,202	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $78,762 Year 2: $89,879 Year 3: $93,382 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $71,395 Year 2: $69,897 Year 3: $70,379 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: $65,898 Year 2: $62,012 Year 3: $62,244 Public Administration and Social Service Professions, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $49,562 Year 2: $47,260 Year 3: $60,601 Biological and Physical Sciences (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $52,259 Year 2: $45,852 Year 3: $53,584 Business/Commerce, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $46,983 Year 2: $48,041 Year 3: $51,197 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $42,742 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $42,796 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $40,935 English Language and Literature/Letters, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $29,680 Year 2: $41,937 Year 3: $40,271 Community Organization and Advocacy (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,496 Year 2: $36,387 Year 3: $38,150

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Empire State College vs Ashford University

Ashford University

SUNY Empire State College

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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