Maine USM vs Bridgewater State

When it comes to higher education, University of Southern Maine (USM) and Bridgewater State University (BSU) stand out as two prominent institutions with distinct characteristics. USM, located in Portland, Maine, boasts a higher acceptance rate (86%) compared to BSU's 78%, making it a more accessible option for prospective students. BSU, situated in Bridgewater, Massachusetts, offers a wider range of undergraduate programs, with popular majors including Business Administration, Elementary Education, and Psychology, while USM excels in fields like Nursing, Social Work, and Marine Biology. Both universities cater to diverse student bodies, with BSU having a slightly larger undergraduate population. While USM takes pride in its higher graduation rate (62%), BSU offers a more affordable tuition rate. To help you make an informed decision, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison table highlighting these key differences and more. Explore the table to discover which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Bridgewater State University	University of Southern Maine
Overview
Location	Bridgewater, Massachusetts	Portland, Maine
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	City: Small
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	79.0%	65.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	86.4%	87.0%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $50
SAT range	1010 - 1200	995 - 1230
ACT range	19 - 28	19 - 24
Students submitting SAT score	18.0%	18.0%
Students submitting ACT score	1.0%	1.0%
Total number of applicants	8,881	5,397
Total number of admissions given out	7,671	4,695
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,382	895
Yield rate	18.0%	19.1%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Not 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: $29,164 Out of state: $35,304	In state: $23,842 Out of state: $37,842
Average net price	$12,744	$9,793
Tuition	In state: $910 Out of state: $7,050	In state: $8,064 Out of state: $22,064
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $9,256 Meal plan: $4,576	Room/dormitory: $5,460 Meal plan: $4,980
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	74.0% Average amount $7,617	92.0% Average amount $8,886
Students receiving federal student loan	81.0% Average amount $3,681	45.0% Average amount $4,969
Students taking out private loans	13.0% Average amount $12,080	6.0% Average amount $10,975

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	8,369 Men 40.7% Women 59.3%	5,956 Men 40.6% Women 59.4%
Graduate students	1,573 Men 23.2% Women 76.8%	2,040 Men 25.3% Women 74.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	23.4%
International students	0.6%	1.2%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	3,304	1,189
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Mississippi Rhode Island Connecticut New Hampshire Maine	Maine New Hampshire Mississippi Vermont Connecticut

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Health Professions Public Administration and Social Service Business Psychology	Health Professions Education Business Public Administration and Social Service Legal Profession
Students to faculty ratio	19:1	13:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	62.4%	34.5%
Dropout rate	35.1%	33.0%
Transferred out	N/A	30.0%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $70,437 Year 2: $68,858 Year 3: $78,114 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $52,602 Year 2: $60,623 Year 3: $66,570 Social Work (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $51,446 Year 2: $54,053 Year 3: $58,775 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $47,202 Year 2: $53,775 Year 3: $58,619 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,074 Year 2: $46,869 Year 3: $55,780 Air Transportation (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,151 Year 2: $41,565 Year 3: $53,648 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $45,960 Year 2: $45,383 Year 3: $53,145 Special Education and Teaching (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $50,152 Year 2: $50,161 Year 3: $53,025 Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,273 Year 2: $44,371 Year 3: $50,098 Chemistry (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,643 Year 2: $44,170 Year 3: $49,769	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $97,041 Year 2: $95,169 Year 3: $100,726 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,660 Year 2: $61,728 Year 3: $71,074 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $52,579 Year 2: $55,594 Year 3: $65,574 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,254 Year 2: $57,422 Year 3: $60,602 Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,123 Year 2: $50,231 Year 3: $55,627 Public Policy Analysis (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $49,644 Year 3: $54,835 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $45,681 Year 2: $45,852 Year 3: $51,356 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $43,716 Year 2: $51,690 Year 3: $50,246 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $42,148 Year 2: $45,767 Year 3: $49,334 Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,098 Year 2: $41,342 Year 3: $48,118

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