Maine USM vs Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU)

Envision yourself pursuing higher education at either the University of Southern Maine (USM) or Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU). Both institutions offer distinct experiences, catering to diverse student aspirations. USM boasts a higher acceptance rate, welcoming a broader range of applicants, while SCSU maintains a slightly more selective admissions process. When it comes to academic pursuits, USM excels in fields like nursing, education, and business, whereas SCSU shines in areas such as criminal justice, social work, and health professions. Explore the vibrant student life at USM, with its larger and more diverse student body, or immerse yourself in the close-knit community at SCSU. Ultimately, the choice between these two esteemed universities hinges on your unique academic goals and personal preferences. Delve into the comprehensive comparison table below to uncover further insights and make an informed decision that aligns with your educational aspirations.

	Southern Connecticut State University	University of Southern Maine
Overview
Location	New Haven, Connecticut	Portland, Maine
Campus setting	City: Midsize	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	72.0%	65.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	82.9%	87.0%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $50
SAT range	N/A	995 - 1230
ACT range	N/A	19 - 24
Students submitting SAT score		18.0%
Students submitting ACT score		1.0%
Total number of applicants	7,294	5,397
Total number of admissions given out	6,049	4,695
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,022	895
Yield rate	16.9%	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: $26,686 Out of state: $40,090	In state: $23,842 Out of state: $37,842
Average net price	$18,493	$9,793
Tuition	In state: $6,162 Out of state: $18,436	In state: $8,064 Out of state: $22,064
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,438 Meal plan: $6,228	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)	94.0% Average amount $6,478	92.0% Average amount $8,886
Students receiving federal student loan	68.0% Average amount $5,267	45.0% Average amount $4,969
Students taking out private loans	7.0% Average amount $12,508	6.0% Average amount $10,975

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	6,800 Men 37.5% Women 62.5%	5,956 Men 40.6% Women 59.4%
Graduate students	1,988 Men 24.7% Women 75.3%	2,040 Men 25.3% Women 74.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Very Low
Out-of-state students	9.4%	23.4%
International students	1.1%	1.2%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	2,509	1,189
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Connecticut New York Mississippi New Jersey Georgia	Maine New Hampshire Mississippi Vermont Connecticut

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Health Professions Business Psychology Public Administration and Social Service	Health Professions Education Business Public Administration and Social Service Legal Profession
Students to faculty ratio	12:1	13:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	52.3%	34.5%
Dropout rate	14.7%	33.0%
Transferred out	30.6%	30.0%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Educational Administration and Supervision (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: $73,779 Year 2: $75,072 Year 3: $81,441 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $73,460 Year 2: $71,015 Year 3: $74,943 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $63,714 Year 2: $64,706 Year 3: $73,822 Public Health (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $54,286 Year 2: $53,358 Year 3: $62,933 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,930 Year 2: $58,221 Year 3: $60,874 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $52,046 Year 2: $56,415 Year 3: $55,879 Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: $57,138 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $55,763 Social Work (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $48,671 Year 2: $50,263 Year 3: $54,461 Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $53,775 Year 3: $53,125 Special Education and Teaching (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $52,635 Year 2: $54,032 Year 3: $52,600	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

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.