Maine USM vs WSU-Worcester

When it comes to higher education, University of Southern Maine (USM) and Worcester State University (WSU) stand out as two prominent institutions with unique offerings. USM, located in Portland, Maine, boasts a higher acceptance rate (86%) compared to WSU's 78%, making it a more accessible option for prospective students. Both universities offer a diverse range of undergraduate programs, with USM excelling in fields like Business, Education, and Nursing, while WSU shines in areas such as Business, Psychology, and Social Work. While USM's student body is predominantly female (58%), WSU's population is more evenly distributed, with a 51% female and 49% male ratio. In terms of graduation rates, WSU holds a slight edge over USM, with a 62% completion rate compared to USM's 59%. To help you make an informed decision, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison table that delves into these aspects and more

	University of Southern Maine	Worcester State University
Overview
Location	Portland, Maine	Worcester, Massachusetts
Campus setting	City: Small	City: Midsize
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	65.0%	73.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	87.0%	89.3%
Application fees		Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $50
SAT range	995 - 1230	1030 - 1193
ACT range	19 - 24	23 - 24
Students submitting SAT score	18.0%	13.0%
Students submitting ACT score	1.0%
Total number of applicants	5,397	3,446
Total number of admissions given out	4,695	3,078
Admitted students who chose to enroll	895	756
Yield rate	19.1%	24.6%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $23,842 Out of state: $37,842	In state: $19,554 Out of state: $25,634
Average net price	$9,793	$12,853
Tuition	In state: $8,064 Out of state: $22,064	In state: $970 Out of state: $7,050
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,460 Meal plan: $4,980	Room/dormitory: $8,573 Meal plan: $3,995
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	92.0% Average amount $8,886	94.0% Average amount $4,529
Students receiving federal student loan	45.0% Average amount $4,969	58.0% Average amount $4,816
Students taking out private loans	6.0% Average amount $10,975	12.0% Average amount $10,578

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	5,956 Men 40.6% Women 59.4%	4,640 Men 38.4% Women 61.6%
Graduate students	2,040 Men 25.3% Women 74.7%	777 Men 17.8% Women 82.2%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Low
Out-of-state students	23.4%	N/A
International students	1.2%	1.3%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	1,189	1,584
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Maine New Hampshire Mississippi Vermont Connecticut	Mississippi Connecticut Rhode Island New Hampshire Vermont

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Education Business Public Administration and Social Service Legal Profession	Education Health Professions Business Law Enforcement and Firefighting Psychology
Students to faculty ratio	13:1	14:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	34.5%	60.9%
Dropout rate	33.0%	13.1%
Transferred out	30.0%	24.4%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	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	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,399 Year 2: $68,821 Year 3: $76,249 Biotechnology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $55,547 Year 3: $67,589 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $61,868 Year 2: $56,776 Year 3: $61,253 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: N/A Year 3: $60,590 Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $52,554 Year 2: $54,974 Year 3: $59,253 Chemistry (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $49,644 Year 3: $56,781 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,231 Year 2: $46,087 Year 3: $55,176 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $56,792 Year 2: $53,775 Year 3: $53,760 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,556 Year 2: $40,501 Year 3: $51,886 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,699 Year 2: $42,580 Year 3: $51,212

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.