American InterContinental University (AIU) vs Columbia Southern University

American InterContinental University (AIU) and Columbia Southern University (CSU) are two well-established online universities that offer a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs. While both institutions share some similarities, there are also several key differences between them. AIU has a higher acceptance rate (100%) compared to CSU (95%), making it a more accessible option for students. CSU, on the other hand, has a slightly higher graduation rate (60%) compared to AIU (58%). Both universities offer popular majors such as business, healthcare, and criminal justice, but CSU also offers unique programs in areas like fire science and occupational safety. In terms of student body demographics, AIU has a larger student population (over 30,000 students) compared to CSU (around 20,000 students). To help you make an informed decision about your education, we have compiled a comprehensive comparison table that highlights the key differences between AIU and CSU.

	American InterContinental University	Columbia Southern University
Overview
Location	Chandler, Arizona	Orange Beach, Alabama
Campus setting	Rural: Fringe	Town: Fringe
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (For Profit)	Private (For Profit)
Calendar system	Quarter	Non Traditional
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	21.0%	40.0%
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	$20,486	$19,177
Average net price	$13,156	$12,474
Tuition	$11,758	$5,640
Room & board
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	71.0% Average amount $5,993	56.0% Average amount $3,123
Students receiving federal student loan	72.0% Average amount $6,231	41.0% Average amount $5,701
Students taking out private loans	0.0% Average amount $0	0.0% Average amount $0

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	11,267 Men 36.5% Women 63.5%	11,672 Men 65.2% Women 34.8%
Graduate students	2,213 Men 49.6% Women 50.4%	4,740 Men 53.9% Women 46.1%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	97.5%	N/A
International students	N/A	0.0%
Campus local/setting	Rural: Fringe	Town: Fringe
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	Texas North Carolina Florida Ohio Illinois	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Law Enforcement and Firefighting Health Professions Computer and Information Science Education	Business Law Enforcement and Firefighting Engineering Technologies Health Professions Computer and Information Science
Students to faculty ratio	38:1	31:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	11.8%	33.4%
Dropout rate	87.6%	57.6%
Transferred out	N/A	2.2%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Computer and Information Sciences, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $61,403 Year 2: $54,134 Year 3: $51,255 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $45,331 Year 2: $45,207 Year 3: $47,516 Health and Medical Administrative Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $44,140 Year 2: $41,789 Year 3: $45,319 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $47,230 Year 2: $45,244 Year 3: $44,539 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,068 Year 2: $41,703 Year 3: $39,955 Educational/Instructional Media Design (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $49,284 Year 2: $45,149 Year 3: $39,532 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,436 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $38,760 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $41,193 Year 3: $33,638 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,733 Year 2: $32,711 Year 3: $33,004 Audiovisual Communications Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $32,569 Year 3: $28,323	Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $79,983 Year 2: $68,880 Year 3: $78,451 Public Administration (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $57,300 Year 2: $61,516 Year 3: $75,520 Homeland Security (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $75,707 Year 2: $71,473 Year 3: $73,060 Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $68,385 Year 2: $67,304 Year 3: $72,485 Fire Protection (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $70,128 Year 2: $69,691 Year 3: $71,770 Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $71,839 Year 2: $69,785 Year 3: $67,888 Fire Protection (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $66,269 Year 2: $61,922 Year 3: $65,587 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $47,097 Year 2: $58,092 Year 3: $62,377 Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,105 Year 2: $62,260 Year 3: $59,697 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $60,526 Year 2: $58,990 Year 3: $59,493

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American InterContinental University (AIU) vs Columbia Southern University

American InterContinental University

Columbia Southern University

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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