American Public University System (APSU) vs Nova Southeastern University (NSU)

American Public University System (APUS) and Nova Southeastern University (NSU) stand out as two distinct institutions of higher learning, each catering to diverse student populations and academic aspirations. APUS, a leader in online education, boasts an open admissions policy, welcoming learners from all backgrounds, while NSU, a private research university, maintains a selective admissions process. With APUS's focus on flexible, affordable online programs and NSU's emphasis on research and hands-on learning, these universities offer contrasting educational experiences. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover further distinctions in acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, graduation rates, and more, helping you make an informed decision about your academic journey.

	American Public University System	Nova Southeastern University
Overview
Location	Charles Town, West Virginia	Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Campus setting	Town: Fringe	Suburb: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (For Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Non Traditional	Trimester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	91.0%	78.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	Open Admission	92.5%
Application fees		Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $50
SAT range	N/A	1040 - 1310
ACT range	N/A	20 - 30
Students submitting SAT score		42.0%
Students submitting ACT score		17.0%
Total number of applicants		11,749
Total number of admissions given out		10,868
Admitted students who chose to enroll		1,672
Yield rate		15.4%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	Not required	N/A
High school GPA	N/A	Required
Recommendation letters	N/A	Required
High school transcript	N/A	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	N/A	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$17,496	$57,175
Average net price	$11,916	$26,530
Tuition	$6,840	$33,510
Room & board		Room/dormitory: $10,944 Meal plan: $3,190
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	78.0% Average amount $5,082	100.0% Average amount $23,747
Students receiving federal student loan	36.0% Average amount $8,334	45.0% Average amount $5,272
Students taking out private loans	0.0% Average amount $0	7.0% Average amount $14,731

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	38,969 Men 63.6% Women 36.4%	6,637 Men 27.8% Women 72.2%
Graduate students	9,329 Men 61.1% Women 38.9%	14,261 Men 27.8% Women 72.2%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	1.3%	3.8%
Campus local/setting	Town: Fringe	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	N/A	2,049
First year students are required to live on campus?	N/A	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Law Enforcement and Firefighting Liberal Arts Health Professions Computer and Information Science	Health Professions Education Business Psychology Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	22:1	17:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	49.3%	60.5%
Dropout rate	33.6%	5.4%
Transferred out	N/A	33.3%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $77,507 Year 2: $81,702 Year 3: $86,066 Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $85,935 Year 2: $82,685 Year 3: $84,578 International Relations and National Security Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $72,770 Year 2: $68,666 Year 3: $81,412 International/Global Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $75,015 Year 2: $73,992 Year 3: $80,757 Homeland Security (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $66,045 Year 2: $71,295 Year 3: $73,219 Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,468 Year 2: $60,192 Year 3: $69,785 Fire Protection (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $61,979 Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $69,285 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $67,224 Year 2: $66,728 Year 3: $68,822 Public Administration (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $60,442 Year 2: $63,749 Year 3: $67,674 International/Global Studies (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $63,997 Year 3: $64,432	Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: $122,573 Year 2: $176,775 Year 3: $195,076 Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $166,493 Year 2: $166,905 Year 3: $169,931 Information Science/Studies (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $117,731 Year 2: $122,038 Year 3: $129,964 Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $89,302 Year 2: $112,701 Year 3: $117,811 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $92,664 Year 2: $114,892 Year 3: $116,799 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $101,520 Year 2: $100,224 Year 3: $110,420 Dentistry (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $98,409 Year 2: $104,935 Year 3: $109,861 Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $91,905 Year 2: $92,040 Year 3: $100,946 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $89,562 Year 2: $87,235 Year 3: $96,127 Optometry (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $91,752 Year 2: $88,588 Year 3: $94,659

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.

American Public University System (APSU) vs Nova Southeastern University (NSU)

American Public University System

Nova Southeastern University

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

Compare Similar Colleges

Find Colleges By State

Resources

About