Ashford University vs Castleton University

Ashford University and Castleton University, while both offering distinct educational experiences, present prospective students with unique opportunities and challenges. Ashford University, a private institution with a primarily online learning format, boasts a notably higher acceptance rate compared to Castleton University, a public institution with a traditional on-campus setting. While Ashford University caters to a diverse student body, Castleton University's student population is predominantly comprised of undergraduate students. Both universities offer a range of popular majors, including business, education, and nursing, but their graduation rates differ, with Castleton University maintaining a slightly higher rate. To help you make an informed decision about your higher education journey, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison table that delves into these aspects and more, allowing you to assess which university aligns best with your academic goals and preferences.

	Ashford University	Castleton University
Overview
Location	San Diego, California	Castleton, Vermont
Campus setting	City: Large	Town: Distant
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (For Profit)	Public
Calendar system	Non Traditional	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	31.0%	67.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	Open Admission	87.3%
Application fees		Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $40
SAT range	N/A	958 - 1158
ACT range	N/A	16 - 22
Students submitting SAT score		13.0%
Students submitting ACT score		1.0%
Total number of applicants		2,447
Total number of admissions given out		2,136
Admitted students who chose to enroll		391
Yield rate		18.3%
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	$30,665	In state: $27,308 Out of state: $44,276
Average net price	$23,585	$17,970
Tuition	$13,280	In state: $11,832 Out of state: $28,800
Room & board		Room/dormitory: $7,312 Meal plan: $4,730
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	93.0% Average amount $4,803	98.0% Average amount $13,124
Students receiving federal student loan	62.0% Average amount $6,400	75.0% Average amount $5,202
Students taking out private loans	0.0% Average amount $0	19.0% Average amount $13,210

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	33,084 Men 36.6% Women 63.4%	1,744 Men 44.2% Women 55.8%
Graduate students	7,278 Men 30.6% Women 69.4%	625 Men 22.6% Women 77.4%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Very Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	50.9%
International students	0.2%	3.2%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	Town: Distant
Dormitory capacity	N/A	1,100
First year students are required to live on campus?	N/A	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	Vermont New York New Hampshire Connecticut New Jersey

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Education Health Professions Psychology Law Enforcement and Firefighting	Health Professions Business Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Multidisciplinary Studies Education
Students to faculty ratio	21:1	14:1
Institutional accreditation	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission	New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	9.5%	55.1%
Dropout rate	72.0%	15.3%
Transferred out	17.6%	28.5%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Business/Managerial Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $55,719 Year 2: $61,516 Year 3: $60,293 Military Applied Sciences (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $56,415 Year 3: $58,856 Public Administration (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $43,833 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $58,095 International Business (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $49,012 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $57,228 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $54,455 Year 2: $51,179 Year 3: $49,905 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $52,247 Year 2: $48,911 Year 3: $49,817 Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,178 Year 2: $50,149 Year 3: $49,671 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $49,321 Year 2: $45,618 Year 3: $49,490 Educational/Instructional Media Design (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,651 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $47,089 Public Administration (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $45,533 Year 2: $43,872 Year 3: $45,202	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,804 Year 2: $63,855 Year 3: $68,139 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $58,221 Year 3: $62,747 Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $43,798 Year 3: $49,942 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,266 Year 2: $37,363 Year 3: $42,872 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,556 Year 2: $31,581 Year 3: $40,781 Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,579 Year 2: $26,585 Year 3: $38,364 Health/Medical Preparatory Programs (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $35,193 Year 2: $33,687 Year 3: $37,105 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $32,109 Year 2: $30,409 Year 3: $35,029 Sociology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $30,047 Year 3: $33,702 History (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: N/A

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