Birmingham-Southern College vs Cumberland University

Birmingham-Southern College and Cumberland University, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Birmingham-Southern, a private liberal arts college, boasts a selective admissions process with an acceptance rate of 65%, while Cumberland, a private university, welcomes a broader range of students with an acceptance rate of 80%. Birmingham-Southern's student body is predominantly female (60%), while Cumberland's is more evenly balanced (49% female, 51% male). Both institutions offer a diverse range of undergraduate programs, with popular majors at Birmingham-Southern including Biology, Business Administration, and Psychology, and popular majors at Cumberland including Business Administration, Criminal Justice, and Elementary Education. While Birmingham-Southern boasts a higher graduation rate (63%) than Cumberland (53%), both institutions provide ample opportunities for academic success and personal growth. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more about these two exceptional institutions and determine which one aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences

	Birmingham-Southern College	Cumberland University
Overview
Location	Birmingham, Alabama	Lebanon, Tennessee
Campus setting	City: Midsize	Town: Fringe
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	4-1-4	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	78.0%	61.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation	Methodism

Admission
Acceptance rate	65.9%	57.8%
Application fees	$50	Undergraduate: $25 Graduate: $50
SAT range	1090 - 1240	N/A
ACT range	22 - 28	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	7.0%
Students submitting ACT score	54.0%
Total number of applicants	2,461	2,692
Total number of admissions given out	1,622	1,555
Admitted students who chose to enroll	244	591
Yield rate	15.0%	38.0%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$33,790	$43,022
Average net price	$22,888	$28,459
Tuition	$18,850	$24,336
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,900 Meal plan: $5,650	$9,000
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	97.0% Average amount $10,781	100.0% Average amount $11,563
Students receiving federal student loan	79.0% Average amount $3,074	19.0% Average amount $5,119
Students taking out private loans	6.0% Average amount $13,570	2.0% Average amount $11,182

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,058 Men 48.7% Women 51.3%	2,257 Men 40.7% Women 59.3%
Graduate students	N/A	283 Men 42.8% Women 57.2%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	38.4%	6.3%
International students	1.5%	3.6%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	Town: Fringe
Dormitory capacity	1,418	551
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Alabama Georgia Tennessee Florida Texas	Tennessee Georgia Alabama Florida Texas

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Psychology Business Computer and Information Science Education	Business Liberal Arts Education Health Professions Kinesiology & Leisure Studies
Students to faculty ratio	10:1	17:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	69.8%	51.5%
Dropout rate	4.8%	20.5%
Transferred out	24.7%	27.5%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,374 Year 2: $33,993 Year 3: $50,065 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $23,048 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $23,580 Year 2: $26,933 Year 3: N/A	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $54,788 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $62,414 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $55,549 Year 2: $56,415 Year 3: $61,438 Public Administration (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $46,087 Year 3: $48,548 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $41,565 Year 3: $47,311 Education, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $42,566 Year 2: $41,261 Year 3: $44,695 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,267 Year 2: $31,314 Year 3: $42,790 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $26,752 Year 2: $28,598 Year 3: $37,954 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $42,951 Year 2: $41,937 Year 3: N/A Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $28,960 Year 3: N/A Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $33,915 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A

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Birmingham-Southern College vs Cumberland University

Birmingham-Southern College

Cumberland University

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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