Birmingham-Southern College vs Peirce College

Birmingham-Southern College and Peirce College, two distinct institutions of higher learning, offer unique educational experiences to their students. Birmingham-Southern, a private liberal arts college in Birmingham, Alabama, boasts a selective admissions process with an acceptance rate of 68%, while Peirce, a private college with campuses in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and West Chester, Pennsylvania, maintains an open admissions policy. Both institutions offer a diverse range of undergraduate programs, with Birmingham-Southern excelling in fields like Biology, Business Administration, and Psychology, and Peirce specializing in Business, Healthcare Administration, and Information Technology. While Birmingham-Southern's student body comprises primarily traditional-age undergraduates, Peirce caters to a more diverse demographic, including a significant population of adult learners. With Birmingham-Southern's higher graduation rate of 65% compared to Peirce's 38%, prospective students can explore the detailed comparison table below to discover which college better aligns with their academic aspirations and personal preferences.
Birmingham-Southern College logo

Birmingham-Southern College

Peirce College logo

Peirce College

Overview

Location Birmingham, Alabama Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Campus setting City: Midsize City: Large
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% 100.0%
Common app member Yes No
Religious affiliation Methodism

Admission

Acceptance rate 65.9% Open Admission
Application fees $50
Undergraduate: $50

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
Total number of admissions given out 1,622
Admitted students who chose to enroll 244
Yield rate 15.0%
Test scores (SAT/ACT) N/A
High school GPA Required N/A
Recommendation letters Not required N/A
High school transcript Not required N/A
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL) Not required N/A

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price $33,790 $24,636
Average net price $22,888 $13,714
Tuition $18,850 $14,400
Room & board
Room/dormitory: $7,900

Meal plan: $5,650
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 $4,796
Students receiving federal student loan 79.0%
Average amount $3,074
50.0%
Average amount $11,260
Students taking out private loans 6.0%
Average amount $13,570
0.0%
Average amount $0

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students 1,058
Men 48.7% Women 51.3%
788
Men 26.6% Women 73.4%
Graduate students N/A 87
Men 24.1% Women 75.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity
Low
Low
Out-of-state students 38.4% N/A
International students 1.5% 0.6%
Campus local/setting City: Midsize City: Large
Dormitory capacity 1,418 N/A
First year students are required to live on campus? No N/A
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from Alabama Georgia Tennessee Florida Texas N/A

Academics

Popular study areas
  • Health Professions
  • Psychology
  • Business
  • Computer and Information Science
  • Education
  • Business
  • Health Professions
  • Computer and Information Science
  • Legal Profession
  • Liberal Arts
Students to faculty ratio 10:1 11:1
Institutional accreditation Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome

Graduation rate 69.8% 11.1%
Dropout rate 4.8% 61.1%
Transferred out 24.7% 22.2%
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
Human Resources Management and Services (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $57,318
  • Year 3: $62,308
Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $49,569
  • Year 2: $63,005
  • Year 3: $60,008
Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $47,491
  • Year 2: $50,439
  • Year 3: $52,927
Health and Medical Administrative Services (Associate's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: N/A
  • Year 3: $51,474
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $50,107
  • Year 2: $49,621
  • Year 3: $47,669
Health and Medical Administrative Services (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $41,043
  • Year 2: $45,696
  • Year 3: $45,071
Legal Support Services (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $36,348
  • Year 2: $39,214
  • Year 3: $40,765
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $66,594
  • Year 2: N/A
  • Year 3: N/A

Compare Similar Colleges

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