Birmingham-Southern College vs Westminster College

Birmingham-Southern College and Westminster College, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Birmingham-Southern, nestled in the vibrant city of Birmingham, Alabama, boasts a diverse student body and a strong liberal arts curriculum. Westminster, located in the charming town of New Wilmington, Pennsylvania, prides itself on its rigorous academics and Presbyterian heritage. With Birmingham-Southern's higher acceptance rate and Westminster's smaller student body, both colleges provide unique opportunities for students to thrive. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more about the differences in acceptance rates, popular majors, student demographics, and graduation rates, and make an informed decision about which college aligns best with your aspirations.

	Birmingham-Southern College	Westminster College
Overview
Location	Birmingham, Alabama	New Wilmington, Pennsylvania
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%	89.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Methodism	Presbyterian

Admission
Acceptance rate	65.9%	82.1%
Application fees	$50
SAT range	1090 - 1240	1040 - 1258
ACT range	22 - 28	20 - 26
Students submitting SAT score	7.0%	31.0%
Students submitting ACT score	54.0%	10.0%
Total number of applicants	2,461	2,475
Total number of admissions given out	1,622	2,033
Admitted students who chose to enroll	244	305
Yield rate	15.0%	15.0%
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	$52,150
Average net price	$22,888	$20,258
Tuition	$18,850	$37,630
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,900 Meal plan: $5,650	$11,670
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 $30,669
Students receiving federal student loan	79.0% Average amount $3,074	78.0% Average amount $5,696
Students taking out private loans	6.0% Average amount $13,570	28.0% Average amount $12,975

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,058 Men 48.7% Women 51.3%	1,163 Men 46.3% Women 53.7%
Graduate students	N/A	62 Men 32.3% Women 67.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	38.4%	N/A
International students	1.5%	0.2%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	Town: Fringe
Dormitory capacity	1,418	998
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	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Psychology Business Computer and Information Science Education	Education Biological and Biomedical Sciences Business Social Sciences Health Professions
Students to faculty ratio	10:1	12:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	69.8%	72.8%
Dropout rate	4.8%	11.9%
Transferred out	24.7%	13.6%
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	Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $53,775 Year 3: $60,526 Student Counseling and Personnel Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $41,937 Year 3: $51,802 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,460 Year 2: $38,649 Year 3: $43,882 Education, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,753 Year 2: $34,847 Year 3: $41,931 Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $32,711 Year 3: $38,405 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $32,711 Year 3: $36,169 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: N/A Special Education and Teaching (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $43,798 Year 3: N/A English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $35,600 Year 3: N/A Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $37,208 Year 3: N/A

Compare Similar Colleges

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Birmingham-Southern College

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