Cal U of Pa vs Salem State

California University of Pennsylvania and Salem State University, both public universities with rich histories, offer distinct educational experiences. California University, located in California, Pennsylvania, boasts a higher acceptance rate (79%) compared to Salem State's 71%. While Salem State, situated in Salem, Massachusetts, has a slightly larger student body, California University's student population is more diverse. Both universities offer a wide range of undergraduate programs, with popular majors including Business, Education, and Psychology. However, California University excels in Engineering and Computer Science, while Salem State is known for its strong Nursing and Health Professions programs. To help you make an informed decision, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison table highlighting key differences between these two institutions, including graduation rates, tuition fees, and available student services.

	California University of Pennsylvania	Salem State University
Overview
Location	California, Pennsylvania	Salem, Massachusetts
Campus setting	Suburb: Small	Suburb: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	67.0%	75.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	97.1%	90.0%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $35 Graduate: $35	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $50
SAT range	940 - 1150	N/A
ACT range	18 - 24	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	38.0%
Students submitting ACT score	6.0%
Total number of applicants	3,933	6,287
Total number of admissions given out	3,818	5,659
Admitted students who chose to enroll	815	939
Yield rate	21.3%	16.6%
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	In state: $27,904 Out of state: $32,522	In state: $27,123 Out of state: $33,928
Average net price	$20,317	$18,125
Tuition	In state: $7,716 Out of state: $11,574	In state: $910 Out of state: $7,050
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $6,822 Meal plan: $3,900	$14,590
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	92.0% Average amount $6,250	91.0% Average amount $7,673
Students receiving federal student loan	62.0% Average amount $4,982	67.0% Average amount $4,984
Students taking out private loans	8.0% Average amount $9,920	10.0% Average amount $12,948

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	4,463 Men 43.3% Women 56.7%	5,555 Men 34.5% Women 65.5%
Graduate students	2,046 Men 30.4% Women 69.6%	1,576 Men 21.8% Women 78.2%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	13.0%	N/A
International students	1.0%	2.5%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Small	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	2,075	1,928
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Pennsylvania Ohio New York Maryland New Jersey	New York New Hampshire Connecticut Rhode Island Vermont

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Health Professions Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Business Law Enforcement and Firefighting	Education Health Professions Business Public Administration and Social Service Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	19:1	13:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	48.4%	56.8%
Dropout rate	23.8%	40.8%
Transferred out	26.0%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $78,275 Year 2: $79,284 Year 3: $81,087 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,369 Year 2: $63,402 Year 3: $67,338 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,734 Year 2: $55,693 Year 3: $63,169 Electrical Engineering Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,118 Year 2: $54,109 Year 3: $57,285 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $50,198 Year 2: $48,139 Year 3: $55,763 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $56,913 Year 2: $52,684 Year 3: $54,844 Legal Professions and Studies, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: $51,531 Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $51,279 Year 2: $37,208 Year 3: $50,258 Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $41,266 Year 2: $46,087 Year 3: $49,620 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $42,906 Year 2: $45,589 Year 3: $48,321	Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $50,461 Year 2: $67,660 Year 3: $81,500 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $68,690 Year 2: $69,261 Year 3: $74,129 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $61,511 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $69,206 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $90,183 Year 2: $71,854 Year 3: $64,195 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $59,356 Year 2: $59,124 Year 3: $61,164 Special Education and Teaching (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $47,191 Year 2: $54,855 Year 3: $59,882 Social Work (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $50,049 Year 2: $50,606 Year 3: $53,563 Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $48,859 Year 2: $48,302 Year 3: $52,492 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $47,960 Year 2: $47,729 Year 3: $51,920 Chemistry (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $43,346 Year 2: $45,696 Year 3: $51,685

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