Carlow University vs Alvernia University

Carlow University and Alvernia University, both private Catholic institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Carlow, located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, boasts a higher acceptance rate (85%) compared to Alvernia's 75% in Reading, Pennsylvania. While Carlow's student body is predominantly female (70%), Alvernia's is more evenly balanced (53% female, 47% male). Both universities offer a range of popular majors, including nursing, business, and education, but Carlow excels in health professions, while Alvernia shines in liberal arts and sciences. With similar graduation rates hovering around 60%, both universities prioritize student success. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more distinctions and make an informed decision about your academic journey.

	Alvernia University	Carlow University
Overview
Location	Reading, Pennsylvania	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Campus setting	City: Small	City: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	73.0%	76.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Catholic	Catholic

Admission
Acceptance rate	57.8%	92.0%
Application fees	$50
SAT range	N/A	955 - 1140
ACT range	N/A	21 - 24
Students submitting SAT score		48.0%
Students submitting ACT score		6.0%
Total number of applicants	5,371	1,044
Total number of admissions given out	3,103	961
Admitted students who chose to enroll	403	185
Yield rate	13.0%	19.3%
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	$49,480	$48,500
Average net price	$24,917	$18,638
Tuition	$37,780	$31,458
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $6,930 Meal plan: $6,750	Room/dormitory: $6,516 Meal plan: $6,112
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	95.0% Average amount $26,065	100.0% Average amount $23,417
Students receiving federal student loan	94.0% Average amount $4,652	74.0% Average amount $5,458
Students taking out private loans	20.0% Average amount $18,154	12.0% Average amount $13,957

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,032 Men 34.0% Women 66.0%	1,246 Men 15.3% Women 84.7%
Graduate students	504 Men 31.0% Women 69.0%	738 Men 11.1% Women 88.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	27.8%	N/A
International students	4.0%	0.4%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	1,079	445
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Pennsylvania New Jersey Maryland New Mexico Virginia	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Business Education Public Administration and Social Service Psychology	Health Professions Education Business Biological and Biomedical Sciences Law Enforcement and Firefighting
Students to faculty ratio	13:1	11:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	65.3%	52.3%
Dropout rate	6.2%	46.8%
Transferred out	27.9%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $66,956 Year 2: $64,553 Year 3: $70,009 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $66,528 Year 2: $63,600 Year 3: $69,944 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $65,042 Year 2: $60,878 Year 3: $68,491 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $66,259 Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: $54,161 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $45,308 Year 2: $45,500 Year 3: $50,326 Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $39,968 Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: $47,691 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,786 Year 2: $39,832 Year 3: $46,290 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,572 Year 2: $31,941 Year 3: $42,891 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $29,208 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $40,464 Social Work (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,850 Year 2: $35,060 Year 3: $39,539	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $85,027 Year 2: $87,051 Year 3: $91,798 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $61,654 Year 2: $60,623 Year 3: $66,937 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $56,682 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $64,258 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,706 Year 2: $58,919 Year 3: $60,246 Health and Medical Administrative Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $33,993 Year 3: $47,635 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $45,285 Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: $47,519 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $36,335 Year 2: $34,704 Year 3: $42,157 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $36,132 Year 3: $42,151 Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $38,584 Year 2: $39,369 Year 3: $41,489 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,386 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $37,462

Compare Similar Colleges

The list of suggested college comparisons provided below is generated automatically by our system, utilizing statistics gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and various online sources. If you don't find the colleges you wish to compare, please visit our comparison page. There, you can search for the specific colleges and initiate your comparison.

Carlow University vs Alvernia University

Alvernia University

Carlow University

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

Compare Similar Colleges

Find Colleges By State

Resources

About