Castleton University vs Mercyhurst University

Castleton University and Mercyhurst University, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Castleton, nestled in the picturesque town of Castleton, Vermont, boasts a close-knit community and a focus on experiential learning, while Mercyhurst, located in the vibrant city of Erie, Pennsylvania, emphasizes its strong liberal arts foundation and commitment to social justice. With acceptance rates of 80% and 75% respectively, both universities welcome a diverse student body, creating a rich and inclusive learning environment. While Castleton's popular majors include Business, Education, and Psychology, Mercyhurst excels in programs such as Nursing, Biology, and Criminal Justice. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to delve into further details about these universities, including graduation rates, student demographics, and more, to help you make an informed decision about your academic journey.

	Castleton University	Mercyhurst University
Overview
Location	Castleton, Vermont	Erie, Pennsylvania
Campus setting	Town: Distant	City: Small
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	67.0%	78.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation		Catholic

Admission
Acceptance rate	87.3%	82.4%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $40
SAT range	958 - 1158	N/A
ACT range	16 - 22	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	13.0%
Students submitting ACT score	1.0%
Total number of applicants	2,447	3,893
Total number of admissions given out	2,136	3,207
Admitted students who chose to enroll	391	625
Yield rate	18.3%	19.5%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $27,308 Out of state: $44,276	$56,475
Average net price	$17,970	$25,785
Tuition	In state: $11,832 Out of state: $28,800	$39,750
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,312 Meal plan: $4,730	Room/dormitory: $6,966 Meal plan: $6,784
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	98.0% Average amount $13,124	100.0% Average amount $30,945
Students receiving federal student loan	75.0% Average amount $5,202	73.0% Average amount $5,469
Students taking out private loans	19.0% Average amount $13,210	19.0% Average amount $17,125

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,744 Men 44.2% Women 55.8%	2,641 Men 40.0% Women 60.0%
Graduate students	625 Men 22.6% Women 77.4%	400 Men 35.8% Women 64.2%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	50.9%	N/A
International students	3.2%	4.5%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	1,100	1,900
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Vermont New York New Hampshire Connecticut New Jersey	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Business Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Multidisciplinary Studies Education	Health Professions Business Military Technologies Law Enforcement and Firefighting Education
Students to faculty ratio	14:1	14:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	55.1%	62.3%
Dropout rate	15.3%	14.6%
Transferred out	28.5%	22.9%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,804 Year 2: $63,855 Year 3: $68,139 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $58,221 Year 3: $62,747 Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $43,798 Year 3: $49,942 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,266 Year 2: $37,363 Year 3: $42,872 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,556 Year 2: $31,581 Year 3: $40,781 Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,579 Year 2: $26,585 Year 3: $38,364 Health/Medical Preparatory Programs (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $35,193 Year 2: $33,687 Year 3: $37,105 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $32,109 Year 2: $30,409 Year 3: $35,029 Sociology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $30,047 Year 3: $33,702 History (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: N/A	Intelligence, Command Control and Information Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,851 Year 2: $49,464 Year 3: $60,543 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,104 Year 2: $50,856 Year 3: $55,368 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,743 Year 2: $48,432 Year 3: $54,163 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $50,420 Year 2: $52,562 Year 3: $52,863 Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $41,565 Year 3: $50,334 Specialized Sales, Merchandising and Marketing Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $33,993 Year 3: $46,945 Special Education and Teaching (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $39,580 Year 2: $41,565 Year 3: $46,106 Design and Applied Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $33,341 Year 2: $39,009 Year 3: $45,426 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $19,961 Year 2: $26,739 Year 3: $41,401 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $25,610 Year 2: $32,658 Year 3: $40,216

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