Charleston Southern vs Furman University

Charleston Southern University and Furman University, both esteemed institutions of higher learning in South Carolina, offer distinct educational experiences. Charleston Southern, a private Christian university, boasts a higher acceptance rate (75%) compared to Furman's selective admissions (38%). While Furman's student body is more diverse, with 20% of students identifying as minorities, Charleston Southern's student body is predominantly White (78%). Both universities excel in certain academic areas: Charleston Southern is known for its strong nursing and business programs, while Furman is recognized for its liberal arts and sciences curriculum. With similar graduation rates hovering around 65%, both universities ensure that their students are well-prepared for their future endeavors. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more about these universities' unique offerings and make an informed decision about your academic journey.

	Charleston Southern University	Furman University
Overview
Location	Charleston, South Carolina	Greenville, South Carolina
Campus setting	City: Midsize	Suburb: 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 and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	68.0%	91.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Baptist

Admission
Acceptance rate	57.2%	71.4%
Application fees		Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $55
SAT range	990 - 1200	1240 - 1422
ACT range	18 - 23	29 - 33
Students submitting SAT score	50.0%	26.0%
Students submitting ACT score	39.0%	29.0%
Total number of applicants	3,940	7,174
Total number of admissions given out	2,254	5,119
Admitted students who chose to enroll	690	656
Yield rate	30.6%	12.8%
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)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$42,500	$69,880
Average net price	$18,182	$33,999
Tuition	$28,630	$52,992
Room & board	$11,032	Room/dormitory: $7,496 Meal plan: $6,202
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	99.0% Average amount $22,425	96.0% Average amount $33,191
Students receiving federal student loan	56.0% Average amount $5,238	28.0% Average amount $5,170
Students taking out private loans	12.0% Average amount $10,921	5.0% Average amount $20,783

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,725 Men 35.6% Women 64.4%	2,307 Men 40.1% Women 59.9%
Graduate students	616 Men 36.7% Women 63.3%	156 Men 20.5% Women 79.5%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	23.5%	67.8%
International students	2.3%	3.3%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	1,424	2,406
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	South Carolina North Carolina Georgia Florida Pennsylvania	South Carolina Georgia North Carolina Florida Texas

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Health Professions Education Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Biological and Biomedical Sciences	Education Biological and Biomedical Sciences Social Sciences Visual & Performing Arts Health Professions
Students to faculty ratio	13:1	9:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	49.3%	81.9%
Dropout rate	49.7%	2.4%
Transferred out	N/A	15.7%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $74,078 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $80,916 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $61,709 Year 2: $59,425 Year 3: $64,433 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,982 Year 2: $56,867 Year 3: $57,626 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,309 Year 2: $46,589 Year 3: $54,442 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $44,112 Year 2: $48,198 Year 3: $53,093 Human Resources Management and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,775 Year 2: $36,674 Year 3: $48,261 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $45,715 Year 3: $47,106 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $35,190 Year 2: $37,568 Year 3: $38,459 Design and Applied Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $24,781 Year 2: $32,284 Year 3: $34,518 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,345 Year 2: $32,391 Year 3: $31,620	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $47,571 Year 2: $47,260 Year 3: $56,414 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,227 Year 2: $40,140 Year 3: $52,939 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,108 Year 2: $36,668 Year 3: $50,384 Educational Administration and Supervision (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: $61,615 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $37,568 Year 3: N/A English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $35,060 Year 3: N/A Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $14,357 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Religion/Religious Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $33,993 Year 3: N/A Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $24,821 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: N/A

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