Charleston Southern vs Mercer

Charleston Southern University and Mercer University, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Charleston Southern, a private Christian university in Charleston, South Carolina, boasts a tight-knit community and a strong emphasis on faith-based education. Mercer, a private research university with campuses in Macon and Atlanta, Georgia, is known for its academic rigor and diverse student body. While both universities offer a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs, they differ in acceptance rates, popular majors, student demographics, and graduation rates. Explore the comparison table below to discover which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Charleston Southern University	Mercer University
Overview
Location	Charleston, South Carolina	Macon, Georgia
Campus setting	City: Midsize	City: Midsize
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%	86.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Baptist

Admission
Acceptance rate	57.2%	75.4%
Application fees		Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $50
SAT range	990 - 1200	1220 - 1400
ACT range	18 - 23	28 - 32
Students submitting SAT score	50.0%	26.0%
Students submitting ACT score	39.0%	17.0%
Total number of applicants	3,940	7,201
Total number of admissions given out	2,254	5,430
Admitted students who chose to enroll	690	950
Yield rate	30.6%	17.5%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$42,500	$56,162
Average net price	$18,182	$21,164
Tuition	$28,630	$38,446
Room & board	$11,032	Room/dormitory: $6,580 Meal plan: $6,858
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	99.0% Average amount $22,425	100.0% Average amount $32,845
Students receiving federal student loan	56.0% Average amount $5,238	51.0% Average amount $5,473
Students taking out private loans	12.0% Average amount $10,921	16.0% Average amount $10,195

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,725 Men 35.6% Women 64.4%	4,941 Men 34.6% Women 65.4%
Graduate students	616 Men 36.7% Women 63.3%	4,068 Men 31.4% Women 68.6%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	23.5%	11.6%
International students	2.3%	2.6%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	1,424	3,025
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	Georgia Florida Alabama South Carolina Tennessee

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Health Professions Education Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Biological and Biomedical Sciences	Health Professions Education Business Legal Profession Psychology
Students to faculty ratio	13:1	13:1
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%	73.6%
Dropout rate	49.7%	4.8%
Transferred out	N/A	21.2%
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	Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $102,958 Year 2: $115,064 Year 3: $119,786 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $97,104 Year 2: $95,930 Year 3: $108,135 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $97,605 Year 2: $90,856 Year 3: $99,907 Computer Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $80,042 Year 2: $85,538 Year 3: $90,728 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $86,601 Year 2: $87,604 Year 3: $88,650 Business/Commerce, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $75,345 Year 2: $70,736 Year 3: $77,709 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $69,717 Year 2: $71,127 Year 3: $75,469 Curriculum and Instruction (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $72,283 Year 2: $72,682 Year 3: $74,940 Engineering, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,626 Year 2: $49,729 Year 3: $73,114 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $61,605 Year 2: $54,109 Year 3: $69,855

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Charleston Southern vs Mercer

Charleston Southern University

Mercer University

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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