Charleston Southern vs Samford

Charleston Southern University and Samford University, both esteemed private institutions in the southeastern United States, offer distinct educational experiences. Charleston Southern, located in North Charleston, South Carolina, is a Christian university with a strong emphasis on faith and values, while Samford, situated in Birmingham, Alabama, is a Baptist university known for its liberal arts education. With acceptance rates of 68% and 75%, respectively, both universities welcome a diverse student body. While Charleston Southern boasts a higher graduation rate of 62%, Samford's smaller student-to-faculty ratio of 12:1 provides a more personalized learning environment. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to delve into further details about these universities, including popular majors, student demographics, and financial aid options, to determine which institution best aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Charleston Southern University	Samford University
Overview
Location	Charleston, South Carolina	Birmingham, Alabama
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	4-1-4
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	68.0%	89.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Baptist	Baptist

Admission
Acceptance rate	57.2%	83.9%
Application fees		Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $35
SAT range	990 - 1200	1100 - 1290
ACT range	18 - 23	23 - 29
Students submitting SAT score	50.0%	22.0%
Students submitting ACT score	39.0%	66.0%
Total number of applicants	3,940	4,217
Total number of admissions given out	2,254	3,537
Admitted students who chose to enroll	690	920
Yield rate	30.6%	26.0%
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	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$42,500	$53,100
Average net price	$18,182	$31,871
Tuition	$28,630	$34,410
Room & board	$11,032	Room/dormitory: $6,150 Meal plan: $5,110
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	99.0% Average amount $22,425	99.0% Average amount $19,443
Students receiving federal student loan	56.0% Average amount $5,238	31.0% Average amount $5,320
Students taking out private loans	12.0% Average amount $10,921	6.0% Average amount $19,317

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,725 Men 35.6% Women 64.4%	3,607 Men 33.4% Women 66.6%
Graduate students	616 Men 36.7% Women 63.3%	2,151 Men 32.3% Women 67.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	23.5%	73.0%
International students	2.3%	0.8%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	1,424	2,375
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	Alabama Georgia Tennessee Texas Florida

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Health Professions Education Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Biological and Biomedical Sciences	Health Professions Legal Profession Business Education Family and Consumer Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	13:1	12:1
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%	78.9%
Dropout rate	49.7%	20.9%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
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: $109,542 Year 2: $120,880 Year 3: $122,995 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $97,811 Year 2: $99,380 Year 3: $104,909 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $86,528 Year 2: $91,363 Year 3: $88,884 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,304 Year 2: $52,941 Year 3: $67,171 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $56,217 Year 2: $59,124 Year 3: $64,364 Law (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $47,785 Year 2: $48,667 Year 3: $61,547 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $52,967 Year 2: $54,851 Year 3: $57,875 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,355 Year 2: $54,948 Year 3: $54,480 Theological and Ministerial Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $37,947 Year 2: $39,585 Year 3: $46,442 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $44,337 Year 2: $43,638 Year 3: $46,369

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Charleston Southern vs Samford

Charleston Southern University

Samford University

Overview

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Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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