Chesapeake College vs College of Southern Maryland (CSM)

Chesapeake College and College of Southern Maryland, both esteemed community colleges in Maryland, offer distinct educational experiences. Chesapeake College boasts a higher acceptance rate, making it a more accessible option for students. College of Southern Maryland, on the other hand, has a slightly higher graduation rate, indicating a strong commitment to student success. While Chesapeake College offers a wider range of popular majors, including nursing, business, and engineering, College of Southern Maryland excels in programs like culinary arts, automotive technology, and information technology. Explore the detailed comparison table below to delve into further differences, such as student body demographics, tuition fees, and available student services, to determine which college best aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Chesapeake College	College of Southern Maryland
Overview
Location	Wye Mills, Maryland	La Plata, Maryland
Campus setting	Rural: Distant	Rural: Fringe
College type	2 year	2 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	55.0%	66.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	Open Admission	Open Admission
Application fees
SAT range	N/A	N/A
ACT range	N/A	N/A
Students submitting SAT score
Students submitting ACT score
Total number of applicants
Total number of admissions given out
Admitted students who chose to enroll
Yield rate
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	Not required	Not required
High school GPA	N/A	N/A
Recommendation letters	N/A	N/A
High school transcript	N/A	N/A
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	N/A	N/A

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $14,502 Out of state: $16,350	In state: $23,706 Out of state: $25,686
Average net price	$5,468	$7,549
Tuition	In state: $4,632 Out of state: $6,480	In state: $5,640 Out of state: $7,224
Room & board
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	71.0% Average amount $4,708	54.0% Average amount $4,644
Students receiving federal student loan	0.0% Average amount $0	7.0% Average amount $4,954
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $6,250	0.0% Average amount $5,250

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,738 Men 32.5% Women 67.5%	5,660 Men 36.8% Women 63.2%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	2.2%	0.9%
International students	0.9%	0.4%
Campus local/setting	Rural: Distant	Rural: Fringe
Dormitory capacity	N/A	N/A
First year students are required to live on campus?	N/A	N/A
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Maryland Delaware Virginia California Florida	Maryland Virginia District of Columbia New Jersey Oregon

Academics
Popular study areas	Liberal Arts Health Professions Business Education Biological and Biomedical Sciences	Liberal Arts Health Professions Business Computer and Information Science Law Enforcement and Firefighting
Students to faculty ratio	15:1	17:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	25.8%	31.2%
Dropout rate	43.2%	45.2%
Transferred out	22.2%	10.9%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $53,775 Year 3: $58,834 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: $27,681 Year 2: $22,989 Year 3: N/A Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: $46,676 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: $62,755 Year 2: $58,334 Year 3: N/A	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $57,691 Year 2: $56,641 Year 3: $61,812 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $25,903 Year 2: $23,042 Year 3: $30,579 Business/Commerce, General (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $33,332 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A

Chesapeake College

College of Southern Maryland

Overview

Location

Wye Mills, Maryland

La Plata, Maryland

Campus setting

Rural: Distant

Rural: Fringe

College type

2 year

Control/business model

Public

Calendar system

Semester

Degrees offered

Undergraduate

Students retention rate

55.0%

66.0%

Common app member

Religious affiliation

Admission

Acceptance rate

Open Admission

Application fees

SAT range

N/A

ACT range

N/A

Students submitting SAT score

Students submitting ACT score

Total number of applicants

Total number of admissions given out

Admitted students who chose to enroll

Yield rate

Test scores (SAT/ACT)

Not required

High school GPA

N/A

Recommendation letters

N/A

High school transcript

N/A

English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)

N/A

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price

In state: $14,502

Out of state: $16,350

In state: $23,706

Out of state: $25,686

Average net price

$5,468

$7,549

Tuition

In state: $4,632

Out of state: $6,480

In state: $5,640

Out of state: $7,224

Room & board

Available payment plans

Tuition payment plan

Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

71.0%

Average amount $4,708

54.0%

Average amount $4,644

Students receiving federal student loan

0.0%

Average amount $0

7.0%

Average amount $4,954

Students taking out private loans

1.0%

Average amount $6,250

0.0%

Average amount $5,250

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students

1,738

Men 32.5% Women 67.5%

5,660

Men 36.8% Women 63.2%

Graduate students

N/A

Racial/ethnic diversity

Low

Moderate

Out-of-state students

2.2%

0.9%

International students

0.9%

0.4%

Campus local/setting

Rural: Distant

Rural: Fringe

Dormitory capacity

N/A

First year students are required to live on campus?

N/A

Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from

Maryland Delaware Virginia California Florida

Maryland Virginia District of Columbia New Jersey Oregon

Academics

Popular study areas

Liberal Arts
Health Professions
Business
Education
Biological and Biomedical Sciences

Liberal Arts
Health Professions
Business
Computer and Information Science
Law Enforcement and Firefighting

Students to faculty ratio

15:1

17:1

Institutional accreditation

Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome

Graduation rate

25.8%

31.2%

Dropout rate

43.2%

45.2%

Transferred out

22.2%

10.9%

Alumni salary by major (Top 10)

Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees)

Year 1: N/A
Year 2: $53,775
Year 3: $58,834

Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas)

Year 1: $27,681
Year 2: $22,989
Year 3: N/A

Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas)

Year 1: $46,676
Year 2: N/A
Year 3: N/A

Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas)

Year 1: $62,755
Year 2: $58,334
Year 3: N/A

Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees)

Year 1: $57,691
Year 2: $56,641
Year 3: $61,812

Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Associate's Degrees)

Year 1: $25,903
Year 2: $23,042
Year 3: $30,579

Business/Commerce, General (Associate's Degrees)

Year 1: $33,332
Year 2: N/A
Year 3: N/A