Clarke University vs Briar Cliff University

Clarke University and Briar Cliff University, both esteemed institutions in Iowa, offer distinct educational experiences. Clarke, a Catholic university, boasts a 90% acceptance rate, while Briar Cliff, a private university, has a slightly lower acceptance rate of 85%. Clarke's student body is predominantly female (63%), while Briar Cliff's is more evenly balanced (52% female, 48% male). Both universities offer a range of popular majors, including nursing, business, and education, but Clarke also features strong programs in the arts and humanities. Briar Cliff, on the other hand, excels in STEM fields and offers unique programs like aviation and sports management. With graduation rates of 65% and 60% respectively, both universities are committed to student success. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more key differences and make an informed decision about which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Briar Cliff University	Clarke University
Overview
Location	Sioux City, Iowa	Dubuque, Iowa
Campus setting	City: Small	City: Small
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	63.0%	65.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation	Catholic	Catholic

Admission
Acceptance rate	Open Admission	88.8%
Application fees
SAT range	N/A	900 - 1120
ACT range	N/A	19 - 23
Students submitting SAT score		8.0%
Students submitting ACT score		21.0%
Total number of applicants		2,006
Total number of admissions given out		1,781
Admitted students who chose to enroll		183
Yield rate		10.3%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	Not required	N/A
High school GPA	N/A	Required
Recommendation letters	N/A	Not required
High school transcript	N/A	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	N/A	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$48,190	$52,241
Average net price	$21,734	$25,414
Tuition	$32,526	$35,740
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,713 Meal plan: $5,440	Room/dormitory: $4,900 Meal plan: $5,500
Available payment plans	Guaranteed tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	99.0% Average amount $25,701	100.0% Average amount $23,968
Students receiving federal student loan	70.0% Average amount $5,210	81.0% Average amount $8,599
Students taking out private loans	7.0% Average amount $12,375	27.0% Average amount $12,203

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	766 Men 47.4% Women 52.6%	717 Men 54.5% Women 45.5%
Graduate students	234 Men 31.6% Women 68.4%	171 Men 22.2% Women 77.8%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	62.6%	N/A
International students	4.8%	4.6%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	571	536
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Iowa Nebraska Texas Virgin Islands Illinois	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Public Administration and Social Service Business Education Biological and Biomedical Sciences	Health Professions Public Administration and Social Service Education Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Philosophy and Religious Studies
Students to faculty ratio	12:1	8:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	55.7%	54.5%
Dropout rate	44.3%	6.2%
Transferred out	N/A	39.3%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $59,675 Year 2: $70,009 Year 3: $75,805 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $54,009 Year 2: $57,657 Year 3: $59,664 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,817 Year 2: $47,650 Year 3: $58,240 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,709 Year 2: $47,397 Year 3: $56,596 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $33,281 Year 3: $40,775 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,691 Year 2: $35,416 Year 3: N/A Social Work (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $25,406 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Criminology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: N/A Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $62,863 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $92,062 Year 2: $92,277 Year 3: $91,122 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $68,009 Year 2: $67,101 Year 3: $68,295 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $50,068 Year 2: $47,846 Year 3: $59,658 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $53,088 Year 2: $57,210 Year 3: $56,352 Education, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $40,604 Year 2: $43,798 Year 3: $44,807 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $49,623 Year 2: $39,009 Year 3: $42,849 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $32,717 Year 2: $29,141 Year 3: $36,572 Education, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $35,060 Year 3: $35,347 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: N/A Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,866 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A

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