Columbia Southern University vs Nova Southeastern University (NSU)

Columbia Southern University and Nova Southeastern University, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Columbia Southern, a private, online university, boasts a 100% acceptance rate, making it accessible to a wide range of students. In contrast, Nova Southeastern, a private, research university with a physical campus, has a more selective admissions process, with an acceptance rate of 60%. While Columbia Southern excels in online programs, particularly in business and healthcare, Nova Southeastern offers a diverse range of programs, including popular majors like nursing, biology, and psychology. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more about the differences in student body demographics, graduation rates, and other key factors, helping you make an informed decision about which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and goals.

	Columbia Southern University	Nova Southeastern University
Overview
Location	Orange Beach, Alabama	Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Campus setting	Town: Fringe	Suburb: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (For Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Non Traditional	Trimester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	40.0%	78.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	Open Admission	92.5%
Application fees		Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $50
SAT range	N/A	1040 - 1310
ACT range	N/A	20 - 30
Students submitting SAT score		42.0%
Students submitting ACT score		17.0%
Total number of applicants		11,749
Total number of admissions given out		10,868
Admitted students who chose to enroll		1,672
Yield rate		15.4%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	Not required	N/A
High school GPA	N/A	Required
Recommendation letters	N/A	Required
High school transcript	N/A	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	N/A	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$19,177	$57,175
Average net price	$12,474	$26,530
Tuition	$5,640	$33,510
Room & board		Room/dormitory: $10,944 Meal plan: $3,190
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	56.0% Average amount $3,123	100.0% Average amount $23,747
Students receiving federal student loan	41.0% Average amount $5,701	45.0% Average amount $5,272
Students taking out private loans	0.0% Average amount $0	7.0% Average amount $14,731

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	11,672 Men 65.2% Women 34.8%	6,637 Men 27.8% Women 72.2%
Graduate students	4,740 Men 53.9% Women 46.1%	14,261 Men 27.8% Women 72.2%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	0.0%	3.8%
Campus local/setting	Town: Fringe	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	N/A	2,049
First year students are required to live on campus?	N/A	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Law Enforcement and Firefighting Engineering Technologies Health Professions Computer and Information Science	Health Professions Education Business Psychology Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	31:1	17:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	33.4%	60.5%
Dropout rate	57.6%	5.4%
Transferred out	2.2%	33.3%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $79,983 Year 2: $68,880 Year 3: $78,451 Public Administration (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $57,300 Year 2: $61,516 Year 3: $75,520 Homeland Security (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $75,707 Year 2: $71,473 Year 3: $73,060 Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $68,385 Year 2: $67,304 Year 3: $72,485 Fire Protection (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $70,128 Year 2: $69,691 Year 3: $71,770 Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $71,839 Year 2: $69,785 Year 3: $67,888 Fire Protection (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $66,269 Year 2: $61,922 Year 3: $65,587 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $47,097 Year 2: $58,092 Year 3: $62,377 Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,105 Year 2: $62,260 Year 3: $59,697 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $60,526 Year 2: $58,990 Year 3: $59,493	Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: $122,573 Year 2: $176,775 Year 3: $195,076 Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $166,493 Year 2: $166,905 Year 3: $169,931 Information Science/Studies (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $117,731 Year 2: $122,038 Year 3: $129,964 Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $89,302 Year 2: $112,701 Year 3: $117,811 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $92,664 Year 2: $114,892 Year 3: $116,799 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $101,520 Year 2: $100,224 Year 3: $110,420 Dentistry (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $98,409 Year 2: $104,935 Year 3: $109,861 Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $91,905 Year 2: $92,040 Year 3: $100,946 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $89,562 Year 2: $87,235 Year 3: $96,127 Optometry (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $91,752 Year 2: $88,588 Year 3: $94,659

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