Columbus State vs Clayton State

Columbus State University and Clayton State University, both esteemed institutions of higher learning in Georgia, offer unique educational experiences tailored to diverse student aspirations. Columbus State, nestled in the vibrant city of Columbus, boasts a higher acceptance rate, welcoming a broader range of students into its academic fold. Clayton State, situated in the charming city of Morrow, stands out with its smaller class sizes, fostering a more personalized learning environment. While Columbus State's student body reflects a more diverse ethnic makeup, Clayton State's student population leans slightly more female. Both universities offer a wide array of undergraduate and graduate programs, with popular majors such as Business, Education, and Nursing featuring prominently at both institutions. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to delve into further details, including graduation rates, tuition fees, and additional factors that may influence your choice of university.

	Clayton State University	Columbus State University
Overview
Location	Morrow, Georgia	Columbus, Georgia
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	City: Midsize
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	65.0%	61.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	62.6%	78.5%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $50	Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $50
SAT range	N/A	870 - 1130
ACT range	N/A	18 - 24
Students submitting SAT score		10.0%
Students submitting ACT score		11.0%
Total number of applicants	1,843	5,275
Total number of admissions given out	1,153	4,142
Admitted students who chose to enroll	673	1,205
Yield rate	58.4%	29.1%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $20,827 Out of state: $31,549	In state: $23,563 Out of state: $34,617
Average net price	$10,088	$13,571
Tuition	In state: $4,064 Out of state: $14,786	In state: $4,371 Out of state: $15,425
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $6,724 Meal plan: $3,988	Room/dormitory: $6,228 Meal plan: $4,400
Available payment plans

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	86.0% Average amount $7,579	94.0% Average amount $7,234
Students receiving federal student loan	53.0% Average amount $5,246	50.0% Average amount $4,926
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $5,049	10.0% Average amount $7,458

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	6,145 Men 29.4% Women 70.6%	6,403 Men 39.6% Women 60.4%
Graduate students	672 Men 26.9% Women 73.1%	1,495 Men 32.6% Women 67.4%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	3.5%	5.6%
International students	1.4%	1.7%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	1,246	1,467
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Georgia Florida New York South Carolina Ohio	Georgia Alabama Florida Texas Ohio

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Business Liberal Arts Psychology Legal Profession	Health Professions Education Business Law Enforcement and Firefighting Visual & Performing Arts
Students to faculty ratio	19:1	16:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	35.5%	42.7%
Dropout rate	30.9%	20.9%
Transferred out	29.1%	32.0%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $66,460 Year 2: $68,394 Year 3: $71,349 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $49,851 Year 2: $53,894 Year 3: $58,608 Health and Medical Administrative Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $39,337 Year 2: $47,260 Year 3: $55,755 Dental Support Services and Allied Professions (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $49,822 Year 2: $52,607 Year 3: $54,250 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $47,042 Year 2: $45,696 Year 3: $50,957 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $35,264 Year 2: $40,492 Year 3: $45,334 History (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,128 Year 2: $39,585 Year 3: $44,091 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,047 Year 2: $36,848 Year 3: $42,156 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $43,155 Year 2: $41,937 Year 3: $42,152 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,451 Year 2: $37,688 Year 3: $41,796	Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $72,649 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $76,343 Educational Administration and Supervision (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $67,553 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $65,327 Year 2: $70,009 Year 3: $66,828 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $50,668 Year 2: $54,852 Year 3: $65,564 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $61,920 Year 2: $56,169 Year 3: $61,330 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $63,251 Year 2: $61,516 Year 3: $60,599 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $48,949 Year 2: $51,106 Year 3: $58,076 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $48,041 Year 3: $51,075 Special Education and Teaching (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $48,483 Year 2: $46,087 Year 3: $50,572 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $47,256 Year 2: $46,478 Year 3: $50,084

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