Fitchburg State vs Lesley University

Fitchburg State University and Lesley University, both esteemed institutions of higher learning in Massachusetts, offer distinct educational experiences. Fitchburg State, rooted in public education, boasts a higher acceptance rate, making it more accessible to a broader range of students. Lesley University, on the other hand, is a private institution known for its focus on education and human services, reflected in its higher graduation rate. While Fitchburg State offers a diverse range of programs, including popular majors like Business Administration and Criminal Justice, Lesley University excels in fields such as Education and Psychology. Explore the detailed comparison table to delve into further differences, including student body demographics, cost, and location, to determine which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Fitchburg State University	Lesley University
Overview
Location	Fitchburg, Massachusetts	Cambridge, Massachusetts
Campus setting	Suburb: Midsize	City: Midsize
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	68.0%	75.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	85.3%	86.9%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $50
SAT range	980 - 1180	N/A
ACT range	18 - 25	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	18.0%
Students submitting ACT score	2.0%
Total number of applicants	3,414	2,942
Total number of admissions given out	2,911	2,558
Admitted students who chose to enroll	567	280
Yield rate	19.5%	10.9%
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	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $24,330 Out of state: $30,410	$41,775
Average net price	$16,862	$31,928
Tuition	In state: $970 Out of state: $7,050	$29,200
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,990 Meal plan: $3,770	Room/dormitory: $10,060 Meal plan: $6,900
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	88.0% Average amount $6,170	100.0% Average amount $16,316
Students receiving federal student loan	62.0% Average amount $4,912	59.0% Average amount $5,124
Students taking out private loans	9.0% Average amount $12,352	7.0% Average amount $15,411

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	3,349 Men 46.3% Women 53.7%	1,757 Men 23.4% Women 76.6%
Graduate students	3,325 Men 30.7% Women 69.3%	2,253 Men 13.6% Women 86.4%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	2.1%	3.7%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Midsize	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	1,737	799
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Mississippi Connecticut New Hampshire Florida New York	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Education Health Professions Visual & Performing Arts Law Enforcement and Firefighting	Education Health Professions Visual & Performing Arts Liberal Arts Business
Students to faculty ratio	13:1	10:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	57.1%	60.5%
Dropout rate	14.3%	12.4%
Transferred out	27.0%	26.3%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $66,667 Year 2: $75,518 Year 3: $80,428 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,430 Year 2: $66,897 Year 3: $73,957 Curriculum and Instruction (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $59,071 Year 2: $57,882 Year 3: $63,852 Special Education and Teaching (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $51,546 Year 2: $50,856 Year 3: $54,097 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $47,151 Year 2: $45,715 Year 3: $52,237 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $35,607 Year 2: $38,048 Year 3: $51,244 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,965 Year 2: $41,246 Year 3: $49,224 Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $40,991 Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: $47,433 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,178 Year 2: $34,793 Year 3: $44,801 Human Services, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $33,593 Year 2: $36,166 Year 3: $42,141	Education, General (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $91,807 Year 2: $85,760 Year 3: $80,016 Special Education and Teaching (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $54,822 Year 2: $53,298 Year 3: $57,561 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $47,186 Year 2: $50,606 Year 3: $57,321 Education, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $53,259 Year 2: $51,690 Year 3: $56,263 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $51,742 Year 2: $49,855 Year 3: $55,299 Education, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $52,191 Year 2: $44,595 Year 3: $50,138 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $43,470 Year 2: $46,869 Year 3: $49,494 Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $42,051 Year 2: $41,353 Year 3: $44,028 Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $42,433 Year 3: $38,957 Design and Applied Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,949 Year 2: $20,687 Year 3: $37,894

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