FMU-Florence vs Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU)

Francis Marion University and Florida Gulf Coast University, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Francis Marion, nestled in the historic town of Florence, South Carolina, boasts a tight-knit community with a focus on liberal arts and sciences. In contrast, Florida Gulf Coast University, located in the vibrant city of Fort Myers, Florida, emphasizes interdisciplinary studies and professional programs. While Francis Marion prides itself on its small class sizes and personalized attention, Florida Gulf Coast offers a more diverse student body and a wider range of academic opportunities. With varying acceptance rates, popular majors, student demographics, and graduation rates, these universities cater to different aspirations and learning styles. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to discover which university aligns best with your academic goals and personal preferences.

	Florida Gulf Coast University	Francis Marion University
Overview
Location	Fort Myers, Florida	Florence, South Carolina
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	Suburb: Small
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	82.0%	66.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	89.2%	86.1%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $30 Graduate: $30	Undergraduate: $41 Graduate: $41
SAT range	1010 - 1180	930 - 1120
ACT range	19 - 25	15 - 22
Students submitting SAT score	79.0%	20.0%
Students submitting ACT score	45.0%	19.0%
Total number of applicants	14,462	3,028
Total number of admissions given out	12,901	2,608
Admitted students who chose to enroll	3,125	699
Yield rate	24.2%	26.8%
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: $20,390 Out of state: $39,434	In state: $24,351 Out of state: $34,735
Average net price	$9,840	$13,299
Tuition	In state: $4,191 Out of state: $22,328	In state: $10,384 Out of state: $20,768
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,820 Meal plan: $4,346	$8,230
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	78.0% Average amount $6,754	98.0% Average amount $10,192
Students receiving federal student loan	30.0% Average amount $7,251	59.0% Average amount $5,579
Students taking out private loans	4.0% Average amount $16,201	4.0% Average amount $7,593

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	14,228 Men 42.9% Women 57.1%	3,475 Men 33.3% Women 66.7%
Graduate students	1,681 Men 29.2% Women 70.8%	448 Men 22.8% Women 77.2%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	17.6%	4.4%
International students	2.1%	1.6%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	Suburb: Small
Dormitory capacity	4,732	1,413
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Florida Illinois New Jersey Pennsylvania Ohio	South Carolina North Carolina Florida Georgia Texas

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Multidisciplinary Studies Liberal Arts Education Engineering	Health Professions Education Business Psychology Visual & Performing Arts
Students to faculty ratio	22:1	13:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	56.2%	43.2%
Dropout rate	26.2%	15.9%
Transferred out	13.4%	38.3%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,910 Year 2: $59,722 Year 3: $85,341 Computer Software and Media Applications (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $74,972 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $70,296 Year 3: $73,324 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $66,429 Year 2: $66,821 Year 3: $68,880 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $51,840 Year 2: $59,124 Year 3: $68,095 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $47,707 Year 2: $47,520 Year 3: $65,837 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,279 Year 2: $62,409 Year 3: $64,731 Civil Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $54,799 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $63,963 Biomedical/Medical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $48,944 Year 2: $46,769 Year 3: $59,253 Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $54,874 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $58,083	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $97,582 Year 2: $101,964 Year 3: $110,561 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,618 Year 2: $58,866 Year 3: $60,568 Special Education and Teaching (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $41,080 Year 2: $43,426 Year 3: $47,870 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $38,649 Year 3: $40,311 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $29,861 Year 2: $28,443 Year 3: $34,636 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $25,038 Year 2: $28,598 Year 3: $34,338 Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $25,535 Year 2: $31,314 Year 3: $34,010 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $23,804 Year 2: $28,180 Year 3: $32,997 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,805 Year 2: $30,157 Year 3: $32,022 History (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $22,652 Year 3: $31,548

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