Furman University vs Birmingham-Southern College

Furman University and Birmingham-Southern College, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Furman, located in Greenville, South Carolina, boasts a higher acceptance rate (72%) compared to Birmingham-Southern's 63% in Birmingham, Alabama. While Furman's student body is predominantly white (74%), Birmingham-Southern fosters a more diverse community with a higher percentage of African American (16%) and Hispanic (10%) students. Both universities excel in liberal arts education, with popular majors including Business, Biology, and Psychology. However, Furman's graduation rate (85%) slightly surpasses Birmingham-Southern's 79%. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover further distinctions and determine which institution aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Birmingham-Southern College	Furman University
Overview
Location	Birmingham, Alabama	Greenville, South Carolina
Campus setting	City: Midsize	Suburb: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	4-1-4	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	78.0%	91.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Methodism

Admission
Acceptance rate	65.9%	71.4%
Application fees	$50	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $55
SAT range	1090 - 1240	1240 - 1422
ACT range	22 - 28	29 - 33
Students submitting SAT score	7.0%	26.0%
Students submitting ACT score	54.0%	29.0%
Total number of applicants	2,461	7,174
Total number of admissions given out	1,622	5,119
Admitted students who chose to enroll	244	656
Yield rate	15.0%	12.8%
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)	Not required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$33,790	$69,880
Average net price	$22,888	$33,999
Tuition	$18,850	$52,992
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,900 Meal plan: $5,650	Room/dormitory: $7,496 Meal plan: $6,202
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	97.0% Average amount $10,781	96.0% Average amount $33,191
Students receiving federal student loan	79.0% Average amount $3,074	28.0% Average amount $5,170
Students taking out private loans	6.0% Average amount $13,570	5.0% Average amount $20,783

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,058 Men 48.7% Women 51.3%	2,307 Men 40.1% Women 59.9%
Graduate students	N/A	156 Men 20.5% Women 79.5%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	38.4%	67.8%
International students	1.5%	3.3%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	1,418	2,406
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Alabama Georgia Tennessee Florida Texas	South Carolina Georgia North Carolina Florida Texas

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Psychology Business Computer and Information Science Education	Education Biological and Biomedical Sciences Social Sciences Visual & Performing Arts Health Professions
Students to faculty ratio	10:1	9:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	69.8%	81.9%
Dropout rate	4.8%	2.4%
Transferred out	24.7%	15.7%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,374 Year 2: $33,993 Year 3: $50,065 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $23,048 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $23,580 Year 2: $26,933 Year 3: N/A	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $47,571 Year 2: $47,260 Year 3: $56,414 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,227 Year 2: $40,140 Year 3: $52,939 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,108 Year 2: $36,668 Year 3: $50,384 Educational Administration and Supervision (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: $61,615 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $37,568 Year 3: N/A English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $35,060 Year 3: N/A Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $14,357 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Religion/Religious Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $33,993 Year 3: N/A Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $24,821 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: N/A

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