Harding University vs Philander Smith College

Harding University and Philander Smith College, two distinct institutions of higher learning, offer unique educational experiences to their students. Harding University, a private Christian university in Searcy, Arkansas, boasts a low acceptance rate of 58%, indicating its selectivity in admissions. Philander Smith College, a private historically Black college in Little Rock, Arkansas, has a higher acceptance rate of 80%, making it more accessible to a broader range of students. Both universities offer a variety of popular majors, with Harding University excelling in fields like nursing, business, and education, while Philander Smith College is known for its strengths in social sciences, humanities, and natural sciences. Explore the detailed comparison table below to delve into further differences, including student body demographics, graduation rates, and other key factors, to determine which institution best aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Harding University	Philander Smith College
Overview
Location	Searcy, Arkansas	Little Rock, Arkansas
Campus setting	Town: Distant	City: Midsize
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	84.0%	55.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation	Churches of Christ	Methodism

Admission
Acceptance rate	54.1%	Open Admission
Application fees	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $45	$25
SAT range	1050 - 1300	N/A
ACT range	20 - 28	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	23.0%
Students submitting ACT score	80.0%
Total number of applicants	2,200
Total number of admissions given out	1,191
Admitted students who chose to enroll	748
Yield rate	62.8%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	N/A
Recommendation letters	Required	N/A
High school transcript	Not required	N/A
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	N/A

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$34,538	$31,724
Average net price	$20,533	$14,396
Tuition	$21,690	$11,804
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,068 Meal plan: $4,658	Room/dormitory: $5,192 Meal plan: $3,058
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	97.0% Average amount $12,769	98.0% Average amount $11,505
Students receiving federal student loan	45.0% Average amount $5,607	57.0% Average amount $5,451
Students taking out private loans	6.0% Average amount $12,585	0.0% Average amount $0

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	3,684 Men 43.8% Women 56.2%	710 Men 36.1% Women 63.9%
Graduate students	1,289 Men 34.0% Women 66.0%	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	6.2%	5.4%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	2,867	522
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Education Business Communication and Journalism Kinesiology & Leisure Studies	Business Biological and Biomedical Sciences Psychology Law Enforcement and Firefighting Social Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	16:1	12:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	67.2%	28.2%
Dropout rate	31.7%	68.8%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Health/Medical Preparatory Programs (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $117,748 Year 2: $124,539 Year 3: $127,639 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $101,011 Year 2: $106,978 Year 3: $105,028 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $56,933 Year 2: $67,101 Year 3: $88,179 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $69,415 Year 2: $68,618 Year 3: $71,365 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $72,335 Year 2: $66,104 Year 3: $69,942 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,533 Year 2: $58,673 Year 3: $67,054 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $53,156 Year 2: $52,733 Year 3: $65,082 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,219 Year 2: $57,047 Year 3: $64,125 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $48,088 Year 2: $58,221 Year 3: $62,592 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $50,124 Year 2: $52,941 Year 3: $60,778	Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,677 Year 2: $46,087 Year 3: $34,628 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $23,231 Year 2: $25,194 Year 3: $28,884 Biological and Physical Sciences (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $25,774 Year 3: N/A Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $20,140 Year 3: N/A

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Harding University vs Philander Smith College

Harding University

Philander Smith College

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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