Henderson State vs Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA)

Henderson State University and Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, two distinct institutions of higher learning, offer unique educational experiences to their students. Henderson State, nestled in the heart of Arkadelphia, Arkansas, boasts a higher acceptance rate, making it a more accessible option for aspiring undergraduates. In contrast, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, located in the vibrant city of North Adams, Massachusetts, maintains a lower acceptance rate, ensuring a highly selective and competitive admissions process. While both universities offer a diverse range of academic programs, Henderson State is renowned for its strong programs in business, education, and nursing, while Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts excels in liberal arts and sciences, with a focus on interdisciplinary studies. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to delve into further details about these institutions, including student body demographics, graduation rates, and additional factors that may influence your higher education journey.

	Henderson State University	Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts
Overview
Location	Arkadelphia, Arkansas	North Adams, Massachusetts
Campus setting	Town: Distant	Town: Fringe
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	56.0%	63.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	75.0%	91.0%
Application fees	$25	$50
SAT range	978 - 1151	N/A
ACT range	18 - 24	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	6.0%
Students submitting ACT score	90.0%
Total number of applicants	2,377	1,371
Total number of admissions given out	1,783	1,247
Admitted students who chose to enroll	418	167
Yield rate	23.4%	13.4%
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	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $26,265 Out of state: $28,473	In state: $25,928 Out of state: $34,873
Average net price	$16,233	$14,902
Tuition	In state: $5,880 Out of state: $8,088	In state: $1,030 Out of state: $9,975
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,700 Meal plan: $3,600	Room/dormitory: $7,240 Meal plan: $5,044
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	95.0% Average amount $9,262	99.0% Average amount $8,496
Students receiving federal student loan	71.0% Average amount $5,043	97.0% Average amount $3,734
Students taking out private loans	3.0% Average amount $11,456	12.0% Average amount $9,492

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,228 Men 47.4% Women 52.6%	870 Men 39.2% Women 60.8%
Graduate students	691 Men 22.3% Women 77.7%	124 Men 33.1% Women 66.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	19.2%	N/A
International students	1.5%	N/A
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	Town: Fringe
Dormitory capacity	2,061	1,020
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Arkansas Texas Louisiana Missouri Alabama	Mississippi New York Vermont Connecticut Rhode Island

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Health Professions Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Business Liberal Arts	Business Education Computer and Information Science Health Professions Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	14:1	9:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	37.2%	58.4%
Dropout rate	36.8%	41.6%
Transferred out	20.6%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Business/Commerce, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: $56,726 Business/Commerce, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $32,313 Year 2: $34,420 Year 3: $35,691 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $25,299 Year 2: $25,580 Year 3: $26,653 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $53,587 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $32,827 Year 2: $32,711 Year 3: N/A Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $40,237 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,967 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: N/A Parks, Recreation and Leisure Facilities Management (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $25,338 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $37,225 Year 2: $30,409 Year 3: N/A Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $23,834 Year 2: $28,236 Year 3: N/A	Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,895 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $73,830 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,172 Year 2: $34,467 Year 3: $40,733 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,359 Year 2: $27,181 Year 3: $40,148 Education, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $32,284 Year 3: $35,408 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $24,617 Year 2: $32,569 Year 3: $34,741 Sociology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,798 Year 2: $31,828 Year 3: $32,817 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,438 Year 2: $28,236 Year 3: $32,425 Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,231 Year 2: $29,374 Year 3: $31,158 Education, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $46,032 Year 2: $43,798 Year 3: N/A Visual and Performing Arts, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $20,169 Year 2: $25,194 Year 3: N/A

Compare Similar Colleges

The list of suggested college comparisons provided below is generated automatically by our system, utilizing statistics gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and various online sources. If you don't find the colleges you wish to compare, please visit our comparison page. There, you can search for the specific colleges and initiate your comparison.

Henderson State

Athens State University