Mansfield University vs Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA)

Mansfield University of Pennsylvania and Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, while both offering a rich educational experience, present distinct characteristics that cater to different student preferences. Mansfield, nestled in the scenic mountains of Pennsylvania, boasts a higher acceptance rate, making it a more accessible option for aspiring students. In contrast, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, located in the vibrant city of North Adams, maintains a more selective admissions process. When it comes to academic offerings, Mansfield excels in fields like education, nursing, and social work, while Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts shines in liberal arts and sciences, preparing students for careers in research, law, and public service. Explore the detailed comparison table below to delve into further differences in student demographics, graduation rates, and other crucial factors, helping you make an informed decision about your higher education journey.

	Mansfield University of Pennsylvania	Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts
Overview
Location	Mansfield, Pennsylvania	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	70.0%	63.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	94.4%	91.0%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $25 Graduate: $25	$50
SAT range	970 - 1150	N/A
ACT range	17 - 24	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	34.0%
Students submitting ACT score	3.0%
Total number of applicants	2,036	1,371
Total number of admissions given out	1,922	1,247
Admitted students who chose to enroll	380	167
Yield rate	19.8%	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: $24,236 Out of state: $26,802	In state: $25,928 Out of state: $34,873
Average net price	$13,168	$14,902
Tuition	In state: $7,716 Out of state: $10,032	In state: $1,030 Out of state: $9,975
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $6,600 Meal plan: $4,072	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)	100.0% Average amount $8,863	99.0% Average amount $8,496
Students receiving federal student loan	63.0% Average amount $5,080	97.0% Average amount $3,734
Students taking out private loans	14.0% Average amount $9,655	12.0% Average amount $9,492

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,783 Men 35.7% Women 64.3%	870 Men 39.2% Women 60.8%
Graduate students	13 Men 30.8% Women 69.2%	124 Men 33.1% Women 66.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Low
Out-of-state students	19.5%	N/A
International students	0.8%	N/A
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	Town: Fringe
Dormitory capacity	1,320	1,020
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Pennsylvania New York District of Columbia Delaware Maryland	Mississippi New York Vermont Connecticut Rhode Island

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Liberal Arts Law Enforcement and Firefighting Education Business	Business Education Computer and Information Science Health Professions Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	18:1	9:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	48.9%	58.4%
Dropout rate	21.6%	41.6%
Transferred out	27.6%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $77,715 Year 3: $86,775 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,767 Year 2: $65,784 Year 3: $68,251 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $53,365 Year 2: $55,512 Year 3: $59,060 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,066 Year 2: $48,745 Year 3: $47,596 Geography and Cartography (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,108 Year 2: $33,565 Year 3: $41,581 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $32,083 Year 2: $33,022 Year 3: $41,404 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $26,559 Year 2: $30,080 Year 3: $38,679 Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $31,890 Year 3: $37,467 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,632 Year 2: $32,925 Year 3: $36,810 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,897 Year 2: $31,676 Year 3: $36,261	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

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