Meredith College vs Harding University

Meredith College and Harding University, two distinct institutions of higher learning, offer unique educational experiences to their students. Meredith College, a private women's college in Raleigh, North Carolina, boasts a 72% acceptance rate and a focus on liberal arts and sciences. Harding University, a private Christian university in Searcy, Arkansas, has a 58% acceptance rate and emphasizes faith-based education. While both institutions offer a diverse range of undergraduate and graduate programs, Meredith College is known for its strong nursing and education programs, while Harding University excels in fields such as Bible and theology, music, and engineering. Explore the detailed comparison table below to delve into further distinctions between these two esteemed universities, including student body demographics, graduation rates, and additional program offerings, to determine which institution best aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Harding University	Meredith College
Overview
Location	Searcy, Arkansas	Raleigh, North Carolina
Campus setting	Town: Distant	City: Large
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 and Graduate
Students retention rate	84.0%	82.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation	Churches of Christ

Admission
Acceptance rate	54.1%	69.9%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $45	Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $60
SAT range	1050 - 1300	1098 - 1273
ACT range	20 - 28	23 - 29
Students submitting SAT score	23.0%	15.0%
Students submitting ACT score	80.0%	29.0%
Total number of applicants	2,200	1,706
Total number of admissions given out	1,191	1,192
Admitted students who chose to enroll	748	344
Yield rate	62.8%	28.9%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$34,538	$56,034
Average net price	$20,533	$21,717
Tuition	$21,690	$41,104
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,068 Meal plan: $4,658	$12,120
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	97.0% Average amount $12,769	100.0% Average amount $29,442
Students receiving federal student loan	45.0% Average amount $5,607	63.0% Average amount $5,456
Students taking out private loans	6.0% Average amount $12,585	12.0% Average amount $16,787

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	3,684 Men 43.8% Women 56.2%	1,427 Men 0.1% Women 99.9%
Graduate students	1,289 Men 34.0% Women 66.0%	284 Men 11.3% Women 88.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	9.8%
International students	6.2%	1.5%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	2,867	1,163
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	North Carolina Virginia Florida Maryland South Carolina

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Education Business Communication and Journalism Kinesiology & Leisure Studies	Health Professions Business Visual & Performing Arts Family and Consumer Sciences Education
Students to faculty ratio	16:1	10:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	67.2%	68.5%
Dropout rate	31.7%	7.3%
Transferred out	N/A	24.0%
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 Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $73,949 Year 3: $78,785 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $43,798 Year 3: $46,102 Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $43,128 Year 3: $45,966 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $33,114 Year 2: $36,166 Year 3: $39,557 Specialized Sales, Merchandising and Marketing Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $35,060 Year 3: $38,866 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $32,569 Year 3: $38,786 Design and Applied Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,843 Year 2: $35,274 Year 3: $38,313 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $29,141 Year 3: $36,612 Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $29,995 Year 3: $34,856 Special Education and Teaching (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $48,432 Year 3: N/A

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