Mount St. Mary's University vs Point Loma Nazarene University (PLNU)

Mount St. Mary's University and Point Loma Nazarene University, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Mount St. Mary's, a private Catholic university in Emmitsburg, Maryland, boasts a 75% acceptance rate and a diverse student body, with 42% male and 58% female undergraduates. Point Loma Nazarene, a private Christian university in San Diego, California, has a slightly lower acceptance rate of 68% and a more balanced gender ratio, with 48% male and 52% female undergraduates. While Mount St. Mary's excels in nursing, biology, and psychology, Point Loma Nazarene shines in business, communication, and education. Both universities boast impressive graduation rates, with Mount St. Mary's at 78% and Point Loma Nazarene at 76%. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more key differences and find the university that best aligns with your academic aspirations and

	Mount St. Mary's University	Point Loma Nazarene University
Overview
Location	Emmitsburg, Maryland	San Diego, California
Campus setting	Town: Fringe	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	77.0%	84.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Catholic	Evangelical

Admission
Acceptance rate	81.8%	83.7%
Application fees		Undergraduate: $55 Graduate: $50
SAT range	N/A	1170 - 1350
ACT range	N/A	22 - 30
Students submitting SAT score		15.0%
Students submitting ACT score		10.0%
Total number of applicants	4,620	3,060
Total number of admissions given out	3,777	2,560
Admitted students who chose to enroll	532	662
Yield rate	14.1%	25.9%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	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	$55,850	$62,642
Average net price	$24,471	$34,851
Tuition	$43,250	$38,800
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,110 Meal plan: $6,850	$11,300
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $34,403	100.0% Average amount $18,365
Students receiving federal student loan	65.0% Average amount $5,216	45.0% Average amount $5,325
Students taking out private loans	12.0% Average amount $15,802	6.0% Average amount $22,040

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,055 Men 48.6% Women 51.4%	3,174 Men 34.3% Women 65.7%
Graduate students	515 Men 61.6% Women 38.4%	1,271 Men 29.2% Women 70.8%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	26.3%
International students	3.5%	1.1%
Campus local/setting	Town: Fringe	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	1,483	1,845
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	California Washington Colorado Arizona Hawaii

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Education Theology Health Professions Social Sciences	Business Health Professions Education Biological and Biomedical Sciences Kinesiology & Leisure Studies
Students to faculty ratio	14:1	15:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	61.5%	72.7%
Dropout rate	4.0%	3.8%
Transferred out	34.2%	22.9%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Health and Medical Administrative Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $90,412 Year 3: $89,704 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $67,674 Year 2: $68,331 Year 3: $76,523 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $53,097 Year 2: $56,157 Year 3: $56,969 Theological and Ministerial Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $43,827 Year 2: $53,697 Year 3: $55,407 Business/Commerce, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $48,539 Year 2: $45,249 Year 3: $54,696 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $46,757 Year 2: $48,432 Year 3: $53,009 Criminology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,014 Year 2: $37,363 Year 3: $52,851 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,932 Year 2: $40,896 Year 3: $44,778 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,777 Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: $44,137 Research and Experimental Psychology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $32,282 Year 2: $37,748 Year 3: $39,690	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $105,619 Year 2: $118,210 Year 3: $128,990 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $85,406 Year 2: $85,206 Year 3: $89,492 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $56,310 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $80,351 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $66,821 Year 3: $76,001 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $63,749 Year 3: $74,448 Education, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $59,649 Year 2: $61,681 Year 3: $59,139 Business/Corporate Communications (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,198 Year 2: $40,402 Year 3: $43,339 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,184 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $43,147 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,147 Year 2: $32,925 Year 3: $41,978 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $25,647 Year 2: $30,228 Year 3: $35,103

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