Nichols College vs Brandeis

Nichols College and Brandeis University, two distinct institutions of higher learning, offer unique educational experiences to their students. Nichols College, a private business-focused college in Dudley, Massachusetts, boasts a 90% acceptance rate and a student body of around 2,000 undergraduates. In contrast, Brandeis University, a private research university in Waltham, Massachusetts, has a more selective admissions process with a 33% acceptance rate and a larger student body of over 3,600 undergraduates. While Nichols College excels in business-related programs, Brandeis University offers a wider range of majors, including liberal arts, sciences, and social sciences. Both institutions offer a vibrant campus life and opportunities for personal and professional growth, but their distinct characteristics cater to different student preferences and aspirations. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover which institution aligns best with your academic goals and personal preferences.

	Brandeis University	Nichols College
Overview
Location	Waltham, Massachusetts	Dudley, Massachusetts
Campus setting	City: Small	Suburb: 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	91.0%	74.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	39.1%	84.8%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $80 Graduate: $75
SAT range	1370 - 1530	970 - 1160
ACT range	31 - 34	20 - 26
Students submitting SAT score	40.0%	13.0%
Students submitting ACT score	17.0%	2.0%
Total number of applicants	9,796	2,193
Total number of admissions given out	3,834	1,859
Admitted students who chose to enroll	943	316
Yield rate	24.6%	17.0%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$75,006	$48,400
Average net price	$35,147	$28,184
Tuition	$59,408	$36,050
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $9,380 Meal plan: $7,070	$13,950
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	83.0% Average amount $29,119	100.0% Average amount $24,624
Students receiving federal student loan	26.0% Average amount $3,948	93.0% Average amount $6,086
Students taking out private loans	3.0% Average amount $22,397	17.0% Average amount $19,280

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	3,591 Men 40.5% Women 59.5%	1,207 Men 66.4% Women 33.6%
Graduate students	1,967 Men 43.5% Women 56.5%	227 Men 65.6% Women 34.4%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	25.4%	3.0%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	2,950	890
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Mississippi New York New Jersey California Connecticut	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Social Sciences Business Biological and Biomedical Sciences Mathematics and Statistics Computer and Information Science	Business Law Enforcement and Firefighting Communication and Journalism History English Language and Literature
Students to faculty ratio	10:1	16:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	87.5%	57.6%
Dropout rate	4.5%	40.2%
Transferred out	7.2%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $84,340 Year 2: $80,309 Year 3: $101,400 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $66,678 Year 2: $72,214 Year 3: $85,160 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $55,105 Year 2: $66,401 Year 3: $70,790 Economics (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $50,731 Year 2: $55,840 Year 3: $64,826 Business/Commerce, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,010 Year 2: $54,192 Year 3: $63,166 Public Policy Analysis (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $46,126 Year 2: $55,286 Year 3: $59,597 Anthropology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $32,925 Year 3: $49,902 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,983 Year 2: $44,356 Year 3: $49,523 History (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,142 Year 2: $37,208 Year 3: $47,023 Sociology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,477 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $46,669	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $62,056 Year 2: $65,387 Year 3: $77,370 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $45,536 Year 2: $48,432 Year 3: $56,807 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $52,425 Year 2: $50,717 Year 3: $55,404 Business/Commerce, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,838 Year 2: $45,956 Year 3: $54,161 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $48,403 Year 2: $51,169 Year 3: $53,268 Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,212 Year 2: $46,478 Year 3: $52,702 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,724 Year 2: $39,729 Year 3: $45,965 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $25,742 Year 2: $35,060 Year 3: $40,471 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: N/A Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $63,128 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A

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