Nichols College vs Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA)

Nichols College and Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) are two distinct institutions offering unique educational experiences. Nichols College, a private business-focused college, boasts a 75% acceptance rate and is renowned for its strong business programs, while MCLA, a public liberal arts college, has a more selective admissions process with a 60% acceptance rate and is known for its well-rounded liberal arts curriculum. Both colleges offer a diverse range of majors, with Nichols specializing in business, management, and accounting, and MCLA excelling in fields such as psychology, English, and history. While Nichols has a predominantly male student body, MCLA has a more balanced gender ratio. Additionally, Nichols boasts a higher graduation rate of 78% compared to MCLA's 65%. To help you make an informed decision, we have compiled a comprehensive comparison table highlighting the key differences between these two institutions. Explore the table to discover which college aligns best with your academic aspirations and

	Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts	Nichols College
Overview
Location	North Adams, Massachusetts	Dudley, Massachusetts
Campus setting	Town: Fringe	Suburb: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	63.0%	74.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	91.0%	84.8%
Application fees	$50
SAT range	N/A	970 - 1160
ACT range	N/A	20 - 26
Students submitting SAT score		13.0%
Students submitting ACT score		2.0%
Total number of applicants	1,371	2,193
Total number of admissions given out	1,247	1,859
Admitted students who chose to enroll	167	316
Yield rate	13.4%	17.0%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $25,928 Out of state: $34,873	$48,400
Average net price	$14,902	$28,184
Tuition	In state: $1,030 Out of state: $9,975	$36,050
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,240 Meal plan: $5,044	$13,950
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	99.0% Average amount $8,496	100.0% Average amount $24,624
Students receiving federal student loan	97.0% Average amount $3,734	93.0% Average amount $6,086
Students taking out private loans	12.0% Average amount $9,492	17.0% Average amount $19,280

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	870 Men 39.2% Women 60.8%	1,207 Men 66.4% Women 33.6%
Graduate students	124 Men 33.1% Women 66.9%	227 Men 65.6% Women 34.4%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	N/A	3.0%
Campus local/setting	Town: Fringe	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	1,020	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 Vermont Connecticut Rhode Island	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Education Computer and Information Science Health Professions Biological and Biomedical Sciences	Business Law Enforcement and Firefighting Communication and Journalism History English Language and Literature
Students to faculty ratio	9:1	16:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	58.4%	57.6%
Dropout rate	41.6%	40.2%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	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	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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Nichols College vs Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA)

Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts

Nichols College

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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