North Central vs Samford

North Central College and Samford University, two esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. North Central, a private liberal arts college in Naperville, Illinois, boasts a 75% acceptance rate and a diverse student body representing 35 states and 25 countries. Samford, a private Christian university in Birmingham, Alabama, has a slightly lower acceptance rate of 68% and a student body primarily from the Southeast. Both institutions excel in academics, with North Central's popular majors including Business, Biology, and Psychology, while Samford's strengths lie in Nursing, Business, and Education. While North Central's graduation rate stands at 78%, Samford's is slightly higher at 82%. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to discover more about these two exceptional institutions and determine which one aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	North Central College	Samford University
Overview
Location	Naperville, Illinois	Birmingham, Alabama
Campus setting	City: Midsize	Suburb: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	4-1-4
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	77.0%	89.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Methodism	Baptist

Admission
Acceptance rate	68.4%	83.9%
Application fees	$25	Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $35
SAT range	1030 - 1230	1100 - 1290
ACT range	22 - 28	23 - 29
Students submitting SAT score	43.0%	22.0%
Students submitting ACT score	17.0%	66.0%
Total number of applicants	4,551	4,217
Total number of admissions given out	3,113	3,537
Admitted students who chose to enroll	512	920
Yield rate	16.4%	26.0%
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	$61,098	$53,100
Average net price	$26,207	$31,871
Tuition	$42,026	$34,410
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,998 Meal plan: $3,890	Room/dormitory: $6,150 Meal plan: $5,110
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $28,670	99.0% Average amount $19,443
Students receiving federal student loan	60.0% Average amount $5,156	31.0% Average amount $5,320
Students taking out private loans	25.0% Average amount $6,992	6.0% Average amount $19,317

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,404 Men 48.4% Women 51.6%	3,607 Men 33.4% Women 66.6%
Graduate students	324 Men 29.3% Women 70.7%	2,151 Men 32.3% Women 67.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	26.8%	73.0%
International students	3.7%	0.8%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	1,333	2,375
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Illinois Wisconsin Indiana Ohio Michigan	Alabama Georgia Tennessee Texas Florida

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Education Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Health Professions Visual & Performing Arts	Health Professions Legal Profession Business Education Family and Consumer Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	13:1	12:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	64.4%	78.9%
Dropout rate	35.1%	20.9%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $52,561 Year 2: $63,501 Year 3: $74,669 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $63,155 Year 2: $62,260 Year 3: $71,061 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $43,815 Year 2: $58,921 Year 3: $66,245 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $54,117 Year 2: $46,478 Year 3: $64,795 Human Resources Management and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,621 Year 2: $45,305 Year 3: $51,292 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,923 Year 2: $43,240 Year 3: $50,109 Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,795 Year 2: $43,000 Year 3: $49,516 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $42,391 Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: $47,721 Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,154 Year 2: $45,584 Year 3: $46,743 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,411 Year 2: $40,441 Year 3: $44,647	Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $109,542 Year 2: $120,880 Year 3: $122,995 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $97,811 Year 2: $99,380 Year 3: $104,909 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $86,528 Year 2: $91,363 Year 3: $88,884 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,304 Year 2: $52,941 Year 3: $67,171 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $56,217 Year 2: $59,124 Year 3: $64,364 Law (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $47,785 Year 2: $48,667 Year 3: $61,547 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $52,967 Year 2: $54,851 Year 3: $57,875 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,355 Year 2: $54,948 Year 3: $54,480 Theological and Ministerial Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $37,947 Year 2: $39,585 Year 3: $46,442 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $44,337 Year 2: $43,638 Year 3: $46,369

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North Central vs Samford

North Central College

Samford University

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Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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