Northern Essex Community College (NECC) vs Berkshire CC

Northern Essex Community College and Berkshire Community College, both esteemed institutions of higher learning in Massachusetts, offer unique educational experiences tailored to diverse student aspirations. While they share a commitment to academic excellence and student success, they also possess distinct characteristics that set them apart. Northern Essex, located in the vibrant Merrimack Valley, boasts a higher acceptance rate, making it a more accessible option for students seeking admission. Berkshire, nestled in the picturesque Berkshires, offers a more intimate learning environment with a smaller student body. Both colleges provide a wide range of academic programs, with Northern Essex excelling in fields like Business and Healthcare, and Berkshire specializing in Liberal Arts and Education. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to delve into further details about these institutions, including graduation rates, student demographics, and additional factors that may influence your choice of higher education.

	Berkshire Community College	Northern Essex Community College
Overview
Location	Pittsfield, Massachusetts	Haverhill, Massachusetts
Campus setting	Rural: Fringe	Suburb: Large
College type	2 year	2 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	56.0%	53.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	Open Admission	Open Admission
Application fees
SAT range	N/A	N/A
ACT range	N/A	N/A
Students submitting SAT score
Students submitting ACT score
Total number of applicants
Total number of admissions given out
Admitted students who chose to enroll
Yield rate
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	Not required	Not required
High school GPA	N/A	N/A
Recommendation letters	N/A	N/A
High school transcript	N/A	N/A
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	N/A	N/A

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $22,892 Out of state: $28,920	In state: $22,584 Out of state: $28,368
Average net price	$9,857	$7,753
Tuition	In state: $624 Out of state: $6,652	In state: $600 Out of state: $6,384
Room & board
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	88.0% Average amount $5,846	69.0% Average amount $4,769
Students receiving federal student loan	12.0% Average amount $3,615	13.0% Average amount $3,322
Students taking out private loans	0.0% Average amount $0	1.0% Average amount $6,930

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,453 Men 33.7% Women 66.3%	4,770 Men 34.4% Women 65.6%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	0.1%	0.9%
Campus local/setting	Rural: Fringe	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	N/A	N/A
First year students are required to live on campus?	N/A	N/A
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Mississippi New York Connecticut Vermont	Mississippi New Hampshire Connecticut Florida New York

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Liberal Arts Law Enforcement and Firefighting Education Business	Health Professions Business Liberal Arts Computer and Information Science Law Enforcement and Firefighting
Students to faculty ratio	10:1	20:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	17.4%	14.4%
Dropout rate	61.3%	55.5%
Transferred out	19.4%	11.8%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $59,888 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $65,271 Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $47,729 Year 3: $49,313 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $17,294 Year 2: $22,192 Year 3: $24,898 Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: $35,807 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences, Other (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $32,925 Year 3: N/A	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $59,742 Year 2: $65,905 Year 3: $74,336 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $50,816 Year 2: $53,179 Year 3: $56,134 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $41,228 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $50,699 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $36,616 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $41,881 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $37,962 Year 2: $35,060 Year 3: $38,452 Dental Support Services and Allied Professions (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: $30,206 Year 2: $30,228 Year 3: $35,993 Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $32,036 Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: $33,330 Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $33,770 Year 2: $31,423 Year 3: $31,985 Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $31,763 Year 3: $31,288 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $25,194 Year 3: $30,533

Compare Similar Colleges

The list of suggested college comparisons provided below is generated automatically by our system, utilizing statistics gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and various online sources. If you don't find the colleges you wish to compare, please visit our comparison page. There, you can search for the specific colleges and initiate your comparison.