NSU-Aberdeen vs Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA)

Northern State University and Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, while both offering quality education, present distinct characteristics that cater to different student preferences. Northern State University, located in Aberdeen, South Dakota, boasts a higher acceptance rate, making it a more accessible option for students. In contrast, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts in North Adams, Massachusetts, has a lower acceptance rate, indicating a more selective admissions process. Regarding popular majors, Northern State University excels in fields like Business, Education, and Nursing, while Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts shines in Liberal Arts and Sciences, Social Sciences, and Visual and Performing Arts. Explore the detailed comparison table to delve into further differences, including student body demographics, graduation rates, and additional factors that can help you make an informed decision about your academic journey.

	Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts	Northern State University
Overview
Location	North Adams, Massachusetts	Aberdeen, South Dakota
Campus setting	Town: Fringe	Town: Remote
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	63.0%	68.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	91.0%	79.8%
Application fees	$50	Undergraduate: $20 Graduate: $35
SAT range	N/A	1020 - 1190
ACT range	N/A	18 - 24
Students submitting SAT score		5.0%
Students submitting ACT score		80.0%
Total number of applicants	1,371	1,229
Total number of admissions given out	1,247	981
Admitted students who chose to enroll	167	337
Yield rate	13.4%	34.4%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $25,928 Out of state: $34,873	In state: $23,495 Out of state: $26,597
Average net price	$14,902	$16,821
Tuition	In state: $1,030 Out of state: $9,975	In state: $7,616 Out of state: $10,718
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,240 Meal plan: $5,044	Room/dormitory: $4,800 Meal plan: $4,350
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	89.0% Average amount $5,662
Students receiving federal student loan	97.0% Average amount $3,734	65.0% Average amount $4,850
Students taking out private loans	12.0% Average amount $9,492	10.0% Average amount $9,043

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	870 Men 39.2% Women 60.8%	2,867 Men 40.6% Women 59.4%
Graduate students	124 Men 33.1% Women 66.9%	473 Men 26.6% Women 73.4%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	38.9%
International students	N/A	2.1%
Campus local/setting	Town: Fringe	Town: Remote
Dormitory capacity	1,020	853
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	South Dakota Minnesota North Dakota Iowa Wisconsin

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Education Computer and Information Science Health Professions Biological and Biomedical Sciences	Education Biological and Biomedical Sciences Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Business Liberal Arts
Students to faculty ratio	9:1	16:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	58.4%	47.6%
Dropout rate	41.6%	25.4%
Transferred out	N/A	22.9%
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	Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $49,248 Student Counseling and Personnel Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $44,021 Year 3: $46,732 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $45,902 Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: $46,239 Curriculum and Instruction (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $43,575 Year 3: $45,796 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,996 Year 2: $40,728 Year 3: $45,442 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,033 Year 2: $39,523 Year 3: $39,953 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $32,526 Year 2: $35,060 Year 3: $39,845 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,862 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: N/A English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $20,824 Year 3: N/A Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $38,740 Year 2: $34,526 Year 3: N/A

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NSU-Aberdeen vs Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA)

Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts

Northern State University

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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