Northwest-Shoals Community College vs J. F. Drake State Community and Technical College

Northwest-Shoals Community College and J. F. Drake State Community and Technical College, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer diverse educational opportunities to students in Alabama. While they share a commitment to academic excellence, they also possess distinct characteristics that cater to different student needs. Northwest-Shoals boasts a higher acceptance rate, making it a more accessible option for students seeking admission. J. F. Drake, on the other hand, offers a wider range of popular majors, including programs in healthcare, business, and engineering technology. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to delve into further details regarding acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, graduation rates, and more, empowering you to make an informed decision that aligns with your academic aspirations and goals.

	J. F. Drake State Community and Technical College	Northwest-Shoals Community College
Overview
Location	Huntsville, Alabama	Muscle Shoals, Alabama
Campus setting	City: Midsize	City: Small
College type	2 year	2 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	41.0%	65.0%
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: $15,930 Out of state: $19,620	In state: $16,301 Out of state: $19,991
Average net price	$5,746	$3,493
Tuition	In state: $3,690 Out of state: $7,380	In state: $3,690 Out of state: $7,380
Room & board
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	87.0% Average amount $5,540	95.0% Average amount $5,952
Students receiving federal student loan	0.0% Average amount $0	24.0% Average amount $2,779
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $10,000	0.0% Average amount $0

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	872 Men 42.9% Women 57.1%	3,371 Men 43.1% Women 56.9%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	1.0%	1.5%
International students	0.6%	0.6%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	City: Small
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	Alabama District of Columbia	Alabama Tennessee Illinois

Academics
Popular study areas	Engineering Technologies Health Professions Culinary and Personal Services Business Computer and Information Science	Liberal Arts Precision Production Health Professions Construction Trades Engineering Technologies
Students to faculty ratio	12:1	17:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	13.5%	26.0%
Dropout rate	63.5%	39.1%
Transferred out	16.2%	21.9%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $38,906 Year 3: $43,382	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $44,933 Year 2: $43,922 Year 3: $43,540 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $19,388 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $21,522 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A

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J. F. Drake State Community and Technical College

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