Providence College vs Elon University

Providence College and Elon University, two esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Providence College, a private Catholic university in Rhode Island, boasts a 68% acceptance rate and a student body predominantly comprising White students (73%). Elon University, a private nonsectarian university in North Carolina, has a higher acceptance rate of 73% and a more diverse student body, with White students making up 68% of the population. Both universities offer a wide range of undergraduate programs, with popular majors at Providence College including Business, Biology, and Nursing, while Elon University's popular majors include Business Administration, Communications, and Psychology. While Providence College has a slightly higher graduation rate (86% vs. 84%), Elon University offers a more affordable tuition rate. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover which university better aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Elon University	Providence College
Overview
Location	Elon, North Carolina	Providence, Rhode Island
Campus setting	Suburb: Midsize	City: Midsize
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	4-1-4	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	88.0%	92.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation		Catholic

Admission
Acceptance rate	77.7%	58.0%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $60 Graduate: $60	Undergraduate: $65 Graduate: $65
SAT range	N/A	1120 - 1330
ACT range	N/A	26 - 31
Students submitting SAT score		43.0%
Students submitting ACT score		11.0%
Total number of applicants	17,834	11,129
Total number of admissions given out	13,859	6,453
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,591	1,040
Yield rate	11.5%	16.1%
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	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$55,647	$70,948
Average net price	$40,366	$39,566
Tuition	$38,218	$55,040
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $6,593 Meal plan: $6,829	Room/dormitory: $9,260 Meal plan: $6,800
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	67.0% Average amount $13,677	83.0% Average amount $30,997
Students receiving federal student loan	30.0% Average amount $5,259	52.0% Average amount $5,377
Students taking out private loans	7.0% Average amount $25,192	10.0% Average amount $24,146

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	6,302 Men 40.2% Women 59.8%	4,179 Men 45.3% Women 54.7%
Graduate students	825 Men 36.5% Women 63.5%	492 Men 40.4% Women 59.6%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	80.6%	89.8%
International students	2.0%	1.7%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Midsize	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	4,192	3,560
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	North Carolina New Jersey New York Pennsylvania Virginia	Mississippi New York Connecticut New Jersey Rhode Island

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Legal Profession Health Professions Communication and Journalism Education	Business Education Social Sciences Biological and Biomedical Sciences History
Students to faculty ratio	12:1	11:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	83.3%	89.0%
Dropout rate	16.7%	2.8%
Transferred out	N/A	8.2%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $101,556 Year 2: $104,061 Year 3: $105,320 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $64,803 Year 2: $71,854 Year 3: $78,720 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,320 Year 2: $60,016 Year 3: $77,567 Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $46,276 Year 2: $54,192 Year 3: $77,220 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,564 Year 2: $62,154 Year 3: $76,604 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $68,888 Year 2: $69,629 Year 3: $70,208 Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $50,091 Year 2: $50,022 Year 3: $64,255 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $44,189 Year 3: $59,817 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,293 Year 2: $36,674 Year 3: $58,053 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $44,055 Year 3: $55,617	Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $48,405 Year 2: $64,791 Year 3: $80,089 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $63,824 Year 2: $65,198 Year 3: $79,036 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,761 Year 2: $55,964 Year 3: $75,198 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,900 Year 2: $62,260 Year 3: $70,359 Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $50,440 Year 2: $49,899 Year 3: $63,339 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $52,956 Year 2: $51,722 Year 3: $60,804 Health and Medical Administrative Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $45,573 Year 2: $44,943 Year 3: $57,894 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $45,024 Year 2: $45,383 Year 3: $55,748 History (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $22,583 Year 2: $39,369 Year 3: $53,893 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,317 Year 2: $44,649 Year 3: $52,717

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