Saint Mary's College of California vs Abilene Christian

Saint Mary's College of California and Abilene Christian University, two distinct institutions with unique offerings, stand ready to shape your academic journey. Saint Mary's, a private Catholic college in Moraga, California, boasts a 75% acceptance rate and a diverse student body, with 40% identifying as students of color. Abilene Christian, a private Christian university in Abilene, Texas, offers a more selective admissions process with a 65% acceptance rate and a predominantly White student population. While both institutions excel in liberal arts education, Saint Mary's emphasizes the humanities and social sciences, while Abilene Christian places a strong focus on faith-based learning. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to delve into further details, including popular majors, graduation rates, and additional factors that will help you make an informed decision about your higher education path.

	Abilene Christian University	Saint Mary's College of California
Overview
Location	Abilene, Texas	Moraga, California
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	79.0%	88.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Churches of Christ	Catholic

Admission
Acceptance rate	70.1%	70.1%
Application fees	$65	Undergraduate: $60 Graduate: $50
SAT range	1050 - 1270	N/A
ACT range	22 - 28	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	35.0%
Students submitting ACT score	28.0%
Total number of applicants	8,208	3,523
Total number of admissions given out	5,755	2,469
Admitted students who chose to enroll	833	421
Yield rate	14.5%	17.1%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not 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	$55,500	$71,116
Average net price	$29,734	$25,022
Tuition	$39,250	$51,568
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,878 Meal plan: $5,750	$16,300
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan Other alternative tuition plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $23,662	100.0% Average amount $37,096
Students receiving federal student loan	53.0% Average amount $5,275	75.0% Average amount $5,473
Students taking out private loans	16.0% Average amount $18,262	3.0% Average amount $19,233

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	3,138 Men 39.2% Women 60.8%	2,199 Men 42.0% Women 58.0%
Graduate students	1,774 Men 28.1% Women 71.9%	966 Men 35.5% Women 64.5%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	14.8%	13.9%
International students	3.3%	2.9%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	2,153	1,522
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Texas Oklahoma California Arizona Tennessee	California Washington Colorado Oregon Hawaii

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Education Business Psychology Kinesiology & Leisure Studies	Education Business Psychology Liberal Arts Kinesiology & Leisure Studies
Students to faculty ratio	13:1	9:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	60.2%	73.1%
Dropout rate	38.8%	26.3%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $60,955 Year 2: $64,068 Year 3: $76,106 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,092 Year 2: $58,522 Year 3: $66,013 Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $60,144 Year 2: $53,358 Year 3: $65,252 Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $54,661 Year 3: $59,374 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $41,079 Year 2: $49,631 Year 3: $53,274 Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $55,118 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $52,550 Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $40,619 Year 2: $39,009 Year 3: $50,422 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,737 Year 2: $44,170 Year 3: $46,207 Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,484 Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: $45,767 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,141 Year 2: $44,747 Year 3: $43,080	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $96,339 Year 2: $108,331 Year 3: $119,946 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $70,181 Year 2: $68,219 Year 3: $87,697 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $94,408 Year 3: $86,536 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $68,207 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $72,426 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,833 Year 2: $61,814 Year 3: $68,615 Business/Commerce, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $52,015 Year 2: $54,996 Year 3: $67,476 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $56,013 Year 2: $57,705 Year 3: $61,957 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $54,519 Year 2: $41,193 Year 3: $60,193 Student Counseling and Personnel Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $57,458 Year 2: $52,562 Year 3: $54,948 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,425 Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: $50,097

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