Salem State vs Framingham State

Salem State University and Framingham State University, both esteemed public universities in Massachusetts, offer distinct educational experiences. Salem State, located just north of Boston, boasts a higher acceptance rate (83%) compared to Framingham State's 76%. While Framingham State has a slightly larger student body, Salem State's student population is more diverse. Both universities offer a wide range of undergraduate programs, with popular majors including Business, Education, and Psychology. However, Salem State excels in Communication, Visual and Performing Arts, while Framingham State is known for its strong Health Professions and Nursing programs. With comparable graduation rates, both universities provide students with the necessary skills and knowledge to succeed in their chosen fields. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover which university better aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Framingham State University	Salem State University
Overview
Location	Framingham, Massachusetts	Salem, Massachusetts
Campus setting	City: Small	Suburb: Large
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	71.0%	75.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	83.8%	90.0%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $50	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $50
SAT range	990 - 1175	N/A
ACT range	26 - 31	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	13.0%
Students submitting ACT score	1.0%
Total number of applicants	5,117	6,287
Total number of admissions given out	4,288	5,659
Admitted students who chose to enroll	580	939
Yield rate	13.5%	16.6%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $28,000 Out of state: $34,080	In state: $27,123 Out of state: $33,928
Average net price	$16,900	$18,125
Tuition	In state: $970 Out of state: $7,050	In state: $910 Out of state: $7,050
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $9,020 Meal plan: $4,530	$14,590
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	77.0% Average amount $6,756	91.0% Average amount $7,673
Students receiving federal student loan	78.0% Average amount $5,355	67.0% Average amount $4,984
Students taking out private loans	30.0% Average amount $4,561	10.0% Average amount $12,948

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	3,213 Men 43.5% Women 56.5%	5,555 Men 34.5% Women 65.5%
Graduate students	1,282 Men 23.0% Women 77.0%	1,576 Men 21.8% Women 78.2%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	1.1%	2.5%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	1,972	1,928
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Mississippi Connecticut New York Rhode Island New Hampshire	New York New Hampshire Connecticut Rhode Island Vermont

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Business Health Professions Family and Consumer Sciences Social Sciences	Education Health Professions Business Public Administration and Social Service Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	11:1	13:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	50.5%	56.8%
Dropout rate	14.7%	40.8%
Transferred out	33.3%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Business/Commerce, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,315 Year 2: $36,776 Year 3: $44,886 Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,565 Year 2: $37,699 Year 3: $44,671 Criminology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,904 Year 2: $36,488 Year 3: $43,219 Geography and Cartography (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,781 Year 2: $31,673 Year 3: $43,142 Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $24,271 Year 2: $32,569 Year 3: $41,706 Apparel and Textiles (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,281 Year 2: $31,852 Year 3: $41,534 Communications Technologies/Technicians and Support Services, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,313 Year 2: $33,352 Year 3: $40,369 Sociology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $32,803 Year 2: $30,499 Year 3: $39,966 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $35,070 Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: $38,670 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,901 Year 2: $32,925 Year 3: $38,613	Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $50,461 Year 2: $67,660 Year 3: $81,500 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $68,690 Year 2: $69,261 Year 3: $74,129 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $61,511 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $69,206 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $90,183 Year 2: $71,854 Year 3: $64,195 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $59,356 Year 2: $59,124 Year 3: $61,164 Special Education and Teaching (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $47,191 Year 2: $54,855 Year 3: $59,882 Social Work (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $50,049 Year 2: $50,606 Year 3: $53,563 Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $48,859 Year 2: $48,302 Year 3: $52,492 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $47,960 Year 2: $47,729 Year 3: $51,920 Chemistry (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $43,346 Year 2: $45,696 Year 3: $51,685

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Salem State vs Framingham State

Framingham State University

Salem State University

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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