Salem State vs Simmons

Salem State University and Simmons University, both located in Massachusetts, offer distinct educational experiences for prospective students. Salem State, a public university, boasts a higher acceptance rate (83%) compared to Simmons' (69%), a private institution. While Salem State's student body is more diverse, with a larger population of male students, Simmons predominantly enrolls female students. In terms of academics, Salem State offers a wider range of undergraduate programs, including popular majors like Business Administration and Psychology, while Simmons focuses on specialized fields such as Nursing and Health Sciences. With comparable graduation rates, both universities provide students with opportunities for success. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more key differences and make an informed decision about which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Salem State University	Simmons University
Overview
Location	Salem, Massachusetts	Boston, Massachusetts
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	City: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	75.0%	86.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	90.0%	83.5%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $50	Undergraduate: $55 Graduate: $56
SAT range	N/A	1140 - 1360
ACT range	N/A	27 - 31
Students submitting SAT score		15.0%
Students submitting ACT score		3.0%
Total number of applicants	6,287	3,516
Total number of admissions given out	5,659	2,937
Admitted students who chose to enroll	939	403
Yield rate	16.6%	13.7%
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	In state: $27,123 Out of state: $33,928	$62,784
Average net price	$18,125	$19,026
Tuition	In state: $910 Out of state: $7,050	$41,872
Room & board	$14,590	$15,892
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	91.0% Average amount $7,673	100.0% Average amount $30,753
Students receiving federal student loan	67.0% Average amount $4,984	65.0% Average amount $5,057
Students taking out private loans	10.0% Average amount $12,948	5.0% Average amount $10,341

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	5,555 Men 34.5% Women 65.5%	1,748 Men 0.0% Women 100.0%
Graduate students	1,576 Men 21.8% Women 78.2%	4,236 Men 11.4% Women 88.6%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	2.5%	0.8%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	1,928	988
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	New York New Hampshire Connecticut Rhode Island Vermont	Mississippi Connecticut Maine New Hampshire New York

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Health Professions Business Public Administration and Social Service Biological and Biomedical Sciences	Health Professions Public Administration and Social Service Library Science Psychology Education
Students to faculty ratio	13:1	9:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	56.8%	70.7%
Dropout rate	40.8%	17.2%
Transferred out	N/A	11.5%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	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	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $99,277 Year 2: $97,241 Year 3: $103,131 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $77,151 Year 2: $71,778 Year 3: $80,723 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $69,272 Year 2: $67,789 Year 3: $71,983 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $69,105 Year 2: $67,740 Year 3: $70,098 Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $60,112 Year 2: $61,751 Year 3: $66,876 Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $50,439 Year 3: $60,411 Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $37,208 Year 3: $56,033 Special Education and Teaching (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $51,859 Year 2: $52,808 Year 3: $55,654 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $45,457 Year 2: $48,198 Year 3: $53,806 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $55,286 Year 3: $53,595

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