Salem State vs Maine USM

Salem State University and the University of Southern Maine, both esteemed public universities in the Northeast, offer distinct educational experiences. Salem State, located just north of Boston, boasts a higher acceptance rate, making it a more accessible option for students. In contrast, the University of Southern Maine, situated in Portland, Maine, has a lower acceptance rate, indicating a more selective admissions process. While Salem State excels in fields like nursing, education, and business, the University of Southern Maine shines in areas such as engineering, computer science, and marine sciences. Both universities boast diverse student bodies, with Salem State having a slightly larger population. When it comes to graduation rates, Salem State has a higher percentage of students completing their degrees within six years. To help you make an informed decision, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison table below, highlighting key differences between these two institutions. Explore the data and discover which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Salem State University	University of Southern Maine
Overview
Location	Salem, Massachusetts	Portland, Maine
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	City: Small
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	75.0%	65.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	90.0%	87.0%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $50
SAT range	N/A	995 - 1230
ACT range	N/A	19 - 24
Students submitting SAT score		18.0%
Students submitting ACT score		1.0%
Total number of applicants	6,287	5,397
Total number of admissions given out	5,659	4,695
Admitted students who chose to enroll	939	895
Yield rate	16.6%	19.1%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Not 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	In state: $23,842 Out of state: $37,842
Average net price	$18,125	$9,793
Tuition	In state: $910 Out of state: $7,050	In state: $8,064 Out of state: $22,064
Room & board	$14,590	Room/dormitory: $5,460 Meal plan: $4,980
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	91.0% Average amount $7,673	92.0% Average amount $8,886
Students receiving federal student loan	67.0% Average amount $4,984	45.0% Average amount $4,969
Students taking out private loans	10.0% Average amount $12,948	6.0% Average amount $10,975

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	5,555 Men 34.5% Women 65.5%	5,956 Men 40.6% Women 59.4%
Graduate students	1,576 Men 21.8% Women 78.2%	2,040 Men 25.3% Women 74.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	23.4%
International students	2.5%	1.2%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	1,928	1,189
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	Maine New Hampshire Mississippi Vermont Connecticut

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

Outcome
Graduation rate	56.8%	34.5%
Dropout rate	40.8%	33.0%
Transferred out	N/A	30.0%
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: $97,041 Year 2: $95,169 Year 3: $100,726 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,660 Year 2: $61,728 Year 3: $71,074 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $52,579 Year 2: $55,594 Year 3: $65,574 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,254 Year 2: $57,422 Year 3: $60,602 Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,123 Year 2: $50,231 Year 3: $55,627 Public Policy Analysis (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $49,644 Year 3: $54,835 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $45,681 Year 2: $45,852 Year 3: $51,356 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $43,716 Year 2: $51,690 Year 3: $50,246 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $42,148 Year 2: $45,767 Year 3: $49,334 Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,098 Year 2: $41,342 Year 3: $48,118

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Salem State vs Maine USM

Salem State University

University of Southern Maine

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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