San Diego State University (SDSU) vs UMass Lowell

San Diego State University (SDSU) and University of Massachusetts-Lowell (UMass-Lowell) are two distinct universities with unique offerings. SDSU, located in the vibrant city of San Diego, California, boasts a diverse student body and a wide range of academic programs, including popular majors like business, engineering, and psychology. UMass-Lowell, situated in the historic city of Lowell, Massachusetts, is known for its strong engineering, computer science, and nursing programs, and offers a more intimate learning environment with a smaller student body. While both universities offer excellent educational opportunities, their acceptance rates, student demographics, and graduation rates vary, making it essential for prospective students to delve into the comparison table to find the institution that best aligns with their academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	San Diego State University	University of Massachusetts-Lowell
Overview
Location	San Diego, California	Lowell, Massachusetts
Campus setting	City: Large	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	90.0%	82.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	37.9%	84.6%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $70	Undergraduate: $60 Graduate: $50
SAT range	N/A	1170 - 1340
ACT range	N/A	25 - 32
Students submitting SAT score		26.0%
Students submitting ACT score		2.0%
Total number of applicants	67,660	12,493
Total number of admissions given out	25,646	10,565
Admitted students who chose to enroll	5,269	1,907
Yield rate	20.5%	18.1%
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)	Not required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $28,256 Out of state: $40,136	In state: $24,672 Out of state: $42,598
Average net price	$6,867	$13,227
Tuition	In state: $5,742 Out of state: $17,622	In state: $15,078 Out of state: $33,004
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $12,824 Meal plan: $6,344	Room/dormitory: $8,500 Meal plan: $5,070
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	47.0% Average amount $9,026	78.0% Average amount $10,449
Students receiving federal student loan	18.0% Average amount $5,015	59.0% Average amount $5,148
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $21,638	5.0% Average amount $10,989

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	31,321 Men 43.1% Women 56.9%	12,884 Men 58.6% Women 41.4%
Graduate students	5,163 Men 35.9% Women 64.1%	4,713 Men 53.7% Women 46.3%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	24.2%	N/A
International students	5.5%	5.8%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	6,514	4,787
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	California Washington Colorado Texas New Jersey	Mississippi New Hampshire New York New Jersey Pennsylvania

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Engineering Education Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Business	Business Engineering Health Professions Computer and Information Science Law Enforcement and Firefighting
Students to faculty ratio	26:1	18:1
Institutional accreditation	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission	New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	76.2%	69.0%
Dropout rate	20.5%	28.0%
Transferred out	1.4%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $84,200 Year 2: $68,499 Year 3: $87,104 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $89,225 Year 2: $87,377 Year 3: $85,451 Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $61,870 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $80,004 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $65,965 Year 2: $65,089 Year 3: $79,350 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $72,385 Year 2: $69,757 Year 3: $78,880 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,997 Year 2: $66,318 Year 3: $76,755 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $74,008 Year 2: $71,575 Year 3: $75,680 Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $71,000 Year 2: $70,456 Year 3: $75,014 Civil Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,495 Year 2: $62,317 Year 3: $73,021 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $52,099 Year 2: $67,995 Year 3: $72,884	Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $73,995 Year 2: $71,575 Year 3: $92,580 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $71,575 Year 3: $90,960 Mechanical Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $81,072 Year 2: $74,576 Year 3: $89,338 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $81,208 Year 2: $71,854 Year 3: $88,920 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $97,889 Year 2: $78,612 Year 3: $88,135 Chemical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,760 Year 2: $63,501 Year 3: $77,826 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $51,707 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $77,121 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $69,655 Year 2: $66,989 Year 3: $74,462 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $67,655 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $73,578 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,402 Year 2: $60,623 Year 3: $73,430

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