Southern Wesleyan University (SWU) vs Bluffton University

Southern Wesleyan University and Bluffton University, both private institutions with distinct characteristics, offer unique educational experiences to their students. Southern Wesleyan, located in Central, South Carolina, boasts a higher acceptance rate (75%) compared to Bluffton's (68%). While Bluffton, nestled in Bluffton, Ohio, has a slightly smaller student body, it offers a wider range of undergraduate programs, including popular majors like Business, Education, and Nursing. Southern Wesleyan, on the other hand, excels in fields such as Psychology, Religion, and Social Work. Explore the detailed comparison table below to delve into further differences, including student demographics, graduation rates, and additional program offerings, to determine which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Bluffton University	Southern Wesleyan University
Overview
Location	Bluffton, Ohio	Central, South Carolina
Campus setting	Town: Distant	Suburb: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	69.0%	72.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation	Anabaptists	Methodism

Admission
Acceptance rate	75.2%	56.6%
Application fees		Undergraduate: $25 Graduate: $25
SAT range	N/A	980 - 1168
ACT range	N/A	18 - 24
Students submitting SAT score		45.0%
Students submitting ACT score		36.0%
Total number of applicants	1,715	749
Total number of admissions given out	1,290	424
Admitted students who chose to enroll	242	163
Yield rate	18.8%	38.4%
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)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$49,282	$35,643
Average net price	$21,239	$19,479
Tuition	$33,952	$25,748
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,586 Meal plan: $5,760	Room/dormitory: $4,234 Meal plan: $5,018
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $28,155	100.0% Average amount $18,506
Students receiving federal student loan	86.0% Average amount $6,199	68.0% Average amount $5,469
Students taking out private loans	10.0% Average amount $12,485	12.0% Average amount $8,327

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	728 Men 54.9% Women 45.1%	1,043 Men 33.9% Women 66.1%
Graduate students	63 Men 33.3% Women 66.7%	257 Men 20.2% Women 79.8%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	2.5%	1.2%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	740	570
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Education Family and Consumer Sciences Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Law Enforcement and Firefighting	Business Education Liberal Arts Family and Consumer Sciences Public Administration and Social Service
Students to faculty ratio	12:1	13:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	52.5%	52.1%
Dropout rate	47.0%	47.9%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $60,827 Year 2: $57,995 Year 3: $68,178 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,964 Year 2: $39,153 Year 3: $50,139 Social Work (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $33,857 Year 2: $33,637 Year 3: $39,034 Human Resources Management and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $45,393 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $36,862 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,983 Year 2: $36,077 Year 3: $36,226 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $35,237 Year 2: $28,598 Year 3: $33,873 Special Education and Teaching (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,382 Year 2: $35,060 Year 3: N/A Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: N/A	Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $48,550 Year 2: $53,045 Year 3: $55,845 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $43,273 Year 2: $44,021 Year 3: $48,165 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,512 Year 2: $46,556 Year 3: $47,813 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $61,583 Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: $44,880 Human Resources Management and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $52,637 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $43,594 Human Services, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,018 Year 2: $30,771 Year 3: $34,205 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $18,309 Year 3: N/A Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $33,561 Year 2: $28,598 Year 3: N/A Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $33,138 Year 3: N/A Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,120 Year 2: $24,035 Year 3: N/A

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