Southwestern Adventist University vs Clark Atlanta

Southwestern Adventist University (SWAU) and Clark Atlanta University (CAU) are two distinct institutions of higher learning with unique offerings and characteristics. SWAU, a private Christian university in Keene, Texas, boasts a small, close-knit community with an acceptance rate of 68% and a focus on liberal arts and pre-professional programs. CAU, a private historically Black university in Atlanta, Georgia, offers a diverse student body and a strong emphasis on social justice and community engagement, with an acceptance rate of 58% and a range of undergraduate and graduate programs. While both universities provide quality education, their differences in location, size, and academic offerings make them suitable for different types of students. Explore the comparison table below to discover which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Clark Atlanta University	Southwestern Adventist University
Overview
Location	Atlanta, Georgia	Keene, Texas
Campus setting	City: Large	Town: Fringe
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	70.0%	73.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation	Methodism	Protestant

Admission
Acceptance rate	58.2%	57.5%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $35 Graduate: $40	Undergraduate: $25 Graduate: $25
SAT range	860 - 1053	900 - 1130
ACT range	17 - 20	16 - 25
Students submitting SAT score	19.0%	43.0%
Students submitting ACT score	8.0%	20.0%
Total number of applicants	16,718	1,099
Total number of admissions given out	9,737	632
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,123	132
Yield rate	11.5%	20.9%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$39,446	$35,508
Average net price	$29,739	$18,472
Tuition	$21,308	$22,848
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,874 Meal plan: $4,348	Room/dormitory: $4,050 Meal plan: $4,050
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	86.0% Average amount $8,674	100.0% Average amount $14,820
Students receiving federal student loan	93.0% Average amount $8,385	55.0% Average amount $4,995
Students taking out private loans	3.0% Average amount $9,954	2.0% Average amount $5,902

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	3,390 Men 23.7% Women 76.3%	835 Men 39.6% Women 60.4%
Graduate students	665 Men 27.5% Women 72.5%	17 Men 47.1% Women 52.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	77.9%	N/A
International students	1.1%	2.9%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	Town: Fringe
Dormitory capacity	2,162	400
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Georgia Illinois New York Maryland California	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Communication and Journalism Public Administration and Social Service Biological and Biomedical Sciences Visual & Performing Arts	Health Professions Business Education Psychology Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	18:1	12:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	41.6%	45.4%
Dropout rate	39.7%	13.6%
Transferred out	17.4%	38.3%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Social Work (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $40,378 Year 2: $43,030 Year 3: $47,036 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,161 Year 2: $40,068 Year 3: $43,257 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $24,583 Year 2: $23,649 Year 3: $34,496 Radio, Television, and Digital Communication (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $19,894 Year 2: $24,730 Year 3: $29,620 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $24,229 Year 2: $23,166 Year 3: $28,399 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $23,727 Year 2: $25,405 Year 3: $27,427 Design and Applied Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $19,408 Year 2: $21,781 Year 3: $26,974 Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $24,421 Year 3: $24,839 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $47,925 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $77,566 Year 2: $67,660 Year 3: N/A	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $61,412 Year 2: $66,941 Year 3: $68,651

Compare Similar Colleges

The list of suggested college comparisons provided below is generated automatically by our system, utilizing statistics gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and various online sources. If you don't find the colleges you wish to compare, please visit our comparison page. There, you can search for the specific colleges and initiate your comparison.

Clark Atlanta

Alabama State University