Southwestern University vs Rice University

Southwestern University and Rice University, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Southwestern, a liberal arts college nestled in Georgetown, Texas, boasts a tight-knit community and an acceptance rate of 68%. Rice, a research university located in Houston, Texas, is renowned for its academic rigor and an acceptance rate of 10%. While Southwestern's popular majors include psychology, business, and biology, Rice students commonly pursue engineering, computer science, and economics. Southwestern's student body is predominantly female (56%), while Rice's is more evenly balanced (50% male, 50% female). Both universities boast impressive graduation rates, with Southwestern at 82% and Rice at 94%. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more distinctions and determine which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Rice University	Southwestern University
Overview
Location	Houston, Texas	Georgetown, Texas
Campus setting	City: Large	City: Small
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
Students retention rate	97.0%	81.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation		Methodism

Admission
Acceptance rate	9.5%	51.0%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $75 Graduate: $85
SAT range	1490 - 1570	1150 - 1330
ACT range	34 - 35	25 - 31
Students submitting SAT score	46.0%	39.0%
Students submitting ACT score	29.0%	23.0%
Total number of applicants	29,544	4,757
Total number of admissions given out	2,802	2,428
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,226	355
Yield rate	43.8%	14.6%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$71,745	$63,000
Average net price	$18,521	$28,496
Tuition	$52,070	$46,800
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $10,100 Meal plan: $4,700	Room/dormitory: $6,600 Meal plan: $5,400
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	61.0% Average amount $51,036	100.0% Average amount $30,548
Students receiving federal student loan	9.0% Average amount $4,982	57.0% Average amount $5,466
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $24,340	11.0% Average amount $13,464

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	4,247 Men 51.5% Women 48.5%	1,504 Men 46.3% Women 53.7%
Graduate students	4,038 Men 63.9% Women 36.1%	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	56.1%	13.4%
International students	25.5%	1.0%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	3,533	1,107
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Texas California New York Florida Illinois	Texas California Illinois New Mexico Colorado

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Engineering Computer and Information Science Social Sciences Physical Science	Biological and Biomedical Sciences Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Computer and Information Science Physical Science Education
Students to faculty ratio	6:1	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	92.3%	73.5%
Dropout rate	6.9%	6.1%
Transferred out	N/A	20.3%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $122,770 Year 2: $129,481 Year 3: $145,256 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $128,659 Year 2: $127,993 Year 3: $134,258 Chemical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $78,801 Year 2: $83,915 Year 3: $92,763 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $87,989 Year 2: $72,884 Year 3: $81,590 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $70,400 Year 2: $68,219 Year 3: $76,594 History (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $49,840 Year 3: $61,295 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $50,231 Year 3: $59,421 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,232 Year 2: $35,060 Year 3: $52,284 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,009 Year 2: $46,087 Year 3: $46,363 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,474 Year 2: $30,119 Year 3: $45,615	Business/Commerce, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $45,975 Year 2: $48,432 Year 3: $65,420 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $32,721 Year 2: $32,925 Year 3: $43,894 Education, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $47,033 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $33,194 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $25,091 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $33,504 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $25,962 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A

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