Empire State College vs Liberty University

SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University, two distinct institutions of higher learning, offer unique educational experiences to students with diverse backgrounds and aspirations. SUNY Empire State College, a public institution, stands out for its open admissions policy, allowing almost anyone to pursue higher education. In contrast, Liberty University, a private Christian university, has a more selective admissions process. While both institutions offer a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs, SUNY Empire State College emphasizes flexible learning options, including online and hybrid courses, catering to non-traditional students with busy schedules. Liberty University, on the other hand, provides a traditional on-campus experience with a strong emphasis on Christian values and community engagement. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more about the acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, graduation rates, and other key differences between these two institutions, helping you make an informed decision about your academic journey.

	Liberty University	SUNY Empire State College
Overview
Location	Lynchburg, Virginia	Saratoga Springs, New York
Campus setting	City: Small	Suburb: Small
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Trimester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	79.0%	62.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation	Evangelical

Admission
Acceptance rate	99.3%	Open Admission
Application fees	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $50
SAT range	N/A	N/A
ACT range	N/A	N/A
Students submitting SAT score
Students submitting ACT score
Total number of applicants	28,448
Total number of admissions given out	28,244
Admitted students who chose to enroll	5,461
Yield rate	19.3%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	Not required
High school GPA	Required	N/A
Recommendation letters	Not required	N/A
High school transcript	Not required	N/A
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	N/A

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$42,620	In state: $22,984 Out of state: $32,894
Average net price	$27,891	$11,557
Tuition	$21,663	In state: $7,070 Out of state: $16,980
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $6,150 Meal plan: $4,560
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	89.0% Average amount $12,431	77.0% Average amount $7,031
Students receiving federal student loan	52.0% Average amount $5,619	52.0% Average amount $6,667
Students taking out private loans	9.0% Average amount $17,351	0.0% Average amount $0

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	47,696 Men 43.0% Women 57.0%	7,926 Men 36.0% Women 64.0%
Graduate students	47,013 Men 38.7% Women 61.3%	1,536 Men 28.2% Women 71.8%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	76.0%	5.2%
International students	0.7%	0.6%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	Suburb: Small
Dormitory capacity	8,222	N/A
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	N/A
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Virginia North Carolina Pennsylvania Texas Florida	New York Connecticut Florida Mississippi New Jersey

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Business Health Professions Psychology Theology	Public Administration and Social Service Business Multidisciplinary Studies Health Professions Physical Science
Students to faculty ratio	17:1	15:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	62.1%	23.7%
Dropout rate	30.2%	55.1%
Transferred out	5.6%	17.3%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Intelligence, Command Control and Information Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $84,316 Year 2: $62,012 Year 3: $91,964 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $80,385 Year 2: $80,964 Year 3: $87,831 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $52,657 Year 2: $68,219 Year 3: $77,205 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,410 Year 2: $72,022 Year 3: $73,900 Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,556 Year 2: $51,106 Year 3: $65,313 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,731 Year 2: $62,936 Year 3: $64,580 Business/Commerce, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,576 Year 2: $57,705 Year 3: $62,807 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $60,423 Year 2: $57,714 Year 3: $62,225 Pastoral Counseling and Specialized Ministries (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: $40,885 Year 2: $56,415 Year 3: $62,169 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $58,240 Year 2: $59,895 Year 3: $61,052	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $78,762 Year 2: $89,879 Year 3: $93,382 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $71,395 Year 2: $69,897 Year 3: $70,379 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: $65,898 Year 2: $62,012 Year 3: $62,244 Public Administration and Social Service Professions, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $49,562 Year 2: $47,260 Year 3: $60,601 Biological and Physical Sciences (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $52,259 Year 2: $45,852 Year 3: $53,584 Business/Commerce, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $46,983 Year 2: $48,041 Year 3: $51,197 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $42,742 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $42,796 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $40,935 English Language and Literature/Letters, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $29,680 Year 2: $41,937 Year 3: $40,271 Community Organization and Advocacy (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,496 Year 2: $36,387 Year 3: $38,150

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Empire State College vs Liberty University

Liberty University

SUNY Empire State College

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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