Empire State College vs Walden

SUNY Empire State College and Walden University, both offering flexible and accessible online learning, stand out as prominent choices for higher education. However, they differ in several key aspects. SUNY Empire State College boasts a higher acceptance rate, welcoming a broader range of students, while Walden University maintains a more selective admissions process. In terms of popular majors, SUNY Empire State College excels in liberal arts and sciences, while Walden University specializes in healthcare, business, and education. Additionally, the student body demographics vary, with SUNY Empire State College attracting a more diverse population and Walden University catering to a predominantly female student base. As for graduation rates, Walden University holds an edge, with a higher percentage of students completing their degrees within a specified timeframe. To help you make an informed decision, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison table below, highlighting these differences and more. Explore the table to discover which institution aligns best with your academic goals and preferences.

	SUNY Empire State College	Walden University
Overview
Location	Saratoga Springs, New York	Minneapolis, Minnesota
Campus setting	Suburb: Small	City: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Private (For Profit)
Calendar system	Trimester	Quarter
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	62.0%	25.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	Open Admission	Open Admission
Application fees
SAT range	N/A	N/A
ACT range	N/A	N/A
Students submitting SAT score
Students submitting ACT score
Total number of applicants
Total number of admissions given out
Admitted students who chose to enroll
Yield rate
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	Not required	Not required
High school GPA	N/A	N/A
Recommendation letters	N/A	N/A
High school transcript	N/A	N/A
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	N/A	N/A

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $22,984 Out of state: $32,894	$24,240
Average net price	$11,557	$18,772
Tuition	In state: $7,070 Out of state: $16,980	$11,700
Room & board
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	77.0% Average amount $7,031	100.0% Average amount $5,468
Students receiving federal student loan	52.0% Average amount $6,667
Students taking out private loans	0.0% Average amount $0

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	7,926 Men 36.0% Women 64.0%	7,119 Men 16.1% Women 83.9%
Graduate students	1,536 Men 28.2% Women 71.8%	39,336 Men 18.6% Women 81.4%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	5.2%	N/A
International students	0.6%	1.6%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Small	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	N/A	N/A
First year students are required to live on campus?	N/A	N/A
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	New York Connecticut Florida Mississippi New Jersey	North Carolina Maryland Texas Georgia Ohio

Academics
Popular study areas	Public Administration and Social Service Business Multidisciplinary Studies Health Professions Physical Science	Health Professions Education Public Administration and Social Service Business Psychology
Students to faculty ratio	15:1	14:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	23.7%	N/A
Dropout rate	55.1%	N/A
Transferred out	17.3%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	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	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $114,492 Year 2: $108,649 Year 3: $123,708 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $93,694 Year 2: $94,227 Year 3: $98,267 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $76,573 Year 2: $88,588 Year 3: $91,407 Public Administration (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $77,767 Year 2: $90,412 Year 3: $83,405 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $76,141 Year 2: $77,487 Year 3: $81,477 Education, General (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $71,994 Year 2: $80,219 Year 3: $80,275 Public Health (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $75,638 Year 2: $72,546 Year 3: $71,950 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $64,766 Year 2: $62,012 Year 3: $69,892 Management Information Systems and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $52,969 Year 2: $67,660 Year 3: $69,365 Medical Illustration and Informatics (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $64,492 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $68,414

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