Towson vs Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU)

Towson University and Florida Gulf Coast University, located in Maryland and Florida respectively, offer distinct educational experiences for prospective students. Towson, a public research university, boasts a higher acceptance rate (83%) compared to Florida Gulf Coast's 58%. Both universities offer a diverse range of undergraduate programs, with Towson excelling in fields like Business, Education, and Nursing, while Florida Gulf Coast shines in disciplines such as Business, Engineering, and Health Professions. Towson's student body is more diverse, with a higher percentage of international students and a larger population of undergraduate students. In terms of graduation rates, Florida Gulf Coast has a slight edge, with a 6-year graduation rate of 63% compared to Towson's 60%. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more key differences and make an informed decision about which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Florida Gulf Coast University	Towson University
Overview
Location	Fort Myers, Florida	Towson, Maryland
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	City: Small
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	82.0%	85.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	89.2%	87.9%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $30 Graduate: $30	Undergraduate: $45 Graduate: $45
SAT range	1010 - 1180	1040 - 1220
ACT range	19 - 25	21 - 26
Students submitting SAT score	79.0%	28.0%
Students submitting ACT score	45.0%	3.0%
Total number of applicants	14,462	11,616
Total number of admissions given out	12,901	10,213
Admitted students who chose to enroll	3,125	2,592
Yield rate	24.2%	25.4%
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	In state: $20,390 Out of state: $39,434	In state: $28,126 Out of state: $43,178
Average net price	$9,840	$11,076
Tuition	In state: $4,191 Out of state: $22,328	In state: $7,100 Out of state: $22,152
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,820 Meal plan: $4,346	Room/dormitory: $7,632 Meal plan: $6,650
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	78.0% Average amount $6,754	73.0% Average amount $9,261
Students receiving federal student loan	30.0% Average amount $7,251	42.0% Average amount $5,098
Students taking out private loans	4.0% Average amount $16,201	5.0% Average amount $15,576

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	14,228 Men 42.9% Women 57.1%	17,907 Men 40.5% Women 59.5%
Graduate students	1,681 Men 29.2% Women 70.8%	2,949 Men 22.9% Women 77.1%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	17.6%	10.6%
International students	2.1%	1.7%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	4,732	5,351
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Florida Illinois New Jersey Pennsylvania Ohio	Maryland New Jersey Pennsylvania New York Virginia

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Multidisciplinary Studies Liberal Arts Education Engineering	Education Health Professions Computer and Information Science Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Business
Students to faculty ratio	22:1	16:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	56.2%	72.3%
Dropout rate	26.2%	6.8%
Transferred out	13.4%	18.9%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,910 Year 2: $59,722 Year 3: $85,341 Computer Software and Media Applications (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $74,972 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $70,296 Year 3: $73,324 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $66,429 Year 2: $66,821 Year 3: $68,880 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $51,840 Year 2: $59,124 Year 3: $68,095 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $47,707 Year 2: $47,520 Year 3: $65,837 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,279 Year 2: $62,409 Year 3: $64,731 Civil Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $54,799 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $63,963 Biomedical/Medical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $48,944 Year 2: $46,769 Year 3: $59,253 Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $54,874 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $58,083	Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $110,447 Year 2: $107,906 Year 3: $122,885 Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: $73,340 Year 2: $82,440 Year 3: $94,047 Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $73,795 Year 2: $83,768 Year 3: $85,948 Information Science/Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $85,262 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,242 Year 2: $66,821 Year 3: $79,355 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,719 Year 2: $66,984 Year 3: $69,964 Human Resources Management and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $60,483 Year 2: $63,666 Year 3: $68,130 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $63,907 Year 2: $67,156 Year 3: $67,633 Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $58,402 Year 3: $66,692 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $61,389 Year 2: $62,012 Year 3: $65,981

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