University of Houston-Clear Lake (UHCL) vs McNeese State

When it comes to higher education, University of Houston-Clear Lake (UHCL) and McNeese State University (MSU) stand out as two compelling options for prospective students. UHCL, located in the vibrant city of Houston, Texas, offers a diverse range of academic programs, including popular majors like Business, Nursing, and Education. With an acceptance rate of 85%, UHCL welcomes students from various backgrounds, fostering an inclusive and supportive learning environment. On the other hand, MSU, situated in the charming town of Lake Charles, Louisiana, boasts a strong focus on undergraduate education, with popular majors such as Engineering, Business, and Education. MSU's acceptance rate of 78% reflects its commitment to providing accessible and affordable higher education. While both universities offer unique strengths and opportunities, this side-by-side comparison delves into their key differences, including student body demographics, graduation rates, and more, to help you make an informed decision about your academic journey.

	McNeese State University	University of Houston-Clear Lake
Overview
Location	Lake Charles, Louisiana	Houston, Texas
Campus setting	City: Small	Suburb: Large
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	69.0%	74.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	68.8%	91.2%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $20 Graduate: $20	Undergraduate: $45 Graduate: $45
SAT range	990 - 1170	978 - 1170
ACT range	20 - 24	17 - 23
Students submitting SAT score	9.0%	62.0%
Students submitting ACT score	92.0%	7.0%
Total number of applicants	2,599	1,793
Total number of admissions given out	1,787	1,635
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,020	334
Yield rate	57.1%	20.4%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Not 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: $24,802 Out of state: $32,840	In state: $32,030 Out of state: $45,326
Average net price	$10,487	$16,737
Tuition	In state: $5,147 Out of state: $13,185	In state: $6,024 Out of state: $19,320
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,526 Meal plan: $3,818	$12,909
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Guaranteed tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	94.0% Average amount $10,030	73.0% Average amount $12,458
Students receiving federal student loan	30.0% Average amount $4,643	19.0% Average amount $4,905
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $9,603	1.0% Average amount $9,181

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	5,893 Men 38.6% Women 61.4%	6,764 Men 35.8% Women 64.2%
Graduate students	561 Men 25.0% Women 75.0%	2,515 Men 35.7% Women 64.3%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	6.3%	0.3%
International students	5.2%	6.3%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	1,037	559
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Louisiana Texas California Mississippi Indiana	Texas Illinois

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Business Liberal Arts Engineering Kinesiology & Leisure Studies	Business Multidisciplinary Studies Health Professions Psychology Computer and Information Science
Students to faculty ratio	19:1	17:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	42.2%	53.1%
Dropout rate	23.6%	10.5%
Transferred out	30.0%	30.3%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $96,390 Year 2: $96,345 Year 3: $105,678 Engineering, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,056 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $76,973 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,639 Year 2: $58,104 Year 3: $60,913 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $49,618 Year 2: $47,260 Year 3: $60,301 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $54,252 Year 3: $58,599 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $47,302 Year 2: $48,139 Year 3: $47,981 Psychology, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $47,245 Year 2: $44,835 Year 3: $46,186 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $46,673 Year 3: $44,792 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $40,269 Year 2: $43,240 Year 3: $44,695 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,474 Year 2: $38,829 Year 3: $42,799	Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $84,431 Year 2: $78,343 Year 3: $82,653 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $86,173 Year 2: $78,343 Year 3: $77,443 Health and Medical Administrative Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $46,972 Year 2: $64,493 Year 3: $70,684 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $61,814 Year 3: $70,167 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $66,428 Year 2: $60,128 Year 3: $64,014 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $54,816 Year 2: $59,666 Year 3: $61,322 Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $68,334 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $61,262 Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $55,787 Year 2: $49,631 Year 3: $61,250 Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $58,015 Year 2: $51,356 Year 3: $58,484 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,087 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $56,129

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