U of K vs Samuel Merritt University

In the pursuit of higher education, prospective students often find themselves torn between multiple institutions. To aid in this decision-making process, we present a comprehensive comparison between the University of Kentucky (UK) and Samuel Merritt University (SMU). While both universities offer a diverse range of academic programs and opportunities, they differ in several key aspects. UK, a public research university, boasts a significantly larger student body and a broader spectrum of undergraduate and graduate programs compared to SMU, a private health sciences university. Acceptance rates, popular majors, student demographics, and graduation rates vary between the two institutions, shaping the unique experiences and outcomes for their respective student populations. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover which university better aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Samuel Merritt University	University of Kentucky
Overview
Location	Oakland, California	Lexington, Kentucky
Campus setting	City: Large	City: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Public
Calendar system	Trimester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate		86.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	N/A	94.0%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $90	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $65
SAT range	N/A	1083 - 1330
ACT range	N/A	22 - 29
Students submitting SAT score		10.0%
Students submitting ACT score		70.0%
Total number of applicants		21,695
Total number of admissions given out		20,396
Admitted students who chose to enroll		4,721
Yield rate		23.1%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)		N/A
High school GPA	N/A	Required
Recommendation letters	N/A	Not required
High school transcript	N/A	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	N/A	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price		In state: $31,690 Out of state: $50,688
Average net price		$20,043
Tuition		In state: $11,247 Out of state: $30,245
Room & board		Room/dormitory: $9,650 Meal plan: $4,536
Available payment plans		Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)		92.0% Average amount $11,623
Students receiving federal student loan		41.0% Average amount $5,177
Students taking out private loans		9.0% Average amount $19,204

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	728 Men 20.6% Women 79.4%	21,900 Men 43.1% Women 56.9%
Graduate students	1,320 Men 26.1% Women 73.9%	8,490 Men 37.7% Women 62.3%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	N/A	4.0%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	N/A	7,294
First year students are required to live on campus?	N/A	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	Ohio Illinois Georgia Tennessee

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions	Health Professions Education Engineering Business Public Administration and Social Service
Students to faculty ratio	7:1	16:1
Institutional accreditation	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	N/A	68.2%
Dropout rate	N/A	30.6%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $123,663 Year 2: $139,136 Year 3: $143,948 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $101,572 Year 2: $110,846 Year 3: $121,792 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $124,643 Year 2: $116,083 Year 3: $121,450 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $80,463 Year 2: $73,635 Year 3: $73,513 Podiatric Medicine/Podiatry (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $55,601 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $72,593 Medicine (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $56,189 Year 3: N/A Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $95,289 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A	Dentistry (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $106,223 Year 2: $114,892 Year 3: $134,605 Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $81,971 Year 2: $114,730 Year 3: $122,422 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: $101,348 Year 2: $116,083 Year 3: $111,861 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $99,330 Year 2: $92,277 Year 3: $102,019 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $92,048 Year 2: $93,555 Year 3: $98,399 Mining and Mineral Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $71,015 Year 3: $83,128 Business/Commerce, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $65,062 Year 2: $62,260 Year 3: $78,282 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,632 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $76,500 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $71,089 Year 2: $70,512 Year 3: $74,487 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,465 Year 2: $68,666 Year 3: $72,801

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Samuel Merritt University

California State University-East Bay