University of Maryland-Baltimore County (UMBC) vs Purdue University Northwest (PNWU)

When it comes to higher education, University of Maryland-Baltimore County (UMBC) and Purdue University Northwest (PNW) stand out as two distinct institutions with unique offerings. UMBC, located in Baltimore County, Maryland, boasts a higher acceptance rate (74%) compared to PNW's 70%. Both universities offer a diverse range of undergraduate programs, with UMBC excelling in fields like computer science and engineering, while PNW shines in nursing and health professions. UMBC's student body is more diverse, with a higher percentage of international students, while PNW has a slightly higher graduation rate (58% vs. 56%). To help you make an informed decision, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison table highlighting key differences between these two universities. Explore the table to discover which institution better aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Purdue University Northwest	University of Maryland-Baltimore County
Overview
Location	Hammond, Indiana	Baltimore, Maryland
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	Suburb: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	4-1-4
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	60.0%	87.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	76.4%	81.2%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $25 Graduate: $60	Undergraduate: $75 Graduate: $50
SAT range	990 - 1190	1220 - 1410
ACT range	19 - 26	25 - 30
Students submitting SAT score	38.0%	24.0%
Students submitting ACT score	8.0%	5.0%
Total number of applicants	3,642	11,093
Total number of admissions given out	2,781	9,007
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,067	2,052
Yield rate	38.4%	22.8%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $22,356 Out of state: $29,247	In state: $32,716 Out of state: $48,906
Average net price	$8,472	$6,912
Tuition	In state: $7,268 Out of state: $14,159	In state: $8,878 Out of state: $25,068
Room & board		Room/dormitory: $7,310 Meal plan: $4,940
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	61.0% Average amount $7,048	74.0% Average amount $8,758
Students receiving federal student loan	34.0% Average amount $4,744	24.0% Average amount $4,732
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $8,768	2.0% Average amount $14,975

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	8,044 Men 41.6% Women 58.4%	10,835 Men 54.4% Women 45.6%
Graduate students	750 Men 34.5% Women 65.5%	2,803 Men 51.6% Women 48.4%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	8.9%	5.0%
International students	3.0%	10.5%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	744	3,644
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Indiana Illinois Michigan Ohio Alabama	Maryland New Jersey Pennsylvania New York Virginia

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Business Engineering Technologies Engineering Computer and Information Science	Computer and Information Science Multidisciplinary Studies Engineering Education Visual & Performing Arts
Students to faculty ratio	15:1	17:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	40.3%	71.0%
Dropout rate	54.6%	14.0%
Transferred out	N/A	12.7%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $63,613 Year 2: $86,867 Year 3: $95,054 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $68,723 Year 2: $72,796 Year 3: $83,022 Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $67,660 Year 3: $74,625 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,537 Year 2: $62,260 Year 3: $73,252 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $66,599 Year 2: $65,123 Year 3: $66,736 Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $61,724 Year 2: $58,221 Year 3: $65,341 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,367 Year 2: $36,848 Year 3: $51,672 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $35,277 Year 2: $39,214 Year 3: $49,646 Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,212 Year 2: $33,565 Year 3: $44,921 Sociology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $35,032 Year 2: $30,554 Year 3: $41,841	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $95,196 Information Science/Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $81,374 Year 2: $75,383 Year 3: $88,572 Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $73,765 Year 2: $72,134 Year 3: $86,874 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $75,661 Year 2: $73,112 Year 3: $85,246 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $69,747 Year 2: $70,009 Year 3: $82,906 Chemical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,329 Year 2: $63,600 Year 3: $75,222 Information Science/Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,810 Year 2: $62,111 Year 3: $72,223 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,037 Year 2: $60,240 Year 3: $71,621 Curriculum and Instruction (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: $63,109 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $62,490 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $45,390 Year 2: $47,260 Year 3: $59,425

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