University of Scranton vs Merrimack

When it comes to choosing the right college, it's important to consider factors such as acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates. University of Scranton and Merrimack College, both located in the Northeast, offer distinct experiences for their students. With an acceptance rate of 79%, Scranton is slightly more selective than Merrimack, which boasts an 86% acceptance rate. Scranton's student body is more diverse, with 30% of students identifying as minorities compared to Merrimack's 23%. Both institutions offer a range of popular majors, including business, nursing, and education, but Scranton has a stronger focus on the liberal arts. While Merrimack has a slightly higher graduation rate (84% vs. 82%), Scranton students tend to have higher average salaries after graduation. To help you make an informed decision, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison table that delves into these and other key differences between the two universities.

	Merrimack College	University of Scranton
Overview
Location	North Andover, Massachusetts	Scranton, Pennsylvania
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	City: Small
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	84.0%	87.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation	Catholic	Catholic

Admission
Acceptance rate	80.3%	80.3%
Application fees
SAT range	N/A	1100 - 1280
ACT range	N/A	23 - 28
Students submitting SAT score		79.0%
Students submitting ACT score		23.0%
Total number of applicants	10,429	9,111
Total number of admissions given out	8,375	7,315
Admitted students who chose to enroll	967	895
Yield rate	11.5%	12.2%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$64,774	$61,834
Average net price	$35,500	$35,913
Tuition	$43,842	$48,062
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $9,493 Meal plan: $7,323	Room/dormitory: $9,410 Meal plan: $6,680
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Guaranteed tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	99.0% Average amount $25,528	98.0% Average amount $28,068
Students receiving federal student loan	64.0% Average amount $5,356	69.0% Average amount $5,367
Students taking out private loans	16.0% Average amount $22,739	15.0% Average amount $21,558

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	4,120 Men 46.6% Women 53.4%	3,487 Men 41.8% Women 58.2%
Graduate students	1,332 Men 27.3% Women 72.7%	1,205 Men 38.3% Women 61.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	56.4%
International students	1.9%	2.3%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	2,713	2,614
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	Pennsylvania New Jersey New York Connecticut Maryland

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Business Health Professions Engineering Computer and Information Science	Health Professions Business Education Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	15:1	12:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	69.0%	78.8%
Dropout rate	0.1%	21.1%
Transferred out	30.5%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $45,692 Year 2: $44,327 Year 3: $57,831 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,877 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $48,983 Education, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $45,240 Year 2: $43,160 Year 3: $48,263 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,959 Year 2: $25,194 Year 3: $47,824 Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,026 Year 2: $28,816 Year 3: $44,114 Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $70,044 Year 2: $47,260 Year 3: N/A Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $25,194 Year 3: N/A Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $59,117 Year 2: $62,508 Year 3: N/A Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $38,444 Year 2: $36,312 Year 3: N/A Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,991 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $92,218 Year 2: $82,440 Year 3: $90,913 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $75,695 Year 2: $80,779 Year 3: $90,769 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $90,141 Year 2: $88,506 Year 3: $87,713 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $50,583 Year 2: $62,260 Year 3: $81,737 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $73,808 Year 2: $73,697 Year 3: $78,423 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $66,016 Year 2: $62,012 Year 3: $75,337 Health and Medical Administrative Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $57,383 Year 2: $67,101 Year 3: $72,081 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $55,398 Year 2: $63,997 Year 3: $71,557 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $68,417 Year 2: $66,821 Year 3: $69,773 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $71,332 Year 2: $62,088 Year 3: $65,961

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