Maine USM vs Saint Joseph's College of Maine

When it comes to higher education in Maine, University of Southern Maine (USM) and Saint Joseph's College of Maine (SJC) stand out as two distinct and compelling options. USM, a public research university, boasts a diverse student body of over 9,000 students and an acceptance rate of 88%, while SJC, a private liberal arts college, offers a more intimate learning environment with an acceptance rate of 75% and a student body of around 1,000. Both institutions offer a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs, with USM excelling in fields like nursing, business, and education, and SJC specializing in areas such as healthcare, business, and social sciences. While USM's larger size provides access to extensive resources and a vibrant campus life, SJC's smaller size fosters a close-knit community and personalized attention from faculty. To help you make an informed decision, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison table that

	Saint Joseph's College of Maine	University of Southern Maine
Overview
Location	Standish, Maine	Portland, Maine
Campus setting	Rural: Fringe	City: Small
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	71.0%	65.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation	Catholic

Admission
Acceptance rate	80.6%	87.0%
Application fees
SAT range	1020 - 1230	995 - 1230
ACT range	N/A	19 - 24
Students submitting SAT score	14.0%	18.0%
Students submitting ACT score		1.0%
Total number of applicants	1,354	5,397
Total number of admissions given out	1,091	4,695
Admitted students who chose to enroll	208	895
Yield rate	19.1%	19.1%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Not required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$51,086	In state: $23,842 Out of state: $37,842
Average net price	$30,044	$9,793
Tuition	$39,986	In state: $8,064 Out of state: $22,064
Room & board	$14,936	Room/dormitory: $5,460 Meal plan: $4,980
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $24,350	92.0% Average amount $8,886
Students receiving federal student loan	84.0% Average amount $5,785	45.0% Average amount $4,969
Students taking out private loans	33.0% Average amount $16,402	6.0% Average amount $10,975

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,066 Men 36.3% Women 63.7%	5,956 Men 40.6% Women 59.4%
Graduate students	169 Men 36.7% Women 63.3%	2,040 Men 25.3% Women 74.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	58.6%	23.4%
International students	N/A	1.2%
Campus local/setting	Rural: Fringe	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	754	1,189
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Maine New Hampshire Mississippi New York Connecticut	Maine New Hampshire Mississippi Vermont Connecticut

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Education Business Theology Liberal Arts	Health Professions Education Business Public Administration and Social Service Legal Profession
Students to faculty ratio	8:1	13:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	68.4%	34.5%
Dropout rate	31.6%	33.0%
Transferred out	N/A	30.0%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $97,216 Year 2: $96,829 Year 3: $102,406 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,988 Year 2: $59,934 Year 3: $67,903 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,933 Year 2: $40,485 Year 3: $43,035 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,784 Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: $34,026 Education, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $53,907 Year 2: $49,840 Year 3: N/A Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $33,999 Year 2: $34,298 Year 3: N/A Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $25,194 Year 3: N/A Theological and Ministerial Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $56,349 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $81,735 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Public Health (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $76,201 Year 2: $64,990 Year 3: N/A	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $97,041 Year 2: $95,169 Year 3: $100,726 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,660 Year 2: $61,728 Year 3: $71,074 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $52,579 Year 2: $55,594 Year 3: $65,574 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,254 Year 2: $57,422 Year 3: $60,602 Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,123 Year 2: $50,231 Year 3: $55,627 Public Policy Analysis (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $49,644 Year 3: $54,835 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $45,681 Year 2: $45,852 Year 3: $51,356 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $43,716 Year 2: $51,690 Year 3: $50,246 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $42,148 Year 2: $45,767 Year 3: $49,334 Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,098 Year 2: $41,342 Year 3: $48,118

Compare Similar Colleges

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Saint Joseph's College of Maine

University of Saint Joseph