Maine USM vs Western New England University (WNE)

When it comes to higher education, University of Southern Maine (USM) and Western New England University (WNE) stand out as two distinct institutions with unique offerings. USM, a public university located in Portland, Maine, boasts an acceptance rate of 88%, making it a more accessible option for students. WNE, a private university in Springfield, Massachusetts, has a more selective admissions process, with an acceptance rate of 75%. Both universities offer a diverse range of undergraduate programs, with popular majors at USM including Business, Education, and Nursing, while WNE is known for its strengths in Engineering, Business, and Health Sciences. While USM's student body is predominantly made up of Maine residents, WNE attracts a more diverse student population from across the country and around the world. With graduation rates of 58% and 75% respectively, both universities are committed to student success and providing the necessary resources to help students achieve their academic goals. To help you make

	University of Southern Maine	Western New England University
Overview
Location	Portland, Maine	Springfield, Massachusetts
Campus setting	City: Small	City: Midsize
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	65.0%	77.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	87.0%	89.9%
Application fees		Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $50
SAT range	995 - 1230	1128 - 1280
ACT range	19 - 24	24 - 32
Students submitting SAT score	18.0%	18.0%
Students submitting ACT score	1.0%	1.0%
Total number of applicants	5,397	6,385
Total number of admissions given out	4,695	5,739
Admitted students who chose to enroll	895	783
Yield rate	19.1%	13.6%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $23,842 Out of state: $37,842	$52,780
Average net price	$9,793	$30,403
Tuition	In state: $8,064 Out of state: $22,064	$37,700
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,460 Meal plan: $4,980	$14,430
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	92.0% Average amount $8,886	97.0% Average amount $23,404
Students receiving federal student loan	45.0% Average amount $4,969	82.0% Average amount $5,613
Students taking out private loans	6.0% Average amount $10,975	20.0% Average amount $21,642

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	5,956 Men 40.6% Women 59.4%	2,583 Men 57.6% Women 42.4%
Graduate students	2,040 Men 25.3% Women 74.7%	1,052 Men 39.1% Women 60.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Low
Out-of-state students	23.4%	N/A
International students	1.2%	2.0%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	1,189	2,000
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 Vermont Connecticut	N/A

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

Outcome
Graduation rate	34.5%	63.1%
Dropout rate	33.0%	8.1%
Transferred out	30.0%	28.5%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	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	Engineering-Related Fields (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $89,184 Year 2: $90,412 Year 3: $99,321 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $64,853 Year 2: $68,858 Year 3: $77,063 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $65,070 Year 2: $71,015 Year 3: $74,341 Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $54,805 Law (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $46,869 Year 3: $50,191 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $32,294 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $53,377 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $112,326 Year 2: $117,572 Year 3: N/A Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,276 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $57,074 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A

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