West Shore Community College vs Southwestern College

West Shore Community College and Southwestern Michigan College, both esteemed institutions of higher learning in Michigan, offer unique educational experiences tailored to diverse student aspirations. West Shore, with its open admissions policy, welcomes a broader range of students, while Southwestern Michigan College maintains a selective admissions process, ensuring a higher acceptance rate for those who meet its criteria. While both colleges offer a variety of programs, West Shore emphasizes career-focused associate degrees, whereas Southwestern Michigan College boasts a wider selection of bachelor's degrees and transfer options. Explore the detailed comparison table to delve into further distinctions, including student body demographics, popular majors, graduation rates, and more, to make an informed decision that aligns with your academic goals and preferences.

	Southwestern Michigan College	West Shore Community College
Overview
Location	Dowagiac, Michigan	Scottville, Michigan
Campus setting	Rural: Fringe	Rural: Distant
College type	2 year	2 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	50.0%	58.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	Open Admission	Open Admission
Application fees
SAT range	N/A	N/A
ACT range	N/A	N/A
Students submitting SAT score
Students submitting ACT score
Total number of applicants
Total number of admissions given out
Admitted students who chose to enroll
Yield rate
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	Not required	Not required
High school GPA	N/A	N/A
Recommendation letters	N/A	N/A
High school transcript	N/A	N/A
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	N/A	N/A

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $17,512 Out of state: $17,964	In state: $13,809 Out of state: $15,609
Average net price	$9,153	$5,852
Tuition	In state: $5,112 Out of state: $5,564	In state: $4,200 Out of state: $6,000
Room & board
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	84.0% Average amount $5,429	94.0% Average amount $3,771
Students receiving federal student loan	26.0% Average amount $4,207	5.0% Average amount $3,990
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $12,362	0.0% Average amount $0

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,756 Men 37.4% Women 62.6%	1,004 Men 35.2% Women 64.8%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	12.6%	N/A
International students	0.1%	0.6%
Campus local/setting	Rural: Fringe	Rural: Distant
Dormitory capacity	381	N/A
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	N/A
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Michigan Indiana Illinois Ohio Wisconsin	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Liberal Arts Health Professions Business Visual & Performing Arts Computer and Information Science	Liberal Arts Health Professions Business Family and Consumer Sciences Law Enforcement and Firefighting
Students to faculty ratio	14:1	11:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	28.6%	26.3%
Dropout rate	44.2%	39.5%
Transferred out	21.5%	22.8%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $53,825 Year 2: $55,026 Year 3: $58,414 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $18,851 Year 2: $19,531 Year 3: $22,808 Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $31,839 Year 3: N/A Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $29,285 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $56,304 Year 2: $52,107 Year 3: $52,456 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $20,140 Year 3: $26,029 Precision Metal Working (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $40,485 Year 3: N/A Health and Medical Administrative Services (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $22,806 Year 3: N/A

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