Catawba College vs Gardner-Webb

Catawba College and Gardner-Webb University, both esteemed institutions of higher learning in North Carolina, offer distinct educational experiences. Catawba, a private liberal arts college, boasts a 68% acceptance rate, while Gardner-Webb, a private Christian university, has a slightly lower acceptance rate of 63%. Catawba's student body is more diverse, with 38% of students identifying as minorities compared to Gardner-Webb's 28%. Both institutions offer a range of popular majors, including business, education, and nursing, but Catawba also excels in the arts, with strong programs in music, theater, and visual arts. While Gardner-Webb has a higher graduation rate of 62% compared to Catawba's 58%, both institutions provide ample opportunities for students to succeed academically and professionally. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more key differences and make an informed decision about which institution aligns best with your academic aspirations and

	Catawba College	Gardner-Webb University
Overview
Location	Salisbury, North Carolina	Boiling Springs, North Carolina
Campus setting	Suburb: Midsize	Town: Distant
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	68.0%	59.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation		Baptist

Admission
Acceptance rate	56.1%	78.9%
Application fees		$40
SAT range	990 - 1150	960 - 1215
ACT range	18 - 26	18 - 24
Students submitting SAT score	33.0%	7.0%
Students submitting ACT score	49.0%	18.0%
Total number of applicants	2,199	5,657
Total number of admissions given out	1,234	4,466
Admitted students who chose to enroll	264	447
Yield rate	21.4%	10.0%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$46,262	$42,350
Average net price	$19,276	$20,296
Tuition	$32,380	$31,220
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $6,564 Meal plan: $4,566	Room/dormitory: $5,410 Meal plan: $5,130
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	98.0% Average amount $26,327	100.0% Average amount $24,687
Students receiving federal student loan	63.0% Average amount $5,262	63.0% Average amount $5,370
Students taking out private loans	7.0% Average amount $11,314	11.0% Average amount $13,070

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,142 Men 47.9% Women 52.1%	1,983 Men 35.3% Women 64.7%
Graduate students	65 Men 52.3% Women 47.7%	1,458 Men 30.6% Women 69.4%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	5.2%	N/A
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Midsize	Town: Distant
Dormitory capacity	688	1,368
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Health Professions Education Visual & Performing Arts Communication and Journalism	Education Business Health Professions Biological and Biomedical Sciences Visual & Performing Arts
Students to faculty ratio	11:1	11:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	59.8%	47.6%
Dropout rate	39.5%	52.4%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,918 Year 2: $48,198 Year 3: $55,370 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,677 Year 2: $34,259 Year 3: $35,554 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $24,810 Year 2: $26,739 Year 3: $32,518 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $23,672 Year 2: $26,121 Year 3: $30,810 Music (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $16,419 Year 2: $22,482 Year 3: $29,367 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,770 Year 2: $33,993 Year 3: N/A Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $23,693 Year 3: N/A	Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $97,737 Year 2: $95,930 Year 3: $107,259 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $73,422 Year 2: $74,576 Year 3: $90,530 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $86,811 Year 2: $83,177 Year 3: $87,569 Curriculum and Instruction (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $62,530 Year 2: $66,401 Year 3: $66,987 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,377 Year 2: $59,640 Year 3: $62,202 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $59,451 Year 2: $54,748 Year 3: $59,129 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $54,254 Year 3: $57,989 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $49,446 Year 2: $50,036 Year 3: $54,260 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $60,717 Year 2: $47,260 Year 3: $51,504 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,814 Year 2: $47,260 Year 3: $49,850

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Catawba College vs Gardner-Webb

Catawba College

Gardner-Webb University

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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