ECSU-Willimantic vs University of Massachusetts-Amherst (UMass)

Eastern Connecticut State University and University of Massachusetts-Amherst, two distinct institutions of higher learning, offer unique educational experiences to prospective students. Eastern Connecticut State University, a public university in Willimantic, Connecticut, boasts a smaller student body and a higher acceptance rate compared to the larger, research-intensive University of Massachusetts-Amherst in Amherst, Massachusetts. While both universities offer a diverse range of academic programs, Eastern Connecticut State University excels in fields like Education and Psychology, while University of Massachusetts-Amherst is renowned for its programs in Engineering, Business, and Computer Science. Explore the detailed comparison table below to delve into further distinctions between these two esteemed institutions, including student demographics, graduation rates, and additional factors that may influence your decision in choosing the best fit for your academic aspirations.

	Eastern Connecticut State University	University of Massachusetts-Amherst
Overview
Location	Willimantic, Connecticut	Amherst, Massachusetts
Campus setting	Town: Fringe	Suburb: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	77.0%	91.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	73.2%	65.5%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $50	Undergraduate: $85 Graduate: $85
SAT range	N/A	1250 - 1460
ACT range	N/A	28 - 33
Students submitting SAT score		26.0%
Students submitting ACT score		5.0%
Total number of applicants	4,630	42,540
Total number of admissions given out	3,389	27,877
Admitted students who chose to enroll	784	4,872
Yield rate	23.1%	17.5%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $25,620 Out of state: $39,024	In state: $32,434 Out of state: $52,959
Average net price	$19,054	$17,291
Tuition	In state: $6,162 Out of state: $18,436	In state: $15,791 Out of state: $36,316
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $8,270 Meal plan: $6,164	Room/dormitory: $7,611 Meal plan: $5,984
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	95.0% Average amount $8,680	86.0% Average amount $10,662
Students receiving federal student loan	61.0% Average amount $5,285	39.0% Average amount $5,123
Students taking out private loans	9.0% Average amount $12,507	7.0% Average amount $15,924

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	4,145 Men 41.8% Women 58.2%	24,231 Men 48.8% Women 51.2%
Graduate students	174 Men 30.5% Women 69.5%	7,814 Men 47.9% Women 52.1%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	13.0%	N/A
International students	0.6%	11.1%
Campus local/setting	Town: Fringe	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	2,435	13,582
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Connecticut Mississippi North Carolina New York Rhode Island	New York New Jersey Connecticut California New Hampshire

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Psychology Education Liberal Arts Health Professions	Business Engineering Health Professions Multidisciplinary Studies Computer and Information Science
Students to faculty ratio	14:1	18:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	57.0%	83.7%
Dropout rate	41.6%	5.1%
Transferred out	N/A	10.5%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Information Science/Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $55,410 Year 2: $53,984 Year 3: $70,171 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,288 Year 2: $58,479 Year 3: $63,206 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $48,596 Year 2: $48,823 Year 3: $56,642 Business/Commerce, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $43,082 Year 2: $44,305 Year 3: $55,290 Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $35,802 Year 2: $39,369 Year 3: $52,374 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,427 Year 2: $32,711 Year 3: $48,234 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,681 Year 2: $39,099 Year 3: $47,307 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $45,052 Year 2: $43,128 Year 3: $47,145 Social Work (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,483 Year 2: $31,423 Year 3: $46,610 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,969 Year 2: $33,281 Year 3: $44,335	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $112,236 Year 2: $99,741 Year 3: $118,959 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $97,497 Year 2: $97,071 Year 3: $105,578 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $79,216 Year 2: $78,232 Year 3: $95,030 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $71,683 Year 2: $75,518 Year 3: $94,055 Education, General (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $71,391 Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $79,970 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $65,906 Year 2: $67,202 Year 3: $79,007 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $72,222 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $76,636 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $68,607 Year 2: $68,647 Year 3: $74,913 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $66,719 Year 2: $65,594 Year 3: $74,578 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,571 Year 2: $63,646 Year 3: $73,746

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