Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) vs Framingham State

Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) and Framingham State University (FSU) are two distinct institutions of higher learning in Massachusetts, each offering unique educational experiences. MCLA, a public liberal arts college located in North Adams, boasts a smaller student body and a focus on undergraduate education, while FSU, a public university in Framingham, offers a wider range of academic programs, including graduate degrees. With different acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates, these institutions cater to diverse student populations and academic aspirations. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to discover which institution aligns best with your academic goals and personal preferences.

	Framingham State University	Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts
Overview
Location	Framingham, Massachusetts	North Adams, Massachusetts
Campus setting	City: Small	Town: Fringe
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	71.0%	63.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	83.8%	91.0%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $50	$50
SAT range	990 - 1175	N/A
ACT range	26 - 31	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	13.0%
Students submitting ACT score	1.0%
Total number of applicants	5,117	1,371
Total number of admissions given out	4,288	1,247
Admitted students who chose to enroll	580	167
Yield rate	13.5%	13.4%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $28,000 Out of state: $34,080	In state: $25,928 Out of state: $34,873
Average net price	$16,900	$14,902
Tuition	In state: $970 Out of state: $7,050	In state: $1,030 Out of state: $9,975
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $9,020 Meal plan: $4,530	Room/dormitory: $7,240 Meal plan: $5,044
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	77.0% Average amount $6,756	99.0% Average amount $8,496
Students receiving federal student loan	78.0% Average amount $5,355	97.0% Average amount $3,734
Students taking out private loans	30.0% Average amount $4,561	12.0% Average amount $9,492

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	3,213 Men 43.5% Women 56.5%	870 Men 39.2% Women 60.8%
Graduate students	1,282 Men 23.0% Women 77.0%	124 Men 33.1% Women 66.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	1.1%	N/A
Campus local/setting	City: Small	Town: Fringe
Dormitory capacity	1,972	1,020
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Mississippi Connecticut New York Rhode Island New Hampshire	Mississippi New York Vermont Connecticut Rhode Island

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Business Health Professions Family and Consumer Sciences Social Sciences	Business Education Computer and Information Science Health Professions Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	11:1	9:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	50.5%	58.4%
Dropout rate	14.7%	41.6%
Transferred out	33.3%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Business/Commerce, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,315 Year 2: $36,776 Year 3: $44,886 Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,565 Year 2: $37,699 Year 3: $44,671 Criminology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,904 Year 2: $36,488 Year 3: $43,219 Geography and Cartography (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,781 Year 2: $31,673 Year 3: $43,142 Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $24,271 Year 2: $32,569 Year 3: $41,706 Apparel and Textiles (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,281 Year 2: $31,852 Year 3: $41,534 Communications Technologies/Technicians and Support Services, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,313 Year 2: $33,352 Year 3: $40,369 Sociology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $32,803 Year 2: $30,499 Year 3: $39,966 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $35,070 Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: $38,670 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,901 Year 2: $32,925 Year 3: $38,613	Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,895 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $73,830 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,172 Year 2: $34,467 Year 3: $40,733 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,359 Year 2: $27,181 Year 3: $40,148 Education, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $32,284 Year 3: $35,408 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $24,617 Year 2: $32,569 Year 3: $34,741 Sociology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,798 Year 2: $31,828 Year 3: $32,817 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,438 Year 2: $28,236 Year 3: $32,425 Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,231 Year 2: $29,374 Year 3: $31,158 Education, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $46,032 Year 2: $43,798 Year 3: N/A Visual and Performing Arts, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $20,169 Year 2: $25,194 Year 3: N/A

Compare Similar Colleges

The list of suggested college comparisons provided below is generated automatically by our system, utilizing statistics gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and various online sources. If you don't find the colleges you wish to compare, please visit our comparison page. There, you can search for the specific colleges and initiate your comparison.

Framingham State

Central Connecticut State University