Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville (SIUE) vs Samuel Merritt University

Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville (SIUE) and Samuel Merritt University (SMU) are two distinct institutions of higher learning with unique characteristics. SIUE, a public university located in Edwardsville, Illinois, boasts an acceptance rate of 88%, while SMU, a private university in Oakland, California, has a more selective admissions process with an acceptance rate of 75%. Both universities offer a diverse range of undergraduate and graduate programs, with SIUE excelling in fields like business, education, and nursing, and SMU specializing in healthcare-related disciplines such as nursing, physical therapy, and occupational therapy. While SIUE's student body is predominantly composed of Illinois residents, SMU attracts a more diverse population from across the United States and beyond. With graduation rates of 58% and 85% respectively, both universities are committed to student success and providing a supportive learning environment. To help you make an informed decision about your higher education journey, we've compiled

	Samuel Merritt University	Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville
Overview
Location	Oakland, California	Edwardsville, Illinois
Campus setting	City: Large	Suburb: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Public
Calendar system	Trimester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate		74.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	N/A	98.1%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $90	Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $40
SAT range	N/A	920 - 1160
ACT range	N/A	19 - 26
Students submitting SAT score		49.0%
Students submitting ACT score		26.0%
Total number of applicants		8,995
Total number of admissions given out		8,821
Admitted students who chose to enroll		1,992
Yield rate		22.6%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)		N/A
High school GPA	N/A	Required
Recommendation letters	N/A	Not required
High school transcript	N/A	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	N/A	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price		$26,007
Average net price		$15,519
Tuition		$9,123
Room & board		Room/dormitory: $6,290 Meal plan: $4,920
Available payment plans		Guaranteed tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)		99.0% Average amount $8,667
Students receiving federal student loan		46.0% Average amount $5,063
Students taking out private loans		5.0% Average amount $10,038

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	728 Men 20.6% Women 79.4%	9,967 Men 42.8% Women 57.2%
Graduate students	1,320 Men 26.1% Women 73.9%	3,043 Men 38.1% Women 61.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	16.6%
International students	N/A	4.1%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	N/A	3,006
First year students are required to live on campus?	N/A	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	Illinois Missouri Texas California Indiana

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions	Health Professions Business Engineering Education Kinesiology & Leisure Studies
Students to faculty ratio	7:1	15:1
Institutional accreditation	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	N/A	51.8%
Dropout rate	N/A	11.6%
Transferred out	N/A	32.8%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $123,663 Year 2: $139,136 Year 3: $143,948 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $101,572 Year 2: $110,846 Year 3: $121,792 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $124,643 Year 2: $116,083 Year 3: $121,450 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $80,463 Year 2: $73,635 Year 3: $73,513 Podiatric Medicine/Podiatry (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $55,601 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $72,593 Medicine (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $56,189 Year 3: N/A Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $95,289 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A	Dentistry (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $123,885 Year 2: $131,918 Year 3: $131,417 Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $115,760 Year 2: $122,038 Year 3: $122,898 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $97,776 Year 2: $147,557 Year 3: $108,891 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,415 Year 2: $67,240 Year 3: $77,916 Construction Engineering Technologies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,721 Year 2: $65,979 Year 3: $74,972 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $69,868 Year 2: $65,889 Year 3: $74,137 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $71,907 Year 2: $56,931 Year 3: $72,924 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $59,725 Year 2: $60,452 Year 3: $67,195 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,153 Year 2: $59,534 Year 3: $67,063 Civil Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,616 Year 2: $57,770 Year 3: $63,574

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