University of Maryland-College Park (UMD) vs NorthWestern

Nestled in the vibrant College Park, Maryland, and the bustling Evanston, Illinois, University of Maryland-College Park and Northwestern University stand as two beacons of academic excellence. While both institutions share a commitment to providing a world-class education, they offer distinct experiences shaped by their unique strengths. With acceptance rates of 43% and 9%, respectively, these universities cater to different levels of selectivity. Dive into our comprehensive comparison table to explore the nuances that set these institutions apart, from their popular majors and student body demographics to their graduation rates and beyond. Discover which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences, and embark on a journey toward your educational dreams.

	Northwestern University	University of Maryland-College Park
Overview
Location	Evanston, Illinois	College Park, Maryland
Campus setting	City: Small	Suburb: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Public
Calendar system	Quarter	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	99.0%	95.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	7.0%	52.0%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $75 Graduate: $95	Undergraduate: $75 Graduate: $75
SAT range	1470 - 1570	1330 - 1510
ACT range	34 - 35	30 - 34
Students submitting SAT score	43.0%	34.0%
Students submitting ACT score	39.0%	9.0%
Total number of applicants	47,636	50,183
Total number of admissions given out	3,321	26,109
Admitted students who chose to enroll	2,086	6,072
Yield rate	62.8%	23.3%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$83,838	In state: $30,997 Out of state: $58,678
Average net price	$29,999	$17,146
Tuition	$60,276	In state: $9,000 Out of state: $36,681
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $11,271 Meal plan: $6,993	Room/dormitory: $8,072 Meal plan: $5,578
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	57.0% Average amount $51,087	56.0% Average amount $10,645
Students receiving federal student loan	23.0% Average amount $4,625	20.0% Average amount $5,065
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $38,595	4.0% Average amount $22,924

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	8,847 Men 46.1% Women 53.9%	30,922 Men 50.8% Women 49.2%
Graduate students	14,562 Men 47.3% Women 52.7%	10,350 Men 50.7% Women 49.3%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	29.5%
International students	17.8%	10.3%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	4,409	11,846
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	Maryland New Jersey New York Pennsylvania Virginia

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Communication and Journalism Engineering Health Professions Legal Profession	Engineering Business Education Computer and Information Science Social Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	6:1	18:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	95.2%	87.7%
Dropout rate	4.2%	4.0%
Transferred out	N/A	7.7%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Medical Clinical Sciences/Graduate Medical Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $150,242 Year 2: $188,472 Year 3: $221,242 Business/Commerce, General (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $188,472 Year 3: $216,176 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $187,194 Year 2: $170,971 Year 3: $206,288 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $120,709 Year 2: $189,565 Year 3: $194,961 Business/Commerce, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $162,478 Year 2: $163,561 Year 3: $177,652 Engineering-Related Fields (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $111,200 Year 2: $157,779 Year 3: $159,304 Engineering, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $140,321 Year 2: $141,586 Year 3: $154,556 Medical Illustration and Informatics (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $88,288 Year 2: $118,465 Year 3: $132,325 Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $118,780 Year 2: $111,323 Year 3: $130,124 Community Organization and Advocacy (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $115,760 Year 2: $113,668 Year 3: $128,046	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $108,765 Year 2: $106,102 Year 3: $116,295 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $125,155 Year 2: $112,923 Year 3: $112,074 Engineering, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $86,533 Year 2: $94,112 Year 3: $102,555 Business/Commerce, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $93,018 Year 2: $94,408 Year 3: $101,716 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $84,727 Year 2: $84,653 Year 3: $99,501 Physics (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $72,899 Year 3: $92,830 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $88,418 Year 2: $80,466 Year 3: $92,230 Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,675 Year 2: $72,762 Year 3: $83,667 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $74,798 Year 2: $71,761 Year 3: $82,867 Information Science/Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,391 Year 2: $66,485 Year 3: $82,784

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