Carlow University vs. Bluefield State College

Carlow University vs. Bluefield State College comparison

	Carlow University	Bluefield State College	College 3	College 4
	Remove	Remove	+Add	+Add
Overview	Carlow University	Bluefield State College
Location	Pittsburgh, PA	Bluefield, WV
Setting	Large City	Rural Fringe
Enrollment	2,310	1,270
Type	Private 4 Year	Public 4 Year
National Ranking	#773	#986
Religious Affiliation	Roman Catholic	-	-	-
Status	Non-profit	Non-profit
Website	carlow.edu	bluefieldstate.edu
Team Colors

Costs	Carlow University	Bluefield State College
Tuition (In State)	$33,376	$9,240
Tuition (Out of State)	$33,376	$16,560
Room & Board	$13,406	$11,327
Avg Net Price	$20,561	$14,500
Avg Grant Aid	$26,233	$9,634
% Receiving Grant Aid	99%	98%

Admission	Carlow University	Bluefield State College
Admission Chances	Calculate	Calculate
Applied	1,326	720
Admitted	1,155	628
Acceptance Rate	87.1%	87.2%
Enrolled %	19.7%	34.4%
Avg High School GPA	3.6	3.41
Typical High School Grades	B+	B+
Admissions Standards	Extremely Easy	Extremely Easy
Applicant Competition
ACT Range		17/22
SAT Range	850/1100	870/1080
Submit Test Scores	Not required for admission, but considered if submitted (Test Optional)	Not required for admission, but considered if submitted (Test Optional)
Application Deadline		Aug 1, 2025

Academics	Carlow University	Bluefield State College
Student to Faculty Ratio	12:1	17:1
Popular Majors	Health Professions (26%) Education (24%) Business (13%) Psychology (9%) Biology (6%)	Health Professions (29%) Liberal Arts and Humanities (16%) Engineering Technology (16%) Business (11%) Education (9%)
Outcomes	Carlow University	Bluefield State College
Graduation Rate	51%	22%
Median Earnings (After 10 years)	$41,900	$31,800
Making Student Loan Payments	59%	30%
Median Student Loan Debt	$27,000	$19,000
Median Loan Payment	$279	$196

Diversity	Carlow University	Bluefield State College
% Men	5%	0%
% Women	36%	1%
Racial Diversity	Medium	Very Low
HBCU	No	Yes
% White	61%	85%
% Black	22%	9%
% Hispanic	2%	1%
% Native American	0%	0%
% Pacific Islander	0%	0%
% Two or More Races	5%	1%
% International	0%	2%
% Unknown Race	8%	1%

Students	Carlow University	Bluefield State College
% In-State	88%	54%
% Out-of-State	11%	46%
Campus	Carlow University	Bluefield State College
Campus Housing	Yes	No
Freshman Dorm Required	No	No
Meal Plan	Yes	No
Weekend/Evening Classes	Yes	No
Daycare Facility	No	No
Learn More	Details	Details

Comparable Facts

• Carlow University is larger than than Bluefield State College based on total student enrollment (2,310 students vs. 1,270 students)

Carlow University vs. Bluefield State College Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, Carlow University or Bluefield State College?

• Carlow University is 261.2% more expensive to attend than Bluefield State College for in-state tuition ($33,376.00 vs. $9,240.00)
• Out of state tuition is 101.5% higher at Carlow University than Bluefield State College ($33,376.00 vs. $16,560.00)
• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Bluefield State College than Carlow University ($14,500 vs. $20,561)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Bluefield State College are 18.4% lower than costs at Carlow University ($11,327 vs. $13,406)
• More students receive financial grant aid at Carlow University than Bluefield State College (99% vs. 98%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by Carlow University students is 172.3% larger than aid received Bluefield State College ($26,233 vs. $9,634)

Carlow University vs. Bluefield State College Admissions Difficulty Comparison

Which college is harder to get into, Carlow University or Bluefield State College? Average SAT and ACT scores plus acceptance rates offer good insight into the difficulty of admission between Bluefield State College or Carlow University .

• The average SAT score at Carlow University (972) is 38 points higher than at Bluefield State College (934)
• Incoming Carlow University students have a 1 point higher average ACT score (21) than students at Bluefield State College (20)
• Accepted freshman Carlow University students have a 0.19 point higher average high school GPA (3.6) than students at Bluefield State College (3.41)
• Bluefield State College has a higher acceptance rate (87.2%) than Carlow University (87.1%)

Carlow University vs. Bluefield State College Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, Carlow University or Bluefield State College? Graduation rate, salary and amount of student loan debt are indicators of a college which offers better outcomes for its graduates. Compare the following outcomes facts between Bluefield State College and Carlow University.

• The graduation rate at Carlow University is higher than Bluefield State College (51% vs. 22%)
• Graduates from Carlow University earn on average $10,100 more per year than Bluefield State College graduates after ten years. ($41,900 vs. $31,800)
• Bluefield State College students graduate with a $8,000 lower median federal student loan debt than Carlow University graduates. ($19,000 vs. $27,000)
• Bluefield State College graduates are paying $83 less per month on federal student loans than Carlow University graduates. ($196 vs. $279)
• More Carlow University graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Bluefield State College students, three years after graduation. (59% vs. 30%)

Sources: U.S. Department of Education https://nces.ed.gov IPEDS and College Scorecard https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/