McPherson College vs. Carlow University

McPherson College vs. Carlow University comparison

	McPherson College	Carlow University	College 3	College 4
	Remove	Remove	+Add	+Add
Overview	McPherson College	Carlow University
Location	McPherson, KS	Pittsburgh, PA
Setting	Remote Town	Large City
Enrollment	822	2,104
Type	Private 4 Year	Private 4 Year
National Ranking		#752
Religious Affiliation	Church of Brethren	Roman Catholic	-	-
Status	Non-profit	Non-profit
Website	mcpherson.edu	carlow.edu
Team Colors

Costs	McPherson College	Carlow University
Tuition (In State)	$32,494	$32,402
Tuition (Out of State)	$32,494	$32,402
Room & Board	$9,918	$13,014
Avg Net Price	$25,065	$17,437
Avg Grant Aid	$21,916	$26,713
% Receiving Grant Aid	100%	99%

Admission	McPherson College	Carlow University
Admission Chances	Calculate	Calculate
Applied	1,445	1,124
Admitted	952	1,042
Acceptance Rate	65.9%	92.7%
Enrolled %	26.3%	19.1%
Avg High School GPA	3.33	3.6
Typical High School Grades	B+	B+
Admissions Standards	Extremely Easy	Extremely Easy
Applicant Competition	Low
ACT Range	17/23
SAT Range	908/1120	850/1100
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	McPherson College	Carlow University
Student to Faculty Ratio	13:1	10:1
Popular Majors	Business (22%) Engineering Technology (16%) Visual and Performing Arts (15%) Recreation, Leisure and Fitness Studies (9%) Education (8%)	Health Professions (26%) Education (24%) Business (13%) Psychology (9%) Biology (6%)
Outcomes	McPherson College	Carlow University
Graduation Rate	46%	51%
Median Earnings (After 10 years)	$44,200	$41,900
Making Student Loan Payments	67%	59%
Median Student Loan Debt	$26,000	$27,000
Median Loan Payment	$268	$279

Diversity	McPherson College	Carlow University
% Men	67%	14%
% Women	33%	86%
Racial Diversity	Medium	Medium
HBCU	No	No
% White	70%	61%
% Black	10%	22%
% Hispanic	12%	2%
% Native American	1%	0%
% Pacific Islander	0%	0%
% Two or More Races	2%	5%
% International	4%	0%
% Unknown Race	0%	8%

Students	McPherson College	Carlow University
% In-State	31%	88%
% Out-of-State	62%	11%
Campus	McPherson College	Carlow University
Campus Housing	Yes	Yes
Freshman Dorm Required	No	No
Meal Plan	Yes	Yes
Weekend/Evening Classes	Yes	Yes
Daycare Facility	No	No
Learn More	Details	Details

Comparable Facts

• Carlow University is larger than than McPherson College based on total student enrollment (2,104 students vs. 822 students)

McPherson College vs. Carlow University Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, McPherson College or Carlow University?

• McPherson College is 0.3% more expensive to attend than Carlow University for in-state tuition ($32,494.00 vs. $32,402.00)
• Out of state tuition is 0.3% higher at McPherson College than Carlow University ($32,494.00 vs. $32,402.00)
• The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Carlow University than McPherson College ($17,437 vs. $25,065)
• Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at McPherson College are 31.2% lower than costs at Carlow University ($9,918 vs. $13,014)
• More students receive financial grant aid at McPherson College than Carlow University (100% vs. 99%)
• The average total grant financial aid received by Carlow University students is 21.9% larger than aid received McPherson College ($26,713 vs. $21,916)

McPherson College vs. Carlow University Admissions Difficulty Comparison

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

• The average SAT score at Carlow University (972) is 32 points higher than at McPherson College (940)
• Incoming Carlow University students have a 1 point higher average ACT score (21) than students at McPherson College (20)
• Accepted freshman Carlow University students have a 0.27 point higher average high school GPA (3.6) than students at McPherson College (3.33)
• Carlow University has a higher acceptance rate (92.7%) than McPherson College (65.9%)

McPherson College vs. Carlow University Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, McPherson College or Carlow University? 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 Carlow University and McPherson College.

• The graduation rate at Carlow University is higher than McPherson College (51% vs. 46%)
• Graduates from McPherson College earn on average $2,300 more per year than Carlow University graduates after ten years. ($44,200 vs. $41,900)
• McPherson College students graduate with a $1,000 lower median federal student loan debt than Carlow University graduates. ($26,000 vs. $27,000)
• McPherson College graduates are paying $11 less per month on federal student loans than Carlow University graduates. ($268 vs. $279)
• More McPherson College graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Carlow University students, three years after graduation. (67% vs. 59%)

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