St. Mary's vs. Cairn

Should I go to St Mary's College of Maryland or Cairn University? Compare 50+ facts and figures about the colleges to help you determine if St. Mary's or Cairn is the better college for you. The CollegeSimply comparison tool allows side-by-side comparison of 50+ statistics and facts for over 2,500 colleges and universities.

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St Mary's College of Maryland vs. Cairn University comparison
St Mary's College of Maryland Cairn University College 3 College 4
St Mary's College of Maryland
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Overview

St. Mary's Cairn
Location St. Mary's City, MD Langhorne, PA
Setting Distant Rural Large Suburban
Enrollment 1,520 1,031
Type Public 4 Year Private 4 Year
National Ranking #143
Religious Affiliation - - - -
Status Non-profit Non-profit
Website smcm.edu cairn.edu
Team Colors                    

Costs

St. Mary's Cairn
Tuition (In State) $12,116 $31,255
Tuition (Out of State) $28,192 $31,255
Room & Board $14,146 $11,764
Avg Net Price $20,714 $25,923
Avg Grant Aid $10,265 $18,376
% Receiving Grant Aid 94% 96%

Admission

St. Mary's Cairn
Admission Chances Calculate Calculate
Applied 2,934 468
Admitted 2,268 379
Acceptance Rate 77.3% 81%
Enrolled % 18.1% 53.3%
Avg High School GPA 3.45 3.31
Typical High School Grades B+ B+
Admissions Standards Difficult Unavailable
Applicant Competition
ACT Range 28/30
SAT Range 1130/1370
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 Jan 15, 2024

Academics

St. Mary's Cairn
Student to Faculty Ratio 10:1 11:1
Popular Majors
  • Social Sciences (28%)
  • Psychology (18%)
  • English and Literature (13%)
  • Biology (11%)
  • History (6%)
  • Philosophy and Religious Studies (71%)
  • Education (13%)
  • Business (8%)
  • Human Services (6%)
  • Visual and Performing Arts (2%)

Outcomes

St. Mary's Cairn
Graduation Rate 79% 63%
Median Earnings (After 10 years) $51,500 $37,000
Making Student Loan Payments 82% 69%
Median Student Loan Debt $20,370 $27,000
Median Loan Payment $210 $279

Diversity

St. Mary's Cairn
% Men 41% 47%
% Women 59% 53%
Racial Diversity Low Low
HBCU No No
% White 71% 72%
% Black 8% 14%
% Hispanic 8% 7%
% Native American 0% 0%
% Pacific Islander 0% 0%
% Two or More Races 5% 2%
% International 1% 2%
% Unknown Race 3% 0%

Students

St. Mary's Cairn
% In-State 87% 60%
% Out-of-State 12% 36%

Campus

St. Mary's Cairn
Campus Housing Yes Yes
Freshman Dorm Required No No
Meal Plan Yes Yes
Weekend/Evening Classes No No
Daycare Facility No No
Learn More Details Details

Comparable Facts

  • St Mary's College of Maryland is larger than than Cairn based on total student enrollment (1,520 students vs. 1,031 students)

St. Mary's vs. Cairn Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, St. Mary's or Cairn?

  • Cairn University is 158% more expensive to attend than St. Mary's for in-state tuition ($31,255.00 vs. $12,116.00)
  • Out of state tuition is 10.9% higher at Cairn than St Mary's College of Maryland ($31,255.00 vs. $28,192.00)
  • The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at St Mary's College of Maryland than Cairn ($20,714 vs. $25,923)
  • Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Cairn University are 20.2% lower than costs at St Mary's College of Maryland ($11,764 vs. $14,146)
  • More students receive financial grant aid at Cairn University than St Mary's College of Maryland (96% vs. 94%)
  • The average total grant financial aid received by Cairn University students is 79% larger than aid received St Mary's College of Maryland ($18,376 vs. $10,265)

St. Mary's vs. Cairn Admissions Difficulty Comparison

Which college is harder to get into, St. Mary's or Cairn? Average SAT and ACT scores plus acceptance rates offer good insight into the difficulty of admission between Cairn or St. Mary's .

  • The average SAT score at St Mary's College of Maryland (1145) is 169 points higher than at Cairn (976)
  • Incoming St. Mary's students have a 4 point higher average ACT score (25) than students at Cairn (21)
  • Accepted freshman St. Mary's students have a 0.14 point higher average high school GPA (3.45) than students at Cairn (3.31)
  • Cairn has a higher acceptance rate (81%) than St. Mary's (77.3%)

St. Mary's vs. Cairn Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, St. Mary's or Cairn? 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 Cairn and St. Mary's.

  • The graduation rate at St. Mary's is higher than Cairn University (79% vs. 63%)
  • Graduates from St Mary's College of Maryland earn on average $14,500 more per year than Cairn graduates after ten years. ($51,500 vs. $37,000)
  • St Mary's College of Maryland students graduate with a $6,630 lower median federal student loan debt than Cairn graduates. ($20,370 vs. $27,000)
  • St. Mary's graduates are paying $69 less per month on federal student loans than Cairn graduates. ($210 vs. $279)
  • More St. Mary's graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Cairn students, three years after graduation. (82% vs. 69%)

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