I was curious about how these two in terms of:
Competiveness
Academic rigor
Social life/student body
Campus feel
If you have thoughts on any of these points, I would appreciate some insight. Thanks!
Also I would like to know where their strongest programs are and what they specialize in. If you’ve heard anything about students’ thoughts of the school community, that would be helpful too!
At Loyola Maryland, over 1/3 of students major in business/marketing.
You can find this information in section J of the Common Data Set, which most colleges post online.
La Salle does not seem to publish a CDS but according to US News its most popular major is nursing (23%) followed by marketing (8%).
Loyola has higher average entering stats (GPA, test scores) and a lower admission rate than La Salle.
Historically it has been a popular choice for seniors at Baltimore-area Catholic high schools.
However, it does draw over 80% of current students from out-of-state.
Almost half of enrolled students attended private (mostly Roman Catholic) high schools.
http://www.loyola.edu/admission/undergraduate/application-process/admitted-student-profile
Both are Catholic schools in urban areas, but I found them to have very different vibes. If you can, visit.
Loyola Maryland is more selective for admission, so the overall student body is likely to be academically stronger than La Salle’s. Both schools have excellent Honors Program for higher-achieving students.
La Salle is well known regionally for nursing, education, and accounting. Traditionally it was also quite strong for pre-med, but I don’t know if that reputation still holds. Loyola’s Business school is quite good, but I don’t know much about its other majors.
As far as campus feel, expect a preppier, more affluent feel at Loyola. As noted above, about 1/2 of the students come from private high schools, and the cost of attendance is considerably higher than at La Salle. Many archdiocesan and public school students from Philadelphia attend La Salle, with a lesser number of kids from the private prep schools in the area. La Salle probably has more diversity, more first generation students, more commuter and part-time students, and more local students (Philadelphia, its suburbs including South Jersey) than Loyola.
Both campuses abut not-so-great areas but to my knowledge are quite safe. La Salle has been expanding and rebuilding for years (including a new business school). Loyola has a very pretty, quad-type campus with some of the largest freshman dorms I’ve ever seen.
I don’t know how the schools are with need-based aid, but re merit awards: Loyola offers merit, but even with max award, it would be difficult to get the annual cost of attendance below $35,000. La Salle used to give a lot of merit awards, but recently cut tuition dramatically, so those smaller awards might disappear or be harder to get. However. a number of full-tuition Christian Brothers scholarships are available for students with ACT 29+ or SAT 1360+, top 10%, good ECs (at least these were the criteria this past admissions’ cycle).
They are both Catholic schools in mid-Atlantic cities, but differ in many other respects. Comments below include info from College Navigator and the NYTimes.
https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/01/18/upshot/some-colleges-have-more-students-from-the-top-1-percent-than-the-bottom-60.html?_r=0
La Salle is located in a gritty part of Philadelphia, where off-campus safety could be a concern. Most students (62%) are in-state. My guess is that most in-staters are from the Philadelphia area, and that most out-of-staters come from adjacent parts of New Jersey. Probably many commuter students. Median family income is $91,000. Significant numbers of minority students (35% black, Hispanic, or Asian). Most students are in pre-professional majors (rather than traditional liberal arts majors); more than 50% major in either health-relied fields (like nursing or public health) or business-related fields (like marketing or accounting). The nursing program has a strong reputation. La Salle students have significantly lower stats than Loyola MD students, as noted above. Noted for basketball.
Loyola MD is located in a wealthy and safe residential neighborhood in Baltimore. Has a suburban feel, although it is within Baltimore city limits. Relatively few local students; most (85%) are from out-of-state. Most students live on-campus, few commuters. Attracts more affluent students; median family income is $178,000. Whiter, with fewer minority students (19%). Business-related majors are popular (about 35%), but there are more students majoring in traditional liberal arts disciplines like English or political science. Does not offer nursing. Noted for lacrosse and soccer.