Life University vs Shorter University

Metric	Life University	Shorter University
Undergraduate enrollment	893	1,028
Acceptance rate Lower means more selective	93.0%	96.5%
Average SAT	1,030	1,115
Median ACT	19	21
In-state tuition	$15,036	$24,630
Out-of-state tuition	$15,036	$24,630
Average net price What students actually pay after aid	$29,791	$16,646
Median debt at graduation	$16,666	$25,000
Graduation rate	37.9%	37.7%
First-year retention	62.8%	60.5%
Median salary (10 yr)	$47,397	$44,604

Metric

Life University

Shorter University

Undergraduate enrollment

893

1,028

Acceptance rate
Lower means more selective

93.0%

96.5%

Average SAT

1,030

1,115

Median ACT

In-state tuition

$15,036

$24,630

Out-of-state tuition

$15,036

$24,630

Average net price
What students actually pay after aid

$29,791

$16,646

Median debt at graduation

$16,666

$25,000

Graduation rate

37.9%

37.7%

First-year retention

62.8%

60.5%

Median salary (10 yr)

$47,397

$44,604

What the numbers say

Life University is the harder admit at 93.0%, against 96.5% at Shorter University.
Shorter University costs less after aid — $16,646 a year versus $29,791, a difference of $13,145 annually, or roughly $52,580 across four years.
Life University graduates report higher median earnings — $47,397 against $44,604 ten years after entry.
Life University graduates a larger share of its students — 37.9% versus 37.7%.
On pure return — salary divided by net price — Shorter University comes out ahead at 2.7× versus 1.6×.

Comparison tables are a starting point, not a decision. Three things matter more than anything in the table above:

Your real aid offer. Net price is an average across all income levels. Two students at the same school can pay amounts that differ by tens of thousands. Wait for actual award letters before ruling anything out on cost.
Your intended major. Earnings vary more between majors at one school than between schools for one major. A computer science graduate from the "lower earning" school here will likely out-earn a general studies graduate from the other.
Whether you will finish. Graduation rate is the metric most predictive of whether the money spent turns into a credential. Campus fit, support services, and commute all feed into it more than prestige does.

Visit before you commit

Both Life University and Shorter University run campus visits. Spending an afternoon on each will tell you things no dataset can.