Comparison tool
Rankings across 8 publishers plus admissions, cost, debt and outcome data for East Carolina University, University of Alabama, Salisbury University. Every figure is sourced and dated.
| Metric | East CarolinaGreenville, NC | AlabamaTuscaloosa, AL | Salisbury UniversitySalisbury, MD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acceptance rate | 89.2% | 76.6% | 87.5% |
| SAT middle 50% | 1070–1240 | 1170–1400 | 1180–1320 |
| Average net price | $15,73931.8% on Pell grants | $22,42018.4% on Pell grants | $17,74325.9% on Pell grants |
| Published tuition & fees | $7,361 in-state · $23,638 outMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release | $12,180 in-state · $34,172 outMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release | $11,084 in-state · $22,174 outMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release |
| 6-year graduation rate | 62.6% | 73.4% | 68.2% |
| First-year retention | 82.7% | 89.5% | 77.7% |
| Undergraduates on Pell grants | 31.8% | 18.4% | 25.9% |
| Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry | $55,146 | $59,221 | $61,515 |
| Median federal debt at graduation | $22,750 | $22,750 | $21,000 |
| Student-faculty ratio | 17:1 | 19:1 | 13:1 |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 19,896 | 33,227 | 6,057 |
| Consensus percentile | 42Lower is better | 43Lower is better | 40Lower is better |
| Methodology sensitivity | 84 ptsHow far published lists disagree, in percentile points | 56 ptsHow far published lists disagree, in percentile points | 49 ptsHow far published lists disagree, in percentile points |
Highlighted cells mark the most favourable value in that row where a direction is meaningful. No highlight appears for metrics like enrollment or SAT range, where “better” depends entirely on what you want.
“Not ranked by this source” means that publisher’s list does not include the school — not missing data and not a poor rank.
| Source | East Carolina | Alabama | Salisbury University |
|---|---|---|---|
| US News | #192 of 436National universitiesNational Universities · 2026 | #169 of 436National universitiesNational Universities · 2026 | #49 of 170Regional univ. (North)Regional Universities (North) · 2026 |
| Forbes | #471 of 500Top colleges (Forbes)America's Top Colleges · 2026 | #270 of 500Top colleges (Forbes)America's Top Colleges · 2026 | #277 of 500Top colleges (Forbes)America's Top Colleges · 2026 |
| Washington Monthly | #159 of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars · 2026 | #608 of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars · 2026 | #292 of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars · 2026 |
| WSJ | #222 of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)Best Colleges in the U.S. · 2026 | #276 of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)Best Colleges in the U.S. · 2026 | #343 of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)Best Colleges in the U.S. · 2026 |
| Niche | #390 of 2,605Overall (Niche)Best Colleges (Overall) · 2026 | #149 of 2,605Overall (Niche)Best Colleges (Overall) · 2026 | #770 of 2,605Overall (Niche)Best Colleges (Overall) · 2026 |
| Money | Listed | Listed | Listed |
| Princeton Review | Listed | Listed | Listed |
| QS | Not ranked by this source | #933 of 1,504World (QS)World University Rankings · 2026 | Not ranked by this source |
Students comparing East Carolina University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.
This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
Full profileStudents comparing University of Alabama on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.
This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
Full profileStudents comparing Salisbury University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.
This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
Full profile