Arkansas Tech University (ATU) vs Northwestern State

Arkansas Tech University and Northwestern State University of Louisiana, both public universities with rich histories, offer distinct educational experiences. Arkansas Tech, located in Russellville, Arkansas, boasts a higher acceptance rate (86%) compared to Northwestern State's 79%. While both universities offer a diverse range of undergraduate programs, Arkansas Tech excels in engineering and computer science, while Northwestern State is renowned for its business and education programs. Arkansas Tech's student body is slightly larger, with over 12,000 students, while Northwestern State has a more intimate community of around 10,000 students. Both universities prioritize student success, with Arkansas Tech achieving a graduation rate of 58% and Northwestern State at 56%. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more about these universities' unique strengths and determine which one aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Arkansas Tech University	Northwestern State University of Louisiana
Overview
Location	Russellville, Arkansas	Natchitoches, Louisiana
Campus setting	Town: Remote	Town: Remote
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	63.0%	64.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	94.4%	96.3%
Application fees	$40	Undergraduate: $20 Graduate: $25
SAT range	N/A	920 - 1120
ACT range	N/A	16 - 22
Students submitting SAT score		3.0%
Students submitting ACT score		88.0%
Total number of applicants	6,218	3,738
Total number of admissions given out	5,868	3,599
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,396	1,299
Yield rate	23.8%	36.1%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $27,125 Out of state: $32,861	In state: $25,094 Out of state: $35,882
Average net price	$11,097	$13,500
Tuition	In state: $5,736 Out of state: $11,472	In state: $5,180 Out of state: $15,968
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,996 Meal plan: $4,000	Room/dormitory: $5,964 Meal plan: $4,100
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	94.0% Average amount $8,425	93.0% Average amount $9,347
Students receiving federal student loan	43.0% Average amount $6,090	65.0% Average amount $4,878
Students taking out private loans	4.0% Average amount $8,627	4.0% Average amount $10,829

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	8,901 Men 43.8% Women 56.2%	9,622 Men 29.0% Women 71.0%
Graduate students	739 Men 36.3% Women 63.7%	1,113 Men 19.1% Women 80.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	6.2%	1.3%
International students	2.2%	1.5%
Campus local/setting	Town: Remote	Town: Remote
Dormitory capacity	2,100	1,492
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Arkansas Texas Oklahoma Missouri Tennessee	Louisiana Texas California Colorado Mississippi

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Liberal Arts Education Business Law Enforcement and Firefighting	Health Professions Liberal Arts Education Biological and Biomedical Sciences Visual & Performing Arts
Students to faculty ratio	18:1	19:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	45.8%	44.1%
Dropout rate	30.2%	52.7%
Transferred out	22.2%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,093 Year 2: $54,974 Year 3: $63,833 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,586 Year 2: $57,955 Year 3: $59,678 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,980 Year 2: $45,808 Year 3: $58,934 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $59,665 Year 2: $52,607 Year 3: $58,602 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $43,486 Year 2: $52,107 Year 3: $54,362 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $51,609 Year 2: $49,136 Year 3: $53,009 Teaching English or French as a Second or Foreign Language (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $44,819 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $43,990 Student Counseling and Personnel Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $36,415 Year 2: $40,222 Year 3: $42,597 Homeland Security (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $35,633 Year 2: $36,668 Year 3: $41,833 Education, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $39,931 Year 2: $38,649 Year 3: $41,419	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $90,397 Year 2: $91,152 Year 3: $97,402 Information Science/Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $52,057 Year 2: $59,350 Year 3: $74,454 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,885 Year 2: $63,326 Year 3: $66,285 Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $51,023 Year 2: $45,696 Year 3: $60,510 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $63,860 Year 2: $60,226 Year 3: $58,469 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $52,493 Year 2: $43,957 Year 3: $53,304 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $32,570 Year 2: $44,170 Year 3: $51,224 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $45,699 Year 2: $48,432 Year 3: $49,876 English Language and Literature, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $35,535 Year 2: $45,277 Year 3: $45,495 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $41,907 Year 2: $43,277 Year 3: $44,409

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