Ball State vs East Tennessee State University (ETSU)

Ball State University and East Tennessee State University, both public institutions with rich histories, offer distinct educational experiences. Ball State, located in Muncie, Indiana, boasts a higher acceptance rate (84%) compared to East Tennessee State University's (ETSU) 73% in Johnson City, Tennessee. While ETSU's student body is slightly larger, both universities share a diverse student population. Ball State excels in fields like business, journalism, and music, while ETSU shines in nursing, allied health, and aviation. With similar graduation rates, the choice between these universities hinges on individual preferences, academic interests, and campus culture. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover which university aligns best with your aspirations and goals.

	Ball State University	East Tennessee State University
Overview
Location	Muncie, Indiana	Johnson City, Tennessee
Campus setting	City: Small	City: Small
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	73.0%	67.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	68.2%	87.4%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $60 Graduate: $60	Undergraduate: $25 Graduate: $55
SAT range	1010 - 1210	N/A
ACT range	20 - 27	19 - 26
Students submitting SAT score	42.0%
Students submitting ACT score	13.0%	80.0%
Total number of applicants	22,947	8,563
Total number of admissions given out	15,642	7,484
Admitted students who chose to enroll	3,278	1,856
Yield rate	21.0%	24.8%
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)	Not required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $25,254 Out of state: $42,488	In state: $28,704 Out of state: $32,006
Average net price	$12,968	$14,482
Tuition	In state: $9,628 Out of state: $26,862	In state: $7,486 Out of state: $10,788
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,862 Meal plan: $6,282	$9,582
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	86.0% Average amount $11,442	97.0% Average amount $9,541
Students receiving federal student loan	88.0% Average amount $5,451	34.0% Average amount $6,489
Students taking out private loans	11.0% Average amount $13,381	4.0% Average amount $13,366

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	14,898 Men 38.7% Women 61.3%	10,316 Men 38.3% Women 61.7%
Graduate students	5,421 Men 23.0% Women 77.0%	2,987 Men 30.7% Women 69.3%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	9.4%	22.1%
International students	1.4%	2.0%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	7,531	2,833
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Indiana Illinois Ohio Michigan Florida	Tennessee North Carolina Virginia South Carolina Georgia

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Health Professions Business Liberal Arts Psychology	Health Professions Education Public Administration and Social Service Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Business
Students to faculty ratio	14:1	15:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	68.0%	50.6%
Dropout rate	11.4%	21.3%
Transferred out	20.1%	25.2%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $95,451 Year 2: $92,124 Year 3: $94,146 Information Science/Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $69,551 Year 2: $75,989 Year 3: $81,236 Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,545 Year 2: $63,997 Year 3: $77,057 Business/Commerce, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $75,885 Year 2: $65,610 Year 3: $75,003 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $58,368 Year 2: $53,108 Year 3: $65,967 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $55,067 Year 2: $53,775 Year 3: $64,046 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,195 Year 2: $54,296 Year 3: $63,441 Business/Commerce, General (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $57,995 Year 3: $62,410 Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,157 Year 2: $56,776 Year 3: $60,714 Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $50,299 Year 2: $52,357 Year 3: $59,898	Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $105,882 Year 2: $117,477 Year 3: $121,003 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $87,648 Year 2: $94,408 Year 3: $101,627 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $86,704 Year 2: $87,604 Year 3: $92,942 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $69,704 Year 2: $70,009 Year 3: $77,994 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $71,980 Year 2: $68,592 Year 3: $75,044 Medicine (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $53,417 Year 2: $55,286 Year 3: $71,655 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $48,748 Year 2: $54,748 Year 3: $69,192 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $50,234 Year 2: $56,867 Year 3: $66,513 Public Health (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $45,737 Year 2: $44,971 Year 3: $59,138 Engineering Technology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $51,039 Year 2: $52,107 Year 3: $58,679

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