Ball State vs Western Kentucky University (WKU)

Ball State University and Western Kentucky University, both esteemed public institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Ball State, located in Muncie, Indiana, boasts a higher acceptance rate (84%) compared to Western Kentucky University's 78% in Bowling Green, Kentucky. While Ball State excels in fields like business, education, and nursing, Western Kentucky University shines in programs such as engineering, agriculture, and health professions. Explore the detailed comparison table to delve into further differences, including student body demographics, graduation rates, and more, to determine which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Ball State University	Western Kentucky University
Overview
Location	Muncie, Indiana	Bowling Green, Kentucky
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%	73.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	68.2%	98.5%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $60 Graduate: $60	Undergraduate: $45 Graduate: $65
SAT range	1010 - 1210	N/A
ACT range	20 - 27	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	42.0%
Students submitting ACT score	13.0%
Total number of applicants	22,947	7,255
Total number of admissions given out	15,642	7,145
Admitted students who chose to enroll	3,278	2,832
Yield rate	21.0%	39.6%
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: $27,895 Out of state: $43,903
Average net price	$12,968	$12,395
Tuition	In state: $9,628 Out of state: $26,862	In state: $10,992 Out of state: $27,000
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,862 Meal plan: $6,282	Room/dormitory: $6,744 Meal plan: $3,964
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	86.0% Average amount $11,442	98.0% Average amount $9,576
Students receiving federal student loan	88.0% Average amount $5,451	47.0% Average amount $5,128
Students taking out private loans	11.0% Average amount $13,381	5.0% Average amount $9,983

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	14,898 Men 38.7% Women 61.3%	14,729 Men 37.8% Women 62.2%
Graduate students	5,421 Men 23.0% Women 77.0%	2,021 Men 34.1% Women 65.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	9.4%	N/A
International students	1.4%	1.1%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	7,531	4,942
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 Indiana Illinois Ohio

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Health Professions Business Liberal Arts Psychology	Health Professions Business Education Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Public Administration and Social Service
Students to faculty ratio	14:1	18:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	68.0%	53.6%
Dropout rate	11.4%	22.1%
Transferred out	20.1%	22.9%
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	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $76,015 Year 2: $86,696 Year 3: $95,431 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $71,960 Year 2: $76,998 Year 3: $77,293 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,199 Year 2: $70,009 Year 3: $77,197 Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $53,704 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $68,358 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $65,193 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $66,850 Construction Engineering Technologies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $49,992 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $65,815 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $52,607 Year 2: $61,144 Year 3: $65,553 Civil Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $50,759 Year 2: $51,551 Year 3: $57,443 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $53,729 Year 2: $52,897 Year 3: $56,104 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,172 Year 2: $56,281 Year 3: $55,609

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