Belhaven University vs Mississippi Valley State University (MVSU)

Belhaven University and Mississippi Valley State University, two distinct institutions of higher learning, offer unique educational experiences to students with diverse aspirations. Belhaven, a private Christian university, boasts a lower acceptance rate and a smaller student body, fostering a close-knit community. Mississippi Valley State, a public historically black university, offers a more diverse student body and a higher acceptance rate, providing access to a wider range of students. While both universities offer a variety of undergraduate and graduate programs, Belhaven is known for its strong liberal arts and pre-professional programs, while Mississippi Valley State excels in STEM fields and teacher education. Explore the detailed comparison table below to delve into further differences, including graduation rates, popular majors, and additional factors that may influence your choice of university.

	Belhaven University	Mississippi Valley State University
Overview
Location	Jackson, Mississippi	Itta Bena, Mississippi
Campus setting	City: Midsize	Town: Remote
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	68.0%	59.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation	Presbyterian

Admission
Acceptance rate	64.0%	78.6%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $25 Graduate: $25
SAT range	980 - 1260	N/A
ACT range	19 - 24	14 - 18
Students submitting SAT score	6.0%
Students submitting ACT score	75.0%	74.0%
Total number of applicants	1,787	3,155
Total number of admissions given out	1,144	2,480
Admitted students who chose to enroll	212	199
Yield rate	18.5%	8.0%
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	$35,475	$22,070
Average net price	$18,269	$10,320
Tuition	$27,450	$7,048
Room & board	$8,950	Room/dormitory: $4,386 Meal plan: $3,612
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $17,068	98.0% Average amount $9,995
Students receiving federal student loan	59.0% Average amount $5,161	72.0% Average amount $5,764
Students taking out private loans	8.0% Average amount $9,795	9.0% Average amount $7,608

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,714 Men 33.0% Women 67.0%	1,714 Men 42.2% Women 57.8%
Graduate students	2,564 Men 25.9% Women 74.1%	350 Men 32.6% Women 67.4%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	1.3%	N/A
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	Town: Remote
Dormitory capacity	579	944
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Education Health Professions Public Administration and Social Service Kinesiology & Leisure Studies	Education Business Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Public Administration and Social Service Liberal Arts
Students to faculty ratio	10:1	12:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	53.7%	27.1%
Dropout rate	45.9%	71.5%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $40,437 Year 2: $40,017 Year 3: $48,621 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $43,798 Year 3: $46,995 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $47,657 Year 2: $46,673 Year 3: $46,990 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,855 Year 2: $45,636 Year 3: $46,015 Health and Medical Administrative Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $41,829 Year 2: $44,942 Year 3: $44,461 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $42,145 Year 2: $39,729 Year 3: $41,481 Health and Medical Administrative Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,481 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $39,306 Public Administration (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $38,539 Year 2: $38,505 Year 3: $38,413 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $26,085 Year 2: $22,534 Year 3: $34,120 Social Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $26,423 Year 2: $30,228 Year 3: $33,115	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $33,993 Year 3: $38,586 Social Work (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $30,211 Year 2: $33,007 Year 3: $32,318 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: N/A Year 3: $31,600 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $26,850 Year 3: $27,434 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $28,019 Year 3: $26,830 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $22,192 Year 3: $25,417 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $19,592 Year 3: $24,101 Social Work (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $17,334 Year 3: $19,675 Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $24,421 Year 3: N/A Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $25,194 Year 3: N/A

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