Bowie State vs Central State

Bowie State University and Central State University, both historically Black universities with rich legacies, offer distinct educational experiences. Bowie State, located in Maryland, boasts a higher acceptance rate (73%) compared to Central State's 58%. Central State, in Ohio, has a slightly larger student body, with over 2,000 undergraduates, while Bowie State has a more diverse student population, with a higher percentage of female students. Both universities offer a range of popular majors, including nursing, business, and education, but Central State has a stronger focus on STEM fields. While Bowie State has a slightly higher graduation rate (54% vs. 51%), Central State offers a lower average cost of attendance. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more key differences and make an informed decision about which university aligns best with your academic goals and preferences.

	Bowie State University	Central State University
Overview
Location	Bowie, Maryland	Wilberforce, Ohio
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	Rural: Fringe
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	72.0%	41.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	87.0%	58.6%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $40	Undergraduate: $35 Graduate: $35
SAT range	840 - 1020	770 - 950
ACT range	17 - 20	14 - 18
Students submitting SAT score	17.0%	1.0%
Students submitting ACT score	1.0%	21.0%
Total number of applicants	4,978	8,019
Total number of admissions given out	4,333	4,702
Admitted students who chose to enroll	913	804
Yield rate	21.1%	17.1%
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)	Not required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $26,504 Out of state: $37,244	In state: $21,342 Out of state: $23,342
Average net price	$14,290	$10,598
Tuition	In state: $5,760 Out of state: $16,500	In state: $4,842 Out of state: $6,842
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,616 Meal plan: $4,842	Room/dormitory: $5,600 Meal plan: $4,880
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	78.0% Average amount $9,115	93.0% Average amount $6,671
Students receiving federal student loan	49.0% Average amount $5,364	29.0% Average amount $5,983
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $14,572	0.0% Average amount $0

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	5,381 Men 39.0% Women 61.0%	6,035 Men 29.3% Women 70.7%
Graduate students	927 Men 31.8% Women 68.2%	9 Men 55.6% Women 44.4%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	2.8%	2.2%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	Rural: Fringe
Dormitory capacity	1,600	1,380
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 Psychology Education Health Professions Law Enforcement and Firefighting	Business Psychology Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Public Administration and Social Service Education
Students to faculty ratio	18:1	25:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	41.9%	23.5%
Dropout rate	24.0%	61.1%
Transferred out	30.0%	13.4%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $105,317 Year 2: $95,473 Year 3: $104,121 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $68,584 Year 2: $62,012 Year 3: $73,718 Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $51,055 Year 2: $58,673 Year 3: $67,579 Human Resources Management and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $48,606 Year 2: $59,045 Year 3: $66,119 Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $41,270 Year 2: $52,107 Year 3: $55,369 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $45,731 Year 2: $46,087 Year 3: $53,272 Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $52,107 Year 3: $50,897 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $35,964 Year 2: $32,925 Year 3: $48,228 Audiovisual Communications Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,607 Year 2: $27,048 Year 3: $43,708 Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,158 Year 2: $34,526 Year 3: $41,986	Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,649 Year 2: $30,409 Year 3: $31,157 Business/Commerce, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $25,435 Year 2: $28,133 Year 3: $30,254 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $20,992 Year 2: $25,194 Year 3: $29,942 Journalism (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $21,508 Year 3: $26,666 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $28,055 Year 3: N/A Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $22,189 Year 2: $27,476 Year 3: N/A Parks, Recreation and Leisure Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $25,967 Year 3: N/A

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Bowie State vs Central State

Bowie State University

Central State University

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Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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