Bowling Green State University-Main Campus (BGSU) vs Western Kentucky University (WKU)

Bowling Green State University-Main Campus and Western Kentucky University, both esteemed public universities in the Midwest, offer distinct educational experiences. Bowling Green, nestled in northwest Ohio, boasts a higher acceptance rate, making it a more accessible option for aspiring students. Western Kentucky, located in Bowling Green, Kentucky, stands out with its lower student-faculty ratio, fostering a more personalized learning environment. While Bowling Green excels in fields like business, education, and health professions, Western Kentucky shines in areas such as engineering, nursing, and agriculture. Explore the detailed comparison table to uncover further differences in acceptance rates, popular majors, student demographics, and graduation rates, helping you make an informed decision that aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Bowling Green State University-Main Campus	Western Kentucky University
Overview
Location	Bowling Green, Ohio	Bowling Green, Kentucky
Campus setting	Town: Fringe	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	78.0%	73.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	78.7%	98.5%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $45 Graduate: $45	Undergraduate: $45 Graduate: $65
SAT range	1020 - 1210	N/A
ACT range	20 - 25	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	17.0%
Students submitting ACT score	64.0%
Total number of applicants	18,295	7,255
Total number of admissions given out	14,404	7,145
Admitted students who chose to enroll	2,760	2,832
Yield rate	19.2%	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)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $26,189 Out of state: $34,177	In state: $27,895 Out of state: $43,903
Average net price	$16,684	$12,395
Tuition	In state: $10,776 Out of state: $18,764	In state: $10,992 Out of state: $27,000
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,170 Meal plan: $4,804	Room/dormitory: $6,744 Meal plan: $3,964
Available payment plans	Guaranteed tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	96.0% Average amount $7,888	98.0% Average amount $9,576
Students receiving federal student loan	57.0% Average amount $5,305	47.0% Average amount $5,128
Students taking out private loans	10.0% Average amount $13,247	5.0% Average amount $9,983

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	14,465 Men 43.5% Women 56.5%	14,729 Men 37.8% Women 62.2%
Graduate students	3,180 Men 37.9% Women 62.1%	2,021 Men 34.1% Women 65.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Low
Out-of-state students	11.3%	N/A
International students	4.0%	1.1%
Campus local/setting	Town: Fringe	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	5,911	4,942
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Ohio Michigan Illinois Indiana New York	Tennessee Indiana Illinois Ohio

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

Outcome
Graduation rate	62.5%	53.6%
Dropout rate	13.3%	22.1%
Transferred out	23.0%	22.9%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Human Resources Management and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $84,102 Year 3: $83,744 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $75,302 Year 2: $79,688 Year 3: $76,011 Psychology, General (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $62,772 Year 2: $67,660 Year 3: $75,005 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,793 Year 2: $64,493 Year 3: $74,656 Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $65,119 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $74,156 Construction Engineering Technologies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $65,131 Year 3: $71,653 Construction Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,158 Year 2: $62,154 Year 3: $70,152 Engineering Technologies/Technicians, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,435 Year 2: $64,829 Year 3: $68,794 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,054 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $67,036 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $59,124 Year 3: $65,091	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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