Cleveland State vs Bowling Green State University-Main Campus (BGSU)

Cleveland State University and Bowling Green State University-Main Campus, both esteemed public universities in Ohio, offer distinct educational experiences. Cleveland State, nestled in the heart of downtown Cleveland, boasts a diverse student body and a strong focus on urban studies, engineering, and business. In contrast, Bowling Green, situated in a vibrant college town, excels in programs like business, education, and health professions. While Cleveland State has a higher acceptance rate, Bowling Green attracts a slightly larger student population. Both universities offer a supportive learning environment, but their unique strengths and characteristics may appeal to different students. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover which university better aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Bowling Green State University-Main Campus	Cleveland State University
Overview
Location	Bowling Green, Ohio	Cleveland, Ohio
Campus setting	Town: Fringe	City: Large
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%	70.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	78.7%	91.3%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $45 Graduate: $45	Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $40
SAT range	1020 - 1210	900 - 1170
ACT range	20 - 25	18 - 28
Students submitting SAT score	17.0%	23.0%
Students submitting ACT score	64.0%	50.0%
Total number of applicants	18,295	11,506
Total number of admissions given out	14,404	10,504
Admitted students who chose to enroll	2,760	1,869
Yield rate	19.2%	17.8%
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)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $26,189 Out of state: $34,177	In state: $28,630 Out of state: $33,593
Average net price	$16,684	$15,517
Tuition	In state: $10,776 Out of state: $18,764	In state: $11,610 Out of state: $16,573
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,170 Meal plan: $4,804	Room/dormitory: $8,825 Meal plan: $5,394
Available payment plans	Guaranteed tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Guaranteed tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	96.0% Average amount $7,888	92.0% Average amount $8,779
Students receiving federal student loan	57.0% Average amount $5,305	48.0% Average amount $5,037
Students taking out private loans	10.0% Average amount $13,247	4.0% Average amount $11,833

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	14,465 Men 43.5% Women 56.5%	10,481 Men 44.5% Women 55.5%
Graduate students	3,180 Men 37.9% Women 62.1%	4,827 Men 46.2% Women 53.8%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Low
Out-of-state students	11.3%	N/A
International students	4.0%	13.0%
Campus local/setting	Town: Fringe	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	5,911	1,011
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	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Health Professions Business Visual & Performing Arts Kinesiology & Leisure Studies	Health Professions Engineering Education Business Public Administration and Social Service
Students to faculty ratio	18:1	16:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	62.5%	50.8%
Dropout rate	13.3%	8.7%
Transferred out	23.0%	33.8%
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	Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $101,571 Year 2: $65,332 Year 3: $93,774 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $71,395 Year 2: $77,966 Year 3: $83,195 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,483 Year 2: $65,849 Year 3: $75,917 Education, General (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $56,127 Year 2: $73,446 Year 3: $74,430 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,475 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $71,477 Chemical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,703 Year 2: $60,061 Year 3: $71,065 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $69,187 Year 2: $65,610 Year 3: $70,270 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $60,500 Year 2: $63,666 Year 3: $70,009 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,594 Year 2: $59,901 Year 3: $68,841 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $48,944 Year 2: $54,020 Year 3: $67,084

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