Eastern Illinois University (EIU) vs Murray State

Eastern Illinois University (EIU) and Murray State University (MSU) are two public universities located in the Midwest, offering a wide range of academic programs and opportunities. While they share some similarities, there are also several key differences between the two institutions. EIU has a slightly higher acceptance rate than MSU, making it a more accessible option for students with a wider range of academic backgrounds. MSU, on the other hand, has a slightly higher graduation rate, suggesting that it may provide more comprehensive support for its students. Both universities offer popular majors in fields such as business, education, and nursing, but EIU has a stronger focus on the liberal arts, while MSU has a stronger focus on professional programs. Additionally, the student body demographics at the two universities differ, with EIU having a slightly larger international student population and MSU having a slightly larger African American student population. To help you make an informed decision about which university is the best fit for you, we have compiled a comprehensive comparison table that highlights

	Eastern Illinois University	Murray State University
Overview
Location	Charleston, Illinois	Murray, Kentucky
Campus setting	Town: Distant	Town: Remote
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	74.0%	75.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	71.7%	85.2%
Application fees	$30	Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $40
SAT range	900 - 1140	960 - 1200
ACT range	17 - 23	20 - 27
Students submitting SAT score	56.0%	16.0%
Students submitting ACT score	66.0%	86.0%
Total number of applicants	7,145	9,144
Total number of admissions given out	5,126	7,787
Admitted students who chose to enroll	778	1,395
Yield rate	15.2%	17.9%
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: $25,316 Out of state: $27,684	In state: $26,219 Out of state: $35,495
Average net price	$13,669	$11,237
Tuition	In state: $9,472 Out of state: $11,840	In state: $8,040 Out of state: $17,316
Room & board	$10,548	Room/dormitory: $5,538 Meal plan: $4,330
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Guaranteed tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	99.0% Average amount $10,756	99.0% Average amount $11,753
Students receiving federal student loan	62.0% Average amount $5,140	47.0% Average amount $6,997
Students taking out private loans	7.0% Average amount $10,570	7.0% Average amount $10,075

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	6,903 Men 40.6% Women 59.4%	7,651 Men 37.5% Women 62.5%
Graduate students	1,705 Men 37.5% Women 62.5%	1,763 Men 35.1% Women 64.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	9.6%	N/A
International students	4.6%	5.4%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	Town: Remote
Dormitory capacity	4,304	3,064
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Illinois Indiana Ohio Missouri Texas	Illinois Tennessee Indiana Missouri

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Business Engineering Technologies Health Professions Communication and Journalism	Health Professions Education Business Agriculture Engineering Technologies
Students to faculty ratio	14:1	16:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	50.7%	55.9%
Dropout rate	15.9%	42.8%
Transferred out	32.6%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $50,607 Year 2: $54,386 Year 3: $65,635 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $63,284 Year 2: $59,350 Year 3: $64,761 Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $40,936 Year 2: $61,020 Year 3: $64,356 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,964 Year 2: $50,677 Year 3: $61,384 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $48,053 Year 2: $46,673 Year 3: $59,023 Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,088 Year 2: $50,856 Year 3: $57,084 Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $51,985 Year 2: $53,894 Year 3: $56,317 Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $47,260 Year 3: $49,482 Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $35,479 Year 2: $41,565 Year 3: $47,585 Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,850 Year 2: $40,768 Year 3: $47,302	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $162,817 Year 3: $178,780 Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $68,792 Year 2: $79,473 Year 3: $88,757 Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $65,448 Year 2: $66,969 Year 3: $69,761 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $43,888 Year 2: $53,775 Year 3: $66,008 Business/Commerce, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $53,643 Year 2: $59,485 Year 3: $65,410 Civil Engineering Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,121 Year 2: $55,964 Year 3: $59,977 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $54,148 Year 2: $58,142 Year 3: $55,771 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $44,974 Year 2: $59,485 Year 3: $54,238 Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $51,117 Year 2: $56,641 Year 3: $52,217 Information Science/Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $46,964 Year 2: $50,856 Year 3: $50,840

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