Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) vs Ball State

Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) and Ball State University (BSU) are two distinct institutions of higher learning, each offering unique opportunities and experiences to their students. EKU, located in Richmond, Kentucky, is a public university with a rich history dating back to 1906. BSU, situated in Muncie, Indiana, is also a public university with a long-standing tradition of academic excellence since its founding in 1918. While both universities share similarities in their commitment to providing quality education, they differ in several key aspects, including acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to discover which university better aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Ball State University	Eastern Kentucky University
Overview
Location	Muncie, Indiana	Richmond, Kentucky
Campus setting	City: Small	Town: Distant
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	73.0%	74.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	68.2%	98.3%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $60 Graduate: $60
SAT range	1010 - 1210	950 - 1180
ACT range	20 - 27	18 - 24
Students submitting SAT score	42.0%	4.0%
Students submitting ACT score	13.0%	88.0%
Total number of applicants	22,947	7,251
Total number of admissions given out	15,642	7,131
Admitted students who chose to enroll	3,278	2,493
Yield rate	21.0%	35.0%
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)	Not required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $25,254 Out of state: $42,488	In state: $23,762 Out of state: $34,034
Average net price	$12,968	$14,271
Tuition	In state: $9,628 Out of state: $26,862	In state: $9,452 Out of state: $19,724
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,862 Meal plan: $6,282	Room/dormitory: $5,416 Meal plan: $3,994
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Guaranteed tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	86.0% Average amount $11,442	98.0% Average amount $9,891
Students receiving federal student loan	88.0% Average amount $5,451	49.0% Average amount $4,950
Students taking out private loans	11.0% Average amount $13,381	5.0% Average amount $10,455

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	14,898 Men 38.7% Women 61.3%	11,684 Men 40.6% Women 59.4%
Graduate students	5,421 Men 23.0% Women 77.0%	2,300 Men 30.0% Women 70.0%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	9.4%	N/A
International students	1.4%	1.1%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	Town: Distant
Dormitory capacity	7,531	4,479
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Indiana Illinois Ohio Michigan Florida	Ohio Illinois Indiana West Virginia

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Health Professions Business Liberal Arts Psychology	Health Professions Education Law Enforcement and Firefighting Liberal Arts Engineering Technologies
Students to faculty ratio	14:1	15:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	68.0%	47.8%
Dropout rate	11.4%	48.5%
Transferred out	20.1%	1.6%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $95,451 Year 2: $92,124 Year 3: $94,146 Information Science/Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $69,551 Year 2: $75,989 Year 3: $81,236 Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,545 Year 2: $63,997 Year 3: $77,057 Business/Commerce, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $75,885 Year 2: $65,610 Year 3: $75,003 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $58,368 Year 2: $53,108 Year 3: $65,967 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $55,067 Year 2: $53,775 Year 3: $64,046 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,195 Year 2: $54,296 Year 3: $63,441 Business/Commerce, General (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $57,995 Year 3: $62,410 Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,157 Year 2: $56,776 Year 3: $60,714 Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $50,299 Year 2: $52,357 Year 3: $59,898	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $110,878 Year 3: $113,532 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $94,123 Year 2: $90,291 Year 3: $95,519 Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,935 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $78,046 Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting and Related Protective Services, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $73,209 Year 2: $74,105 Year 3: $74,692 Construction Management (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,585 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $71,030 Educational Administration and Supervision (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $54,959 Year 2: $60,523 Year 3: $62,961 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $50,605 Year 2: $49,019 Year 3: $62,600 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $56,959 Year 2: $60,523 Year 3: $61,708 Fire Protection (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $48,702 Year 2: $49,787 Year 3: $58,036 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,745 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $57,935

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