Fairmont State vs Western Kentucky University (WKU)

Fairmont State University and Western Kentucky University, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Fairmont State, nestled in the scenic hills of West Virginia, boasts a close-knit community with a focus on personalized attention. Western Kentucky, located in the vibrant city of Bowling Green, Kentucky, offers a diverse range of academic programs and a lively campus atmosphere. With varying acceptance rates, popular majors, student demographics, and graduation outcomes, these universities cater to different student preferences and aspirations. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to discover which university aligns best with your academic goals and personal preferences.

	Fairmont State University	Western Kentucky University
Overview
Location	Fairmont, West Virginia	Bowling Green, Kentucky
Campus setting	Town: Distant	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	61.0%	73.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	98.8%	98.5%
Application fees	$50	Undergraduate: $45 Graduate: $65
SAT range	900 - 1090	N/A
ACT range	17 - 23	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	46.0%
Students submitting ACT score	34.0%
Total number of applicants	1,767	7,255
Total number of admissions given out	1,745	7,145
Admitted students who chose to enroll	655	2,832
Yield rate	37.5%	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: $20,914 Out of state: $30,172	In state: $27,895 Out of state: $43,903
Average net price	$11,277	$12,395
Tuition	In state: $5,946 Out of state: $14,992	In state: $10,992 Out of state: $27,000
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,624 Meal plan: $4,574	Room/dormitory: $6,744 Meal plan: $3,964
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	94.0% Average amount $6,593	98.0% Average amount $9,576
Students receiving federal student loan	53.0% Average amount $4,996	47.0% Average amount $5,128
Students taking out private loans	6.0% Average amount $11,907	5.0% Average amount $9,983

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	3,273 Men 40.6% Women 59.4%	14,729 Men 37.8% Women 62.2%
Graduate students	289 Men 32.9% Women 67.1%	2,021 Men 34.1% Women 65.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Low
Out-of-state students	11.1%	N/A
International students	1.6%	1.1%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	1,058	4,942
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	West Virginia Pennsylvania Maryland Virginia Ohio	Tennessee Indiana Illinois Ohio

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Engineering Technologies Education Liberal Arts Biological and Biomedical Sciences	Health Professions Business Education Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Public Administration and Social Service
Students to faculty ratio	14:1	18:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	45.4%	53.6%
Dropout rate	33.9%	22.1%
Transferred out	20.6%	22.9%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Civil Engineering Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $54,279 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $62,993 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,620 Year 2: $63,855 Year 3: $61,157 Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $46,294 Year 2: $54,153 Year 3: $58,294 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $58,529 Year 2: $56,641 Year 3: $56,475 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $39,809 Year 2: $37,306 Year 3: $43,308 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $25,042 Year 2: $28,598 Year 3: $41,321 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,631 Year 2: $30,409 Year 3: $39,952 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $29,253 Year 2: $31,189 Year 3: $39,801 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,125 Year 2: $31,495 Year 3: $38,357 Education, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $32,334 Year 2: $28,816 Year 3: $34,425	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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Fairmont State vs Western Kentucky University (WKU)

Fairmont State University

Western Kentucky University

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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