Fort Hays State University (FHSU) vs Southern Oregon University (SOU)

Fort Hays State University and Southern Oregon University, located in the heart of Kansas and Oregon respectively, offer distinct educational experiences for prospective students. Fort Hays State boasts a higher acceptance rate, making it a more accessible option, while Southern Oregon University's smaller student body fosters a close-knit community. Both universities offer a diverse range of undergraduate and graduate programs, with Fort Hays State excelling in fields like business, education, and nursing, and Southern Oregon University specializing in areas such as environmental science, psychology, and social work. Explore the detailed comparison table below to delve into further differences, including graduation rates, student demographics, and cost of attendance, to determine which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Fort Hays State University	Southern Oregon University
Overview
Location	Hays, Kansas	Ashland, Oregon
Campus setting	Town: Remote	Suburb: Midsize
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Quarter
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	73.0%	69.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	90.3%	89.7%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $30 Graduate: $40	Undergraduate: $60 Graduate: $60
SAT range	N/A	980 - 1230
ACT range	N/A	18 - 25
Students submitting SAT score		32.0%
Students submitting ACT score		21.0%
Total number of applicants	1,997	1,913
Total number of admissions given out	1,804	1,716
Admitted students who chose to enroll	955	519
Yield rate	52.9%	30.2%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not 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: $19,364 Out of state: $29,804	In state: $25,142 Out of state: $42,962
Average net price	$13,788	$12,134
Tuition	In state: $4,140 Out of state: $14,580	In state: $9,045 Out of state: $26,865
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,047 Meal plan: $4,326	Room/dormitory: $8,235 Meal plan: $5,925
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	91.0% Average amount $5,027	75.0% Average amount $5,932
Students receiving federal student loan	50.0% Average amount $5,059	42.0% Average amount $4,778
Students taking out private loans	3.0% Average amount $9,055	0.0% Average amount $0

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	11,402 Men 39.1% Women 60.9%	4,396 Men 38.7% Women 61.3%
Graduate students	2,700 Men 29.7% Women 70.3%	783 Men 30.3% Women 69.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	1.7%	1.1%
Campus local/setting	Town: Remote	Suburb: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	1,731	1,000
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Education Health Professions Liberal Arts Social Sciences	Education Business Visual & Performing Arts Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Multidisciplinary Studies
Students to faculty ratio	15:1	20:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities

Outcome
Graduation rate	50.5%	41.0%
Dropout rate	31.2%	55.3%
Transferred out	15.0%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $85,036 Year 2: $82,440 Year 3: $99,232 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $56,228 Year 2: $55,286 Year 3: $67,227 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,873 Year 2: $57,461 Year 3: $61,895 Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $58,104 Year 2: $57,995 Year 3: $60,659 Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $48,849 Year 3: $59,909 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $54,167 Year 2: $51,392 Year 3: $57,191 Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $51,360 Year 2: $55,512 Year 3: $53,880 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $51,829 Year 3: $52,488 Information Science/Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,081 Year 2: $47,846 Year 3: $49,888 Educational/Instructional Media Design (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $50,407 Year 2: $48,432 Year 3: $49,592	Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $46,797 Year 2: $47,729 Year 3: $50,405 Education, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $45,167 Year 2: $47,650 Year 3: $50,120 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,975 Year 2: $40,017 Year 3: $47,745 Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $45,536 Year 2: $47,260 Year 3: $47,221 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,746 Year 2: $33,192 Year 3: $42,371 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,398 Year 2: $29,322 Year 3: $40,135 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $26,901 Year 2: $31,042 Year 3: $34,974 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,131 Year 2: $25,194 Year 3: $33,557 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,663 Year 2: $26,739 Year 3: $32,403 Visual and Performing Arts, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $25,082 Year 2: $21,312 Year 3: $26,467

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