Henderson State vs East Central University

Henderson State University and East Central University, both esteemed institutions of higher learning in Arkansas, offer unique educational experiences to prospective students. Henderson, nestled in Arkadelphia, boasts a higher acceptance rate, making it a more accessible option for students from diverse backgrounds. East Central, located in Ada, stands out with its higher graduation rate, indicating a strong commitment to student success. While both universities offer a wide range of academic programs, Henderson excels in fields like Business, Education, and Nursing, while East Central shines in areas such as Engineering, Computer Science, and Health Sciences. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to delve into further details about these universities, including student body demographics, tuition fees, and additional factors that can help you make an informed decision about your academic journey.

	East Central University	Henderson State University
Overview
Location	Ada, Oklahoma	Arkadelphia, Arkansas
Campus setting	Town: Remote	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	57.0%	56.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	64.7%	75.0%
Application fees	$20	$25
SAT range	881 - 960	978 - 1151
ACT range	17 - 22	18 - 24
Students submitting SAT score	1.0%	6.0%
Students submitting ACT score	97.0%	90.0%
Total number of applicants	1,005	2,377
Total number of admissions given out	650	1,783
Admitted students who chose to enroll	438	418
Yield rate	67.4%	23.4%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $26,877 Out of state: $36,237	In state: $26,265 Out of state: $28,473
Average net price	$11,184	$16,233
Tuition	In state: $5,791 Out of state: $15,151	In state: $5,880 Out of state: $8,088
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,028 Meal plan: $3,612	Room/dormitory: $4,700 Meal plan: $3,600
Available payment plans	Guaranteed tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	75.0% Average amount $5,623	95.0% Average amount $9,262
Students receiving federal student loan	27.0% Average amount $4,799	71.0% Average amount $5,043
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $9,117	3.0% Average amount $11,456

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,706 Men 41.5% Women 58.5%	2,228 Men 47.4% Women 52.6%
Graduate students	644 Men 30.7% Women 69.3%	691 Men 22.3% Women 77.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	12.3%	19.2%
International students	0.5%	1.5%
Campus local/setting	Town: Remote	Town: Distant
Dormitory capacity	1,320	2,061
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Oklahoma Texas Arkansas Florida Kansas	Arkansas Texas Louisiana Missouri Alabama

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Education Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Health Professions Public Administration and Social Service	Education Health Professions Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Business Liberal Arts
Students to faculty ratio	17:1	14:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	30.9%	37.2%
Dropout rate	48.2%	36.8%
Transferred out	19.0%	20.6%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,379 Year 2: $60,024 Year 3: $63,931 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $49,976 Year 2: $44,875 Year 3: $49,439 Student Counseling and Personnel Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $43,798 Year 3: $48,348 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $42,022 Year 2: $41,342 Year 3: $45,312 Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $37,980 Year 3: $40,375 Human Resources Management and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $35,772 Year 3: $39,070 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $32,762 Year 2: $33,281 Year 3: $38,571 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,094 Year 2: $32,770 Year 3: $38,377 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $37,208 Year 3: $38,339 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,120 Year 2: $28,055 Year 3: $36,039	Business/Commerce, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: $56,726 Business/Commerce, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $32,313 Year 2: $34,420 Year 3: $35,691 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $25,299 Year 2: $25,580 Year 3: $26,653 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $53,587 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $32,827 Year 2: $32,711 Year 3: N/A Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $40,237 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,967 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: N/A Parks, Recreation and Leisure Facilities Management (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $25,338 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $37,225 Year 2: $30,409 Year 3: N/A Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $23,834 Year 2: $28,236 Year 3: N/A

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East Central University

Southern Arkansas University Main Campus