Kent State vs Ball State

Kent State University and Ball State University, both esteemed public universities in the Midwest, offer distinct educational experiences. Kent State, located in Kent, Ohio, boasts a higher acceptance rate (86%) compared to Ball State's 79%. Kent State's student body is more diverse, with a larger international student population. Ball State, situated in Muncie, Indiana, excels in certain academic areas, with popular majors like Business, Communication Studies, and Nursing. Kent State, on the other hand, offers strengths in majors such as Fashion Design, Public Health, and Journalism. While Ball State has a slightly higher graduation rate (68% vs. 66%), both universities provide ample opportunities for students to succeed. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more key differences and make an informed decision about which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Ball State University	Kent State University at Kent
Overview
Location	Muncie, Indiana	Kent, Ohio
Campus setting	City: Small	Suburb: Large
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%	81.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	68.2%	87.3%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $60 Graduate: $60	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $45
SAT range	1010 - 1210	1000 - 1210
ACT range	20 - 27	19 - 25
Students submitting SAT score	42.0%	18.0%
Students submitting ACT score	13.0%	66.0%
Total number of applicants	22,947	19,881
Total number of admissions given out	15,642	17,359
Admitted students who chose to enroll	3,278	4,050
Yield rate	21.0%	23.3%
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	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $25,254 Out of state: $42,488	In state: $27,954 Out of state: $36,830
Average net price	$12,968	$18,947
Tuition	In state: $9,628 Out of state: $26,862	In state: $11,774 Out of state: $20,650
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,862 Meal plan: $6,282	Room/dormitory: $8,417 Meal plan: $5,666
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	91.0% Average amount $8,401
Students receiving federal student loan	88.0% Average amount $5,451	56.0% Average amount $5,405
Students taking out private loans	11.0% Average amount $13,381	10.0% Average amount $13,210

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	14,898 Men 38.7% Women 61.3%	21,133 Men 37.7% Women 62.3%
Graduate students	5,421 Men 23.0% Women 77.0%	5,464 Men 33.3% Women 66.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	9.4%	19.7%
International students	1.4%	5.2%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	7,531	5,674
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 Pennsylvania New York Illinois Michigan

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Health Professions Business Liberal Arts Psychology	Health Professions Education Business Visual & Performing Arts Communication and Journalism
Students to faculty ratio	14:1	19:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	68.0%	67.7%
Dropout rate	11.4%	9.4%
Transferred out	20.1%	21.3%
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 (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $87,715 Year 2: $89,685 Year 3: $100,554 Information Science/Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $75,015 Year 2: $72,734 Year 3: $77,710 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $64,597 Year 2: $73,635 Year 3: $77,296 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,552 Year 2: $64,493 Year 3: $75,264 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $54,262 Year 2: $53,358 Year 3: $66,878 Computer Systems Analysis (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $52,914 Year 2: $53,358 Year 3: $65,790 Construction Management (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,436 Year 2: $57,619 Year 3: $65,215 Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $55,674 Year 2: $53,108 Year 3: $65,118 Industrial Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $52,124 Year 2: $49,019 Year 3: $63,596 Public Administration (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $61,648 Year 2: $58,673 Year 3: $63,476

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