Marshall University vs Sam Houston State University (SHSU)

Marshall University and Sam Houston State University, both public institutions with rich histories, offer distinct educational experiences. Marshall, located in Huntington, West Virginia, boasts a higher acceptance rate (86%) compared to Sam Houston State University's 73% in Huntsville, Texas. While Marshall's student body is predominantly female (57%), Sam Houston State University has a more balanced gender ratio. In terms of popular majors, Marshall excels in fields like nursing, education, and business, while Sam Houston State University is known for its strong programs in criminal justice, business, and agriculture. Discover more key differences, including graduation rates and student demographics, in the comprehensive comparison table below to help you make an informed decision about your academic journey.

	Marshall University	Sam Houston State University
Overview
Location	Huntington, West Virginia	Huntsville, Texas
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	71.0%	73.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	97.8%	96.6%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $40	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $50
SAT range	930 - 1150	950 - 1120
ACT range	19 - 25	18 - 23
Students submitting SAT score	56.0%	57.0%
Students submitting ACT score	70.0%	16.0%
Total number of applicants	5,602	11,556
Total number of admissions given out	5,479	11,161
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,596	2,908
Yield rate	29.1%	26.1%
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: $22,993 Out of state: $34,047	In state: $24,612 Out of state: $34,404
Average net price	$8,730	$14,287
Tuition	In state: $7,190 Out of state: $18,244	In state: $5,856 Out of state: $15,648
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,724 Meal plan: $4,330	Room/dormitory: $5,918 Meal plan: $4,650
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Guaranteed tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	91.0% Average amount $10,973	70.0% Average amount $9,492
Students receiving federal student loan	46.0% Average amount $5,033	52.0% Average amount $5,618
Students taking out private loans	4.0% Average amount $10,103	0.0% Average amount $14,496

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	8,008 Men 41.4% Women 58.6%	18,288 Men 36.2% Women 63.8%
Graduate students	3,015 Men 34.4% Women 65.6%	3,324 Men 31.7% Women 68.3%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	21.6%	1.4%
International students	1.6%	1.3%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	Town: Distant
Dormitory capacity	2,339	3,398
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	West Virginia Ohio District of Columbia Virginia	Texas Florida California Arkansas Illinois

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Education Business Liberal Arts Biological and Biomedical Sciences	Business Education Health Professions Agriculture Communication and Journalism
Students to faculty ratio	17:1	20:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	52.2%	57.3%
Dropout rate	18.9%	16.2%
Transferred out	26.2%	23.6%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $178,140 Year 2: $185,138 Year 3: $194,626 Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $110,434 Year 2: $121,632 Year 3: $123,370 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $93,290 Year 2: $87,183 Year 3: $92,283 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $71,586 Year 2: $73,635 Year 3: $78,893 Engineering, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $52,929 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $63,850 Medicine (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $55,233 Year 2: $57,087 Year 3: $63,436 Business/Commerce, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $42,991 Year 2: $55,512 Year 3: $59,064 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,473 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $57,835 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $54,506 Year 2: $58,823 Year 3: $57,647 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $52,675 Year 2: $52,107 Year 3: $57,619	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $73,554 Year 2: $68,858 Year 3: $76,776 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $68,691 Year 2: $74,953 Year 3: $76,058 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,097 Year 2: $69,740 Year 3: $73,214 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $59,694 Year 2: $66,049 Year 3: $72,403 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $53,377 Year 2: $56,415 Year 3: $67,947 Construction Engineering Technologies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $61,438 Year 2: $60,128 Year 3: $67,313 Music (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $59,381 Year 2: $57,705 Year 3: $65,080 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $50,710 Year 2: $68,666 Year 3: $62,801 Agricultural Mechanization (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,352 Year 2: $49,436 Year 3: $59,631 Special Education and Teaching (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $54,213 Year 2: $56,579 Year 3: $57,976

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