McNeese State vs Eastern Kentucky University (EKU)

McNeese State University and Eastern Kentucky University, both public institutions with rich histories, offer distinct educational experiences. McNeese State, located in Lake Charles, Louisiana, boasts a higher acceptance rate (84%) compared to Eastern Kentucky's 78%. Eastern Kentucky, situated in Richmond, Kentucky, has a larger student body, with over 15,000 students enrolled compared to McNeese State's 8,000. While McNeese State excels in fields like engineering, nursing, and business, Eastern Kentucky shines in programs such as education, health professions, and social work. Both universities offer a diverse range of academic opportunities, but their unique strengths and student demographics may appeal to different individuals. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover which university better aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Eastern Kentucky University	McNeese State University
Overview
Location	Richmond, Kentucky	Lake Charles, Louisiana
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	74.0%	69.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	98.3%	68.8%
Application fees		Undergraduate: $20 Graduate: $20
SAT range	950 - 1180	990 - 1170
ACT range	18 - 24	20 - 24
Students submitting SAT score	4.0%	9.0%
Students submitting ACT score	88.0%	92.0%
Total number of applicants	7,251	2,599
Total number of admissions given out	7,131	1,787
Admitted students who chose to enroll	2,493	1,020
Yield rate	35.0%	57.1%
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: $23,762 Out of state: $34,034	In state: $24,802 Out of state: $32,840
Average net price	$14,271	$10,487
Tuition	In state: $9,452 Out of state: $19,724	In state: $5,147 Out of state: $13,185
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,416 Meal plan: $3,994	Room/dormitory: $5,526 Meal plan: $3,818
Available payment plans	Guaranteed tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	98.0% Average amount $9,891	94.0% Average amount $10,030
Students receiving federal student loan	49.0% Average amount $4,950	30.0% Average amount $4,643
Students taking out private loans	5.0% Average amount $10,455	1.0% Average amount $9,603

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	11,684 Men 40.6% Women 59.4%	5,893 Men 38.6% Women 61.4%
Graduate students	2,300 Men 30.0% Women 70.0%	561 Men 25.0% Women 75.0%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	6.3%
International students	1.1%	5.2%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	4,479	1,037
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Ohio Illinois Indiana West Virginia	Louisiana Texas California Mississippi Indiana

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Education Law Enforcement and Firefighting Liberal Arts Engineering Technologies	Health Professions Business Liberal Arts Engineering Kinesiology & Leisure Studies
Students to faculty ratio	15:1	19:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	47.8%	42.2%
Dropout rate	48.5%	23.6%
Transferred out	1.6%	30.0%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $110,878 Year 3: $113,532 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $94,123 Year 2: $90,291 Year 3: $95,519 Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,935 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $78,046 Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting and Related Protective Services, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $73,209 Year 2: $74,105 Year 3: $74,692 Construction Management (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,585 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $71,030 Educational Administration and Supervision (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $54,959 Year 2: $60,523 Year 3: $62,961 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $50,605 Year 2: $49,019 Year 3: $62,600 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $56,959 Year 2: $60,523 Year 3: $61,708 Fire Protection (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $48,702 Year 2: $49,787 Year 3: $58,036 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,745 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $57,935	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $96,390 Year 2: $96,345 Year 3: $105,678 Engineering, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,056 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $76,973 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,639 Year 2: $58,104 Year 3: $60,913 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $49,618 Year 2: $47,260 Year 3: $60,301 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $54,252 Year 3: $58,599 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $47,302 Year 2: $48,139 Year 3: $47,981 Psychology, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $47,245 Year 2: $44,835 Year 3: $46,186 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $46,673 Year 3: $44,792 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $40,269 Year 2: $43,240 Year 3: $44,695 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,474 Year 2: $38,829 Year 3: $42,799

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McNeese State vs Eastern Kentucky University (EKU)

Eastern Kentucky University

McNeese State University

Overview

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Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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