Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) vs Eastern Kentucky University (EKU)

Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) and Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) are two public universities located in the southeastern United States, offering a wide range of academic programs and opportunities. While both universities share some similarities, there are also several key differences between them. MTSU has a higher acceptance rate (84%) compared to EKU (76%), and its student body is more diverse, with a larger population of international students. EKU, on the other hand, has a slightly higher graduation rate (58%) than MTSU (56%). To help you make an informed decision about which university is the best fit for you, we have compiled a comprehensive comparison table that delves into various aspects of both institutions, including popular majors, student life, and financial aid options.

	Eastern Kentucky University	Middle Tennessee State University
Overview
Location	Richmond, Kentucky	Murfreesboro, Tennessee
Campus setting	Town: Distant	City: Midsize
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%	75.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	98.3%	68.4%
Application fees		Undergraduate: $25 Graduate: $35
SAT range	950 - 1180	1010 - 1210
ACT range	18 - 24	19 - 26
Students submitting SAT score	4.0%	7.0%
Students submitting ACT score	88.0%	92.0%
Total number of applicants	7,251	11,244
Total number of admissions given out	7,131	7,691
Admitted students who chose to enroll	2,493	2,752
Yield rate	35.0%	35.8%
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	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $23,762 Out of state: $34,034	In state: $24,554 Out of state: $43,586
Average net price	$14,271	$12,617
Tuition	In state: $9,452 Out of state: $19,724	In state: $7,344 Out of state: $26,376
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,416 Meal plan: $3,994	$9,576
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	97.0% Average amount $8,747
Students receiving federal student loan	49.0% Average amount $4,950	36.0% Average amount $4,835
Students taking out private loans	5.0% Average amount $10,455	3.0% Average amount $12,638

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	11,684 Men 40.6% Women 59.4%	18,603 Men 45.2% Women 54.8%
Graduate students	2,300 Men 30.0% Women 70.0%	2,965 Men 36.1% Women 63.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	1.1%	2.4%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	4,479	2,518
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	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Education Law Enforcement and Firefighting Liberal Arts Engineering Technologies	Business Visual & Performing Arts Multidisciplinary Studies Education Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	15:1	16:1
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%	53.7%
Dropout rate	48.5%	14.7%
Transferred out	1.6%	28.5%
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: $88,408 Year 2: $85,760 Year 3: $90,571 Psychology, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $49,120 Year 2: $59,485 Year 3: $88,221 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $71,903 Year 2: $66,104 Year 3: $78,609 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $68,709 Year 2: $67,101 Year 3: $72,118 Construction Management (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,220 Year 2: $66,541 Year 3: $69,654 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $57,896 Year 2: $57,860 Year 3: $67,093 Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $50,963 Year 2: $57,995 Year 3: $66,752 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,662 Year 2: $54,192 Year 3: $66,144 Engineering-Related Fields (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,628 Year 2: $58,943 Year 3: $61,839 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $55,209 Year 2: $55,061 Year 3: $58,677

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