Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) vs Murray State

Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) and Murray State University (MSU) are two public universities located in the southeastern United States, offering a wide range of academic programs and opportunities. MTSU, situated in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, boasts a larger student body and a higher acceptance rate compared to MSU in Murray, Kentucky. While both universities offer popular majors in fields like business, education, and nursing, MTSU has a stronger focus on music and recording industry studies, while MSU excels in agriculture and health sciences. Additionally, MTSU's student body is more diverse, with a higher percentage of international students, while MSU has a slightly higher graduation rate. To help you make an informed decision about your higher education journey, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison table below, highlighting key differences between these two institutions. Explore the data and discover which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

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

Admission
Acceptance rate	68.4%	85.2%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $25 Graduate: $35	Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $40
SAT range	1010 - 1210	960 - 1200
ACT range	19 - 26	20 - 27
Students submitting SAT score	7.0%	16.0%
Students submitting ACT score	92.0%	86.0%
Total number of applicants	11,244	9,144
Total number of admissions given out	7,691	7,787
Admitted students who chose to enroll	2,752	1,395
Yield rate	35.8%	17.9%
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	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $24,554 Out of state: $43,586	In state: $26,219 Out of state: $35,495
Average net price	$12,617	$11,237
Tuition	In state: $7,344 Out of state: $26,376	In state: $8,040 Out of state: $17,316
Room & board	$9,576	Room/dormitory: $5,538 Meal plan: $4,330
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	97.0% Average amount $8,747	99.0% Average amount $11,753
Students receiving federal student loan	36.0% Average amount $4,835	47.0% Average amount $6,997
Students taking out private loans	3.0% Average amount $12,638	7.0% Average amount $10,075

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	18,603 Men 45.2% Women 54.8%	7,651 Men 37.5% Women 62.5%
Graduate students	2,965 Men 36.1% Women 63.9%	1,763 Men 35.1% Women 64.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	2.4%	5.4%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	Town: Remote
Dormitory capacity	2,518	3,064
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	Illinois Tennessee Indiana Missouri

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Visual & Performing Arts Multidisciplinary Studies Education Biological and Biomedical Sciences	Health Professions Education Business Agriculture Engineering Technologies
Students to faculty ratio	16:1	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	53.7%	55.9%
Dropout rate	14.7%	42.8%
Transferred out	28.5%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	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	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $162,817 Year 3: $178,780 Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $68,792 Year 2: $79,473 Year 3: $88,757 Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $65,448 Year 2: $66,969 Year 3: $69,761 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $43,888 Year 2: $53,775 Year 3: $66,008 Business/Commerce, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $53,643 Year 2: $59,485 Year 3: $65,410 Civil Engineering Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,121 Year 2: $55,964 Year 3: $59,977 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $54,148 Year 2: $58,142 Year 3: $55,771 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $44,974 Year 2: $59,485 Year 3: $54,238 Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $51,117 Year 2: $56,641 Year 3: $52,217 Information Science/Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $46,964 Year 2: $50,856 Year 3: $50,840

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Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) vs Murray State

Middle Tennessee State University

Murray State University

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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