Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) vs Union University

Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) and Union University are two distinct institutions of higher learning located in Tennessee, each offering unique educational experiences. MTSU, a public university in Murfreesboro, boasts a larger student body and a wider range of academic programs, including popular majors like Business, Education, and Engineering. Union University, a private Christian university in Jackson, offers a more intimate learning environment with smaller class sizes and a focus on liberal arts and sciences, with popular majors including Nursing, Business, and Education. While MTSU has a higher acceptance rate, Union University maintains a higher graduation rate. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more key differences between these two universities and make an informed decision about which one aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Middle Tennessee State University	Union University
Overview
Location	Murfreesboro, Tennessee	Jackson, Tennessee
Campus setting	City: Midsize	City: Small
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	4-1-4
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	75.0%	87.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation		Baptist

Admission
Acceptance rate	68.4%	52.9%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $25 Graduate: $35	Undergraduate: $35 Graduate: $25
SAT range	1010 - 1210	1120 - 1330
ACT range	19 - 26	23 - 30
Students submitting SAT score	7.0%	14.0%
Students submitting ACT score	92.0%	86.0%
Total number of applicants	11,244	2,660
Total number of admissions given out	7,691	1,407
Admitted students who chose to enroll	2,752	355
Yield rate	35.8%	25.2%
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	$57,160
Average net price	$12,617	$27,660
Tuition	In state: $7,344 Out of state: $26,376	$34,320
Room & board	$9,576	Room/dormitory: $8,250 Meal plan: $3,800
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 $27,090
Students receiving federal student loan	36.0% Average amount $4,835	48.0% Average amount $5,366
Students taking out private loans	3.0% Average amount $12,638	6.0% Average amount $10,345

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	18,603 Men 45.2% Women 54.8%	1,993 Men 34.9% Women 65.1%
Graduate students	2,965 Men 36.1% Women 63.9%	937 Men 29.5% Women 70.5%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	2.4%	1.6%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	2,518	1,288
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Visual & Performing Arts Multidisciplinary Studies Education Biological and Biomedical Sciences	Health Professions Business Education Public Administration and Social Service Liberal Arts
Students to faculty ratio	16:1	9:1
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%	68.3%
Dropout rate	14.7%	8.5%
Transferred out	28.5%	22.9%
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	Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $110,140 Year 2: $120,955 Year 3: $125,017 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $76,963 Year 2: $90,412 Year 3: $90,742 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $69,081 Year 2: $70,456 Year 3: $76,100 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $73,416 Year 2: $70,680 Year 3: $68,907 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,095 Year 2: $58,673 Year 3: $58,445 Educational Administration and Supervision (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $56,930 Year 2: $61,516 Year 3: $57,493 Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,028 Year 2: $44,590 Year 3: $47,722 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $46,732 Year 2: $47,191 Year 3: $47,278 Education, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $42,103 Year 2: $43,674 Year 3: $45,420 Social Work (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $40,212 Year 2: $39,693 Year 3: $41,241

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