Missouri Southern State University (MSSU) vs Shawnee State University

Missouri Southern State University and Shawnee State University, both public institutions with rich histories, offer distinct educational experiences. Missouri Southern, located in Joplin, Missouri, boasts a higher acceptance rate (88%) compared to Shawnee State's 78% in Portsmouth, Ohio. While Shawnee State has a slightly larger student body, Missouri Southern's student population is more diverse. Both universities offer a range of popular majors, including nursing, business, and education, but Missouri Southern excels in engineering and technology programs. With similar graduation rates, both institutions provide ample opportunities for students to succeed. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more about these universities' unique strengths and determine which one aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Missouri Southern State University	Shawnee State University
Overview
Location	Joplin, Missouri	Portsmouth, Ohio
Campus setting	City: Small	Town: Fringe
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	59.0%	71.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	96.9%	68.9%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $30 Graduate: $35	$30
SAT range	950 - 1170	1018 - 1235
ACT range	18 - 24	18 - 24
Students submitting SAT score	6.0%	5.0%
Students submitting ACT score	80.0%	95.0%
Total number of applicants	1,695	3,011
Total number of admissions given out	1,642	2,075
Admitted students who chose to enroll	578	717
Yield rate	35.2%	34.6%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A
High school GPA	Required	N/A
Recommendation letters	Not required	N/A
High school transcript	Not required	N/A
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	N/A

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $19,321 Out of state: $26,913	In state: $23,562 Out of state: $29,604
Average net price	$9,703	$14,532
Tuition	In state: $7,244 Out of state: $14,836	In state: $8,604 Out of state: $14,646
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,400 Meal plan: $5,652	Room/dormitory: $6,873 Meal plan: $4,131
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Guaranteed tuition plan Tuition payment plan Other alternative tuition plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	94.0% Average amount $6,885	95.0% Average amount $6,591
Students receiving federal student loan	46.0% Average amount $4,602	51.0% Average amount $4,968
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $8,077	4.0% Average amount $11,147

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	4,245 Men 38.9% Women 61.1%	3,025 Men 43.0% Women 57.0%
Graduate students	107 Men 32.7% Women 67.3%	191 Men 30.4% Women 69.6%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	22.1%	14.8%
International students	2.5%	2.9%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	Town: Fringe
Dormitory capacity	735	878
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Missouri Kansas Arkansas Oklahoma Texas	Ohio West Virginia Illinois Missouri

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Health Professions Law Enforcement and Firefighting Education Liberal Arts	Health Professions Business Engineering Technologies Education Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	15:1	16:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	37.0%	37.0%
Dropout rate	32.2%	50.7%
Transferred out	27.4%	10.7%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $64,678 Dental Support Services and Allied Professions (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $51,482 Year 3: $54,298 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $53,753 Year 2: $54,515 Year 3: $54,231 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $50,466 Year 2: $47,930 Year 3: $52,943 Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $47,016 Year 2: $43,426 Year 3: $49,539 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $42,123 Year 3: $42,995 Business/Commerce, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,297 Year 2: $38,946 Year 3: $42,227 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,440 Year 2: $26,121 Year 3: $40,971 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $26,859 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $40,702 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,697 Year 2: $32,391 Year 3: $37,967	Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $63,041 Year 2: $66,941 Year 3: $67,084 Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $55,512 Year 3: $64,498 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,424 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $60,044 Engineering Technologies/Technicians, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $52,310 Year 2: $39,009 Year 3: $59,419 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $53,233 Year 2: $52,607 Year 3: $56,811 Dental Support Services and Allied Professions (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $47,341 Year 2: $47,260 Year 3: $49,142 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $40,864 Year 2: $43,426 Year 3: $46,899 Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $37,752 Year 2: $39,969 Year 3: $40,788 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $24,784 Year 2: $28,366 Year 3: $40,338 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $35,778 Year 2: $41,193 Year 3: $36,528

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