Murray State vs Eastern Kentucky University (EKU)

Murray State University and Eastern Kentucky University, both esteemed public universities in Kentucky, offer distinct educational experiences. Murray State boasts a higher acceptance rate, making it a more accessible option for students. Eastern Kentucky, on the other hand, has a slightly higher graduation rate, indicating a strong commitment to student success. While Murray State excels in programs like Engineering and Nursing, Eastern Kentucky shines in fields such as Education and Social Work. Explore the detailed comparison table to delve into further differences, including student body demographics, popular majors, and additional factors that may influence your decision. Discover which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Eastern Kentucky University	Murray State University
Overview
Location	Richmond, Kentucky	Murray, Kentucky
Campus setting	Town: Distant	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	74.0%	75.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	98.3%	85.2%
Application fees		Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $40
SAT range	950 - 1180	960 - 1200
ACT range	18 - 24	20 - 27
Students submitting SAT score	4.0%	16.0%
Students submitting ACT score	88.0%	86.0%
Total number of applicants	7,251	9,144
Total number of admissions given out	7,131	7,787
Admitted students who chose to enroll	2,493	1,395
Yield rate	35.0%	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)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $23,762 Out of state: $34,034	In state: $26,219 Out of state: $35,495
Average net price	$14,271	$11,237
Tuition	In state: $9,452 Out of state: $19,724	In state: $8,040 Out of state: $17,316
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,416 Meal plan: $3,994	Room/dormitory: $5,538 Meal plan: $4,330
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	99.0% Average amount $11,753
Students receiving federal student loan	49.0% Average amount $4,950	47.0% Average amount $6,997
Students taking out private loans	5.0% Average amount $10,455	7.0% Average amount $10,075

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	11,684 Men 40.6% Women 59.4%	7,651 Men 37.5% Women 62.5%
Graduate students	2,300 Men 30.0% Women 70.0%	1,763 Men 35.1% Women 64.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	1.1%	5.4%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	Town: Remote
Dormitory capacity	4,479	3,064
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	Illinois Tennessee Indiana Missouri

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Education Law Enforcement and Firefighting Liberal Arts Engineering Technologies	Health Professions Education Business Agriculture Engineering Technologies
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%	55.9%
Dropout rate	48.5%	42.8%
Transferred out	1.6%	N/A
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: 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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