Murray State vs Northwestern State

Murray State University and Northwestern State University of Louisiana, both public universities with rich histories, offer distinct educational experiences. Murray State, located in Kentucky, boasts a higher acceptance rate, making it a more accessible option for students. Northwestern State, situated in Louisiana, has a smaller student body, fostering a close-knit community. While Murray State excels in programs like nursing, education, and business, Northwestern State shines in fields such as engineering, agriculture, and education. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more about these universities' acceptance rates, popular majors, student demographics, graduation rates, and other key factors, helping you make an informed decision about your academic journey.

	Murray State University	Northwestern State University of Louisiana
Overview
Location	Murray, Kentucky	Natchitoches, Louisiana
Campus setting	Town: Remote	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%	64.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	85.2%	96.3%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $40	Undergraduate: $20 Graduate: $25
SAT range	960 - 1200	920 - 1120
ACT range	20 - 27	16 - 22
Students submitting SAT score	16.0%	3.0%
Students submitting ACT score	86.0%	88.0%
Total number of applicants	9,144	3,738
Total number of admissions given out	7,787	3,599
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,395	1,299
Yield rate	17.9%	36.1%
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: $26,219 Out of state: $35,495	In state: $25,094 Out of state: $35,882
Average net price	$11,237	$13,500
Tuition	In state: $8,040 Out of state: $17,316	In state: $5,180 Out of state: $15,968
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,538 Meal plan: $4,330	Room/dormitory: $5,964 Meal plan: $4,100
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	99.0% Average amount $11,753	93.0% Average amount $9,347
Students receiving federal student loan	47.0% Average amount $6,997	65.0% Average amount $4,878
Students taking out private loans	7.0% Average amount $10,075	4.0% Average amount $10,829

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	7,651 Men 37.5% Women 62.5%	9,622 Men 29.0% Women 71.0%
Graduate students	1,763 Men 35.1% Women 64.9%	1,113 Men 19.1% Women 80.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	1.3%
International students	5.4%	1.5%
Campus local/setting	Town: Remote	Town: Remote
Dormitory capacity	3,064	1,492
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Illinois Tennessee Indiana Missouri	Louisiana Texas California Colorado Mississippi

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Education Business Agriculture Engineering Technologies	Health Professions Liberal Arts Education Biological and Biomedical Sciences Visual & Performing Arts
Students to faculty ratio	16:1	19:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	55.9%	44.1%
Dropout rate	42.8%	52.7%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	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	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $90,397 Year 2: $91,152 Year 3: $97,402 Information Science/Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $52,057 Year 2: $59,350 Year 3: $74,454 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,885 Year 2: $63,326 Year 3: $66,285 Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $51,023 Year 2: $45,696 Year 3: $60,510 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $63,860 Year 2: $60,226 Year 3: $58,469 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $52,493 Year 2: $43,957 Year 3: $53,304 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $32,570 Year 2: $44,170 Year 3: $51,224 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $45,699 Year 2: $48,432 Year 3: $49,876 English Language and Literature, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $35,535 Year 2: $45,277 Year 3: $45,495 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $41,907 Year 2: $43,277 Year 3: $44,409

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