Murray State vs University of Central Arkansas (UCA)

Murray State University and University of Central Arkansas, both public institutions with rich histories, offer distinct educational experiences. Murray State, located in Kentucky, boasts a higher acceptance rate (86%) compared to UCA's 79%. UCA, situated in Arkansas, has a slightly larger student body, with over 12,000 students enrolled. While Murray State excels in programs like Engineering, Business, and Education, UCA shines in fields such as Nursing, Health Professions, and Business. Both universities offer diverse student demographics, ensuring a vibrant and inclusive campus culture. With Murray State's higher graduation rate (58%) and UCA's lower cost of attendance, prospective students have the opportunity to make an informed decision based on their academic aspirations and financial considerations. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover which university aligns best with your unique goals and preferences.

	Murray State University	University of Central Arkansas
Overview
Location	Murray, Kentucky	Conway, Arkansas
Campus setting	Town: Remote	City: Small
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%	71.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	85.2%	92.4%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $40	Undergraduate: $25 Graduate: $45
SAT range	960 - 1200	980 - 1160
ACT range	20 - 27	19 - 26
Students submitting SAT score	16.0%	3.0%
Students submitting ACT score	86.0%	94.0%
Total number of applicants	9,144	6,057
Total number of admissions given out	7,787	5,595
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,395	1,854
Yield rate	17.9%	33.1%
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: $25,219 Out of state: $32,089
Average net price	$11,237	$14,042
Tuition	In state: $8,040 Out of state: $17,316	In state: $6,870 Out of state: $13,740
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,538 Meal plan: $4,330	Room/dormitory: $4,326 Meal plan: $3,570
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	99.0% Average amount $11,753	92.0% Average amount $7,693
Students receiving federal student loan	47.0% Average amount $6,997	51.0% Average amount $5,106
Students taking out private loans	7.0% Average amount $10,075	5.0% Average amount $10,426

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	7,651 Men 37.5% Women 62.5%	8,244 Men 39.0% Women 61.0%
Graduate students	1,763 Men 35.1% Women 64.9%	1,861 Men 26.6% Women 73.4%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	7.9%
International students	5.4%	3.8%
Campus local/setting	Town: Remote	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	3,064	3,675
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	Arkansas Texas Oklahoma Tennessee Alabama

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Education Business Agriculture Engineering Technologies	Health Professions Education Business Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Visual & Performing Arts
Students to faculty ratio	16:1	15:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	55.9%	49.4%
Dropout rate	42.8%	19.1%
Transferred out	N/A	29.7%
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: $92,284 Year 2: $92,358 Year 3: $96,070 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $72,491 Year 2: $70,736 Year 3: $76,640 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $61,696 Year 2: $67,548 Year 3: $65,753 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,174 Year 2: $58,842 Year 3: $59,396 Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $52,787 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $57,030 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $51,827 Year 2: $52,107 Year 3: $55,240 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $45,080 Year 2: $45,305 Year 3: $52,677 Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $48,462 Year 2: $47,729 Year 3: $52,542 Library Science, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $46,140 Year 2: $47,260 Year 3: $49,838 Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $40,755 Year 2: $48,432 Year 3: $49,837

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Murray State vs University of Central Arkansas (UCA)

Murray State University

University of Central Arkansas

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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