Murray State vs University of West Alabama (UWA)

Murray State University and the University of West Alabama, while both offering quality education, present distinct characteristics that cater to different student preferences. Murray State, located in Kentucky, boasts a higher acceptance rate, making it a more accessible option for aspiring students. In contrast, the University of West Alabama, situated in Alabama, maintains a smaller student body, fostering a close-knit community. Both universities offer diverse academic programs, with Murray State excelling in fields like Business, Education, and Nursing, while the University of West Alabama shines in areas such as Criminal Justice, Social Work, and Biology. Explore the detailed comparison table below to delve into further distinctions between these institutions, including graduation rates, student demographics, and additional program offerings, to help you make an informed decision about your academic journey.

	Murray State University	University of West Alabama
Overview
Location	Murray, Kentucky	Livingston, Alabama
Campus setting	Town: Remote	Rural: 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%	63.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	85.2%	74.3%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $40	Undergraduate: $30 Graduate: $40
SAT range	960 - 1200	880 - 980
ACT range	20 - 27	17 - 21
Students submitting SAT score	16.0%	2.0%
Students submitting ACT score	86.0%	69.0%
Total number of applicants	9,144	1,539
Total number of admissions given out	7,787	1,144
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,395	351
Yield rate	17.9%	30.7%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Not 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: $22,911 Out of state: $32,011
Average net price	$11,237	$15,435
Tuition	In state: $8,040 Out of state: $17,316	In state: $9,100 Out of state: $18,200
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,538 Meal plan: $4,330	Room/dormitory: $4,760 Meal plan: $2,834
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	99.0% Average amount $11,753	89.0% Average amount $7,129
Students receiving federal student loan	47.0% Average amount $6,997	65.0% Average amount $5,418
Students taking out private loans	7.0% Average amount $10,075	3.0% Average amount $8,357

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	7,651 Men 37.5% Women 62.5%	2,322 Men 30.6% Women 69.4%
Graduate students	1,763 Men 35.1% Women 64.9%	3,272 Men 20.0% Women 80.0%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	5.4%	2.0%
Campus local/setting	Town: Remote	Rural: Remote
Dormitory capacity	3,064	1,019
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	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Education Business Agriculture Engineering Technologies	Education Business Health Professions Multidisciplinary Studies Communication and Journalism
Students to faculty ratio	16:1	14:1
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%	39.1%
Dropout rate	42.8%	21.5%
Transferred out	N/A	36.0%
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	Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $57,363 Year 2: $61,681 Year 3: $64,667 Student Counseling and Personnel Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $52,130 Year 2: $53,942 Year 3: $55,799 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $52,682 Year 2: $52,107 Year 3: $54,452 Special Education and Teaching (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $47,975 Year 2: $48,510 Year 3: $51,622 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $53,470 Year 2: $46,380 Year 3: $48,647 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $47,701 Year 2: $46,261 Year 3: $47,958 Educational/Instructional Media Design (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $48,803 Year 2: $47,260 Year 3: $47,734 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $37,054 Year 3: $35,960 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $32,711 Year 3: N/A Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $26,983 Year 2: $25,194 Year 3: N/A

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Murray State vs University of West Alabama (UWA)

Murray State University

University of West Alabama

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Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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