Norfolk State vs Bowie State

Norfolk State University and Bowie State University, both esteemed public institutions, offer unique educational experiences to students. Norfolk State, located in Norfolk, Virginia, boasts a higher acceptance rate (84%) compared to Bowie State's 74% in Bowie, Maryland. While Norfolk State's student body is predominantly African American (86%), Bowie State's student body is more diverse, with a significant African American population (73%) and a larger international student population (4%). Both universities offer a range of popular majors, including Business, Education, and Nursing, but Norfolk State has a higher graduation rate (48%) than Bowie State's 42%. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more distinctions between these two excellent universities and make an informed decision about your academic journey.

	Bowie State University	Norfolk State University
Overview
Location	Bowie, Maryland	Norfolk, Virginia
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	City: Midsize
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	72.0%	66.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	87.0%	88.6%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $40	Undergraduate: $25 Graduate: $50
SAT range	840 - 1020	860 - 1083
ACT range	17 - 20	15 - 20
Students submitting SAT score	17.0%	19.0%
Students submitting ACT score	1.0%	5.0%
Total number of applicants	4,978	6,490
Total number of admissions given out	4,333	5,753
Admitted students who chose to enroll	913	1,113
Yield rate	21.1%	19.3%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $26,504 Out of state: $37,244	In state: $26,710 Out of state: $37,878
Average net price	$14,290	$12,264
Tuition	In state: $5,760 Out of state: $16,500	In state: $5,752 Out of state: $16,920
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,616 Meal plan: $4,842	Room/dormitory: $7,206 Meal plan: $3,638
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	78.0% Average amount $9,115	92.0% Average amount $11,764
Students receiving federal student loan	49.0% Average amount $5,364	73.0% Average amount $8,821
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $14,572	3.0% Average amount $14,029

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	5,381 Men 39.0% Women 61.0%	5,016 Men 32.3% Women 67.7%
Graduate students	927 Men 31.8% Women 68.2%	442 Men 36.7% Women 63.3%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	2.8%	1.2%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	1,600	2,917
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Psychology Education Health Professions Law Enforcement and Firefighting	Psychology Public Administration and Social Service Health Professions Communication and Journalism Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	18:1	15:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	41.9%	37.1%
Dropout rate	24.0%	32.8%
Transferred out	30.0%	27.1%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $105,317 Year 2: $95,473 Year 3: $104,121 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $68,584 Year 2: $62,012 Year 3: $73,718 Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $51,055 Year 2: $58,673 Year 3: $67,579 Human Resources Management and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $48,606 Year 2: $59,045 Year 3: $66,119 Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $41,270 Year 2: $52,107 Year 3: $55,369 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $45,731 Year 2: $46,087 Year 3: $53,272 Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $52,107 Year 3: $50,897 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $35,964 Year 2: $32,925 Year 3: $48,228 Audiovisual Communications Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,607 Year 2: $27,048 Year 3: $43,708 Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,158 Year 2: $34,526 Year 3: $41,986	Social Work (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $45,411 Year 2: $45,500 Year 3: $48,385 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $41,654 Year 2: $45,305 Year 3: $47,407 Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $58,881 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A

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