Northern Kentucky University (NKU) vs Bowling Green State University-Main Campus (BGSU)

Northern Kentucky University and Bowling Green State University-Main Campus, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. NKU, located in Highland Heights, Kentucky, boasts a higher acceptance rate (86%) compared to BGSU's 79%. NKU's student body is more diverse, with a larger percentage of female students and a higher proportion of students receiving Pell Grants. BGSU, situated in Bowling Green, Ohio, excels in graduation rates, with 62% of students completing their degrees within six years, compared to NKU's 54%. While both universities offer a wide range of undergraduate programs, NKU is known for its strengths in business, education, and nursing, while BGSU is renowned for its acclaimed programs in music, art, and aviation. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to delve into further details and discover which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Bowling Green State University-Main Campus	Northern Kentucky University
Overview
Location	Bowling Green, Ohio	Highland Heights, Kentucky
Campus setting	Town: Fringe	Suburb: Large
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	78.0%	70.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	78.7%	80.3%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $45 Graduate: $45	Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $40
SAT range	1020 - 1210	983 - 1210
ACT range	20 - 25	20 - 26
Students submitting SAT score	17.0%	7.0%
Students submitting ACT score	64.0%	84.0%
Total number of applicants	18,295	6,637
Total number of admissions given out	14,404	5,329
Admitted students who chose to enroll	2,760	1,690
Yield rate	19.2%	31.7%
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	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $26,189 Out of state: $34,177	In state: $28,010 Out of state: $38,066
Average net price	$16,684	$7,443
Tuition	In state: $10,776 Out of state: $18,764	In state: $10,008 Out of state: $20,064
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,170 Meal plan: $4,804	$11,454
Available payment plans	Guaranteed tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	96.0% Average amount $7,888	99.0% Average amount $10,343
Students receiving federal student loan	57.0% Average amount $5,305	43.0% Average amount $4,988
Students taking out private loans	10.0% Average amount $13,247	3.0% Average amount $10,090

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	14,465 Men 43.5% Women 56.5%	10,814 Men 39.8% Women 60.2%
Graduate students	3,180 Men 37.9% Women 62.1%	5,165 Men 25.9% Women 74.1%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	11.3%	N/A
International students	4.0%	2.0%
Campus local/setting	Town: Fringe	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	5,911	1,376
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Ohio Michigan Illinois Indiana New York	Ohio Indiana Florida Maryland

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Health Professions Business Visual & Performing Arts Kinesiology & Leisure Studies	Health Professions Business Education Public Administration and Social Service Visual & Performing Arts
Students to faculty ratio	18:1	17:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	62.5%	47.8%
Dropout rate	13.3%	49.3%
Transferred out	23.0%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Human Resources Management and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $84,102 Year 3: $83,744 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $75,302 Year 2: $79,688 Year 3: $76,011 Psychology, General (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $62,772 Year 2: $67,660 Year 3: $75,005 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,793 Year 2: $64,493 Year 3: $74,656 Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $65,119 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $74,156 Construction Engineering Technologies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $65,131 Year 3: $71,653 Construction Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,158 Year 2: $62,154 Year 3: $70,152 Engineering Technologies/Technicians, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,435 Year 2: $64,829 Year 3: $68,794 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,054 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $67,036 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $59,124 Year 3: $65,091	Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $94,408 Year 3: $98,497 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $92,665 Year 2: $90,245 Year 3: $95,400 Human Resources Management and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $74,690 Year 2: $101,406 Year 3: $91,600 Business/Commerce, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $86,069 Year 2: $81,333 Year 3: $79,768 Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,058 Year 2: $67,420 Year 3: $74,689 Construction Management (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $61,266 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $72,692 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $53,922 Year 2: $59,071 Year 3: $66,724 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $62,135 Year 2: $59,534 Year 3: $65,990 Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $46,914 Year 2: $56,867 Year 3: $62,291 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $41,900 Year 2: $50,856 Year 3: $61,904

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