Northern Kentucky University (NKU) vs CMU-Mount Pleasant

Northern Kentucky University (NKU) and Central Michigan University (CMU) are two distinct institutions of higher learning with unique characteristics that cater to diverse student populations. NKU, located in Highland Heights, Kentucky, offers a suburban campus experience with a focus on undergraduate education, while CMU, situated in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, provides a comprehensive university setting with a wide range of academic programs at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. While both universities share a commitment to academic excellence, they differ in terms of acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Central Michigan University	Northern Kentucky University
Overview
Location	Mount Pleasant, Michigan	Highland Heights, Kentucky
Campus setting	Town: Distant	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	77.0%	70.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	77.1%	80.3%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $50	Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $40
SAT range	1010 - 1220	983 - 1210
ACT range	20 - 26	20 - 26
Students submitting SAT score	57.0%	7.0%
Students submitting ACT score	10.0%	84.0%
Total number of applicants	18,517	6,637
Total number of admissions given out	14,273	5,329
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,910	1,690
Yield rate	13.4%	31.7%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$24,600	In state: $28,010 Out of state: $38,066
Average net price	$16,880	$7,443
Tuition	$12,750	In state: $10,008 Out of state: $20,064
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,400 Meal plan: $5,520	$11,454
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	94.0% Average amount $10,288	99.0% Average amount $10,343
Students receiving federal student loan	78.0% Average amount $5,874	43.0% Average amount $4,988
Students taking out private loans	12.0% Average amount $8,007	3.0% Average amount $10,090

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	11,417 Men 39.3% Women 60.7%	10,814 Men 39.8% Women 60.2%
Graduate students	4,007 Men 39.5% Women 60.5%	5,165 Men 25.9% Women 74.1%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	9.3%	N/A
International students	3.4%	2.0%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	5,514	1,376
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Michigan Illinois Ohio Indiana Wisconsin	Ohio Indiana Florida Maryland

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

Outcome
Graduation rate	61.7%	47.8%
Dropout rate	33.7%	49.3%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $108,045 Year 2: $113,135 Year 3: $114,375 International Business (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $76,008 Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $81,586 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $69,477 Year 2: $74,367 Year 3: $81,249 Management Information Systems and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $82,333 Year 2: $74,200 Year 3: $79,688 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $66,978 Year 2: $74,200 Year 3: $78,210 Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $66,347 Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $77,569 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,306 Year 2: $66,105 Year 3: $76,690 Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,535 Year 2: $68,499 Year 3: $74,567 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $70,154 Year 2: $70,875 Year 3: $73,884 Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,490 Year 2: $63,799 Year 3: $73,873	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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