Northern Kentucky University (NKU) vs Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW)

Northern Kentucky University (NKU) and Purdue University Fort Wayne (PFW) are two distinct institutions of higher learning, each offering unique opportunities and experiences to their students. NKU, located in Highland Heights, Kentucky, boasts a higher acceptance rate (86%) compared to PFW's 78%, making it a more accessible option for prospective students. NKU's student body is more diverse, with a larger population of female students and a higher percentage of students receiving Pell Grants. PFW, on the other hand, has a slightly higher graduation rate (59%) compared to NKU's 56%. Both universities offer a range of popular majors, including nursing, business, and engineering, but PFW has a stronger focus on STEM fields, while NKU offers a wider variety of liberal arts programs. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more key differences between these two universities and make an informed decision about which one aligns best with your academic goals and preferences.

	Purdue University Fort Wayne	Northern Kentucky University
Overview
Location	Fort Wayne, Indiana	Highland Heights, Kentucky
Campus setting	City: Large	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	57.0%	70.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	83.2%	80.3%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $30 Graduate: $60	Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $40
SAT range	1000 - 1210	983 - 1210
ACT range	20 - 26	20 - 26
Students submitting SAT score	63.0%	7.0%
Students submitting ACT score	16.0%	84.0%
Total number of applicants	6,007	6,637
Total number of admissions given out	4,998	5,329
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,293	1,690
Yield rate	25.9%	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)	Not required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $23,441 Out of state: $35,849	In state: $28,010 Out of state: $38,066
Average net price	$11,820	$7,443
Tuition	In state: $7,703 Out of state: $20,111	In state: $10,008 Out of state: $20,064
Room & board		$11,454
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	96.0% Average amount $7,108	99.0% Average amount $10,343
Students receiving federal student loan	41.0% Average amount $4,577	43.0% Average amount $4,988
Students taking out private loans	4.0% Average amount $7,294	3.0% Average amount $10,090

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	7,768 Men 48.5% Women 51.5%	10,814 Men 39.8% Women 60.2%
Graduate students	530 Men 46.6% Women 53.4%	5,165 Men 25.9% Women 74.1%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	3.5%	2.0%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	1,328	1,376
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	Ohio Indiana Florida Maryland

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Business Visual & Performing Arts Public Administration and Social Service Health Professions	Health Professions Business Education Public Administration and Social Service Visual & Performing Arts
Students to faculty ratio	13:1	17:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	38.3%	47.8%
Dropout rate	57.7%	49.3%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Business/Commerce, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $76,891 Year 2: $81,333 Year 3: $88,532 Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,127 Year 2: $62,508 Year 3: $71,227 Construction Engineering Technologies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $49,864 Year 2: $51,106 Year 3: $59,608 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $53,059 Year 2: $51,813 Year 3: $55,597 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $62,529 Year 2: $46,087 Year 3: $51,831 Business/Commerce, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,756 Year 2: $42,309 Year 3: $50,227 Dental Support Services and Allied Professions (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,157 Year 2: $45,305 Year 3: $46,663 Student Counseling and Personnel Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $40,423 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $43,573 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,451 Year 2: $36,668 Year 3: $42,453 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $35,308 Year 2: $36,344 Year 3: $42,039	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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Northern Kentucky University (NKU) vs Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW)

Purdue University Fort Wayne

Northern Kentucky University

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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