Northern Kentucky University (NKU) vs University of Central Arkansas (UCA)

Northern Kentucky University and University of Central Arkansas, both public institutions with rich histories, offer distinct educational experiences. NKU, located in Highland Heights, Kentucky, boasts a higher acceptance rate (86%) compared to UCA's 79%. NKU's student body is more diverse, with a larger international student population. UCA, situated in Conway, Arkansas, has a higher graduation rate (58%) and a lower student-faculty ratio (18:1). Both universities offer a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs, with popular majors including Business, Education, and Nursing. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more key differences and make an informed decision about which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Northern Kentucky University	University of Central Arkansas
Overview
Location	Highland Heights, Kentucky	Conway, Arkansas
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	City: Small
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	70.0%	71.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	80.3%	92.4%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $40	Undergraduate: $25 Graduate: $45
SAT range	983 - 1210	980 - 1160
ACT range	20 - 26	19 - 26
Students submitting SAT score	7.0%	3.0%
Students submitting ACT score	84.0%	94.0%
Total number of applicants	6,637	6,057
Total number of admissions given out	5,329	5,595
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,690	1,854
Yield rate	31.7%	33.1%
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	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $28,010 Out of state: $38,066	In state: $25,219 Out of state: $32,089
Average net price	$7,443	$14,042
Tuition	In state: $10,008 Out of state: $20,064	In state: $6,870 Out of state: $13,740
Room & board	$11,454	Room/dormitory: $4,326 Meal plan: $3,570
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	99.0% Average amount $10,343	92.0% Average amount $7,693
Students receiving federal student loan	43.0% Average amount $4,988	51.0% Average amount $5,106
Students taking out private loans	3.0% Average amount $10,090	5.0% Average amount $10,426

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	10,814 Men 39.8% Women 60.2%	8,244 Men 39.0% Women 61.0%
Graduate students	5,165 Men 25.9% Women 74.1%	1,861 Men 26.6% Women 73.4%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	7.9%
International students	2.0%	3.8%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	1,376	3,675
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Ohio Indiana Florida Maryland	Arkansas Texas Oklahoma Tennessee Alabama

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Business Education Public Administration and Social Service Visual & Performing Arts	Health Professions Education Business Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Visual & Performing Arts
Students to faculty ratio	17:1	15:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	47.8%	49.4%
Dropout rate	49.3%	19.1%
Transferred out	N/A	29.7%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	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	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $92,284 Year 2: $92,358 Year 3: $96,070 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $72,491 Year 2: $70,736 Year 3: $76,640 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $61,696 Year 2: $67,548 Year 3: $65,753 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,174 Year 2: $58,842 Year 3: $59,396 Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $52,787 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $57,030 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $51,827 Year 2: $52,107 Year 3: $55,240 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $45,080 Year 2: $45,305 Year 3: $52,677 Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $48,462 Year 2: $47,729 Year 3: $52,542 Library Science, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $46,140 Year 2: $47,260 Year 3: $49,838 Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $40,755 Year 2: $48,432 Year 3: $49,837

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Northern Kentucky University (NKU) vs University of Central Arkansas (UCA)

Northern Kentucky University

University of Central Arkansas

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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