Northwestern State vs Belhaven University

Northwestern State University of Louisiana and Belhaven University, two distinct institutions of higher learning, offer unique educational experiences to students seeking a transformative college journey. While both universities share a commitment to academic excellence, they differ in several key aspects. Northwestern State, a public university, boasts a higher acceptance rate, making it more accessible to a broader range of students. Belhaven, a private Christian university, offers a more selective admissions process, resulting in a smaller student body. The universities also vary in their popular majors, with Northwestern State excelling in fields like Business, Education, and Nursing, while Belhaven emphasizes programs in Business, Psychology, and Christian Studies. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to delve into further details about these universities, including student body demographics, graduation rates, and additional factors that may influence your decision in choosing the ideal academic environment for your educational aspirations.

	Belhaven University	Northwestern State University of Louisiana
Overview
Location	Jackson, Mississippi	Natchitoches, Louisiana
Campus setting	City: Midsize	Town: Remote
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	68.0%	64.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation	Presbyterian

Admission
Acceptance rate	64.0%	96.3%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $25 Graduate: $25	Undergraduate: $20 Graduate: $25
SAT range	980 - 1260	920 - 1120
ACT range	19 - 24	16 - 22
Students submitting SAT score	6.0%	3.0%
Students submitting ACT score	75.0%	88.0%
Total number of applicants	1,787	3,738
Total number of admissions given out	1,144	3,599
Admitted students who chose to enroll	212	1,299
Yield rate	18.5%	36.1%
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)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$35,475	In state: $25,094 Out of state: $35,882
Average net price	$18,269	$13,500
Tuition	$27,450	In state: $5,180 Out of state: $15,968
Room & board	$8,950	Room/dormitory: $5,964 Meal plan: $4,100
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $17,068	93.0% Average amount $9,347
Students receiving federal student loan	59.0% Average amount $5,161	65.0% Average amount $4,878
Students taking out private loans	8.0% Average amount $9,795	4.0% Average amount $10,829

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,714 Men 33.0% Women 67.0%	9,622 Men 29.0% Women 71.0%
Graduate students	2,564 Men 25.9% Women 74.1%	1,113 Men 19.1% Women 80.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	1.3%
International students	1.3%	1.5%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	Town: Remote
Dormitory capacity	579	1,492
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	Louisiana Texas California Colorado Mississippi

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Education Health Professions Public Administration and Social Service Kinesiology & Leisure Studies	Health Professions Liberal Arts Education Biological and Biomedical Sciences Visual & Performing Arts
Students to faculty ratio	10:1	19:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	53.7%	44.1%
Dropout rate	45.9%	52.7%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $40,437 Year 2: $40,017 Year 3: $48,621 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $43,798 Year 3: $46,995 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $47,657 Year 2: $46,673 Year 3: $46,990 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,855 Year 2: $45,636 Year 3: $46,015 Health and Medical Administrative Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $41,829 Year 2: $44,942 Year 3: $44,461 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $42,145 Year 2: $39,729 Year 3: $41,481 Health and Medical Administrative Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,481 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $39,306 Public Administration (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $38,539 Year 2: $38,505 Year 3: $38,413 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $26,085 Year 2: $22,534 Year 3: $34,120 Social Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $26,423 Year 2: $30,228 Year 3: $33,115	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $90,397 Year 2: $91,152 Year 3: $97,402 Information Science/Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $52,057 Year 2: $59,350 Year 3: $74,454 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,885 Year 2: $63,326 Year 3: $66,285 Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $51,023 Year 2: $45,696 Year 3: $60,510 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $63,860 Year 2: $60,226 Year 3: $58,469 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $52,493 Year 2: $43,957 Year 3: $53,304 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $32,570 Year 2: $44,170 Year 3: $51,224 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $45,699 Year 2: $48,432 Year 3: $49,876 English Language and Literature, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $35,535 Year 2: $45,277 Year 3: $45,495 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $41,907 Year 2: $43,277 Year 3: $44,409

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