Old Dominion University (ODU) vs Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU)

Old Dominion University (ODU) and Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) are two public universities located in the southeastern United States, each offering a unique educational experience. ODU, situated in Norfolk, Virginia, is known for its strong engineering and health sciences programs, while MTSU, located in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, excels in music and recording industry studies. With acceptance rates of 84% and 79%, respectively, both universities welcome a diverse student body, with ODU's student population being slightly larger at over 24,000 compared to MTSU's 20,000. While ODU boasts a higher graduation rate of 60%, MTSU offers a more affordable tuition rate. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more distinctions between these two institutions and determine which one aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Middle Tennessee State University	Old Dominion University
Overview
Location	Murfreesboro, Tennessee	Norfolk, Virginia
Campus setting	City: Midsize	City: Midsize
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	75.0%	72.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	68.4%	96.2%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $25 Graduate: $35	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $50
SAT range	1010 - 1210	1020 - 1220
ACT range	19 - 26	20 - 27
Students submitting SAT score	7.0%	83.0%
Students submitting ACT score	92.0%	11.0%
Total number of applicants	11,244	13,586
Total number of admissions given out	7,691	13,074
Admitted students who chose to enroll	2,752	2,899
Yield rate	35.8%	22.2%
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: $24,554 Out of state: $43,586	In state: $28,088 Out of state: $48,248
Average net price	$12,617	$17,254
Tuition	In state: $7,344 Out of state: $26,376	In state: $7,029 Out of state: $26,664
Room & board	$9,576	Room/dormitory: $7,690 Meal plan: $5,398
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	97.0% Average amount $8,747	91.0% Average amount $7,702
Students receiving federal student loan	36.0% Average amount $4,835	57.0% Average amount $5,222
Students taking out private loans	3.0% Average amount $12,638	7.0% Average amount $15,206

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	18,603 Men 45.2% Women 54.8%	18,678 Men 43.9% Women 56.1%
Graduate students	2,965 Men 36.1% Women 63.9%	4,816 Men 39.4% Women 60.6%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	10.2%
International students	2.4%	2.8%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	2,518	4,361
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	Virginia Maryland Pennsylvania North Carolina New Jersey

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Visual & Performing Arts Multidisciplinary Studies Education Biological and Biomedical Sciences	Health Professions Education Engineering Computer and Information Science Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	16:1	16:1
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%	48.7%
Dropout rate	14.7%	19.7%
Transferred out	28.5%	28.2%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $88,408 Year 2: $85,760 Year 3: $90,571 Psychology, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $49,120 Year 2: $59,485 Year 3: $88,221 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $71,903 Year 2: $66,104 Year 3: $78,609 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $68,709 Year 2: $67,101 Year 3: $72,118 Construction Management (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,220 Year 2: $66,541 Year 3: $69,654 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $57,896 Year 2: $57,860 Year 3: $67,093 Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $50,963 Year 2: $57,995 Year 3: $66,752 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,662 Year 2: $54,192 Year 3: $66,144 Engineering-Related Fields (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,628 Year 2: $58,943 Year 3: $61,839 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $55,209 Year 2: $55,061 Year 3: $58,677	Engineering, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $98,047 Year 2: $106,421 Year 3: $104,107 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $105,948 Year 2: $95,295 Year 3: $103,379 Engineering, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $79,161 Year 2: $78,719 Year 3: $83,937 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,137 Year 2: $72,231 Year 3: $83,852 Education, Other (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $74,043 Year 2: $71,854 Year 3: $77,597 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $64,315 Year 2: $58,673 Year 3: $75,302 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,709 Year 2: $66,126 Year 3: $74,887 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $72,357 Year 2: $71,114 Year 3: $74,858 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,112 Year 2: $61,516 Year 3: $73,924 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,804 Year 2: $62,654 Year 3: $72,559

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