Southeast Missouri State University (SEMO) vs Illinois State

Southeast Missouri State University and Illinois State University, both located in the Midwest, offer distinct educational experiences. Southeast Missouri State, nestled in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, boasts a smaller student body, with an acceptance rate of 86% and a graduation rate of 48%. Illinois State, situated in Normal, Illinois, has a larger student population and a more selective admissions process, with an acceptance rate of 79% and a graduation rate of 62%. While both universities offer a diverse range of academic programs, Southeast Missouri State is known for its strong programs in education, nursing, and business, while Illinois State excels in fields such as business, education, and communication. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more about the unique characteristics of each institution and make an informed decision about your higher education journey.

	Illinois State University	Southeast Missouri State University
Overview
Location	Normal, Illinois	Cape Girardeau, Missouri
Campus setting	Suburb: Midsize	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	83.0%	74.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	91.5%	79.3%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $50
SAT range	1000 - 1200	N/A
ACT range	21 - 27	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	51.0%
Students submitting ACT score	19.0%
Total number of applicants	11,913	7,213
Total number of admissions given out	10,905	5,720
Admitted students who chose to enroll	3,374	1,487
Yield rate	30.9%	26.0%
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	In state: $31,811 Out of state: $43,335	In state: $24,274 Out of state: $30,844
Average net price	$21,033	$13,291
Tuition	In state: $11,524 Out of state: $23,048	In state: $7,461 Out of state: $14,031
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,494 Meal plan: $4,652	$9,974
Available payment plans	Guaranteed tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	91.0% Average amount $10,848	97.0% Average amount $8,798
Students receiving federal student loan	46.0% Average amount $5,065	44.0% Average amount $5,108
Students taking out private loans	8.0% Average amount $14,532	4.0% Average amount $8,660

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	17,674 Men 43.0% Women 57.0%	8,629 Men 39.1% Women 60.9%
Graduate students	2,559 Men 35.1% Women 64.9%	1,222 Men 39.3% Women 60.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	4.2%	22.1%
International students	2.8%	6.9%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Midsize	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	5,560	2,592
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Illinois Missouri Wisconsin Michigan Iowa	Missouri Illinois Tennessee Arkansas Texas

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Health Professions Business Communication and Journalism Computer and Information Science	Education Business Health Professions Computer and Information Science Liberal Arts
Students to faculty ratio	19:1	20:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	67.3%	54.0%
Dropout rate	32.0%	42.9%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $97,556 Year 2: $95,930 Year 3: $102,485 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $68,002 Year 2: $64,990 Year 3: $78,276 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $78,303 Year 2: $72,884 Year 3: $77,896 Construction Management (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $65,576 Year 2: $67,101 Year 3: $73,936 Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $52,516 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $73,592 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $62,000 Year 2: $64,791 Year 3: $70,358 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,829 Year 2: $65,194 Year 3: $65,533 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,294 Year 2: $54,996 Year 3: $64,567 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $52,313 Year 2: $52,781 Year 3: $64,241 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $54,480 Year 2: $54,470 Year 3: $63,207	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $93,342 Year 3: $99,594 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $56,803 Year 2: $70,456 Year 3: $76,814 Engineering Technology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $55,063 Year 2: $53,775 Year 3: $64,901 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $50,908 Year 2: $53,358 Year 3: $62,604 Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,597 Year 2: $36,848 Year 3: $57,947 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,369 Year 2: $53,358 Year 3: $55,490 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,023 Year 2: $49,527 Year 3: $55,484 Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $33,855 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $51,525 Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,714 Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: $51,167 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $35,772 Year 2: $41,441 Year 3: $50,332

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