Southern Arkansas University Main Campus vs Arkansas State

Southern Arkansas University Main Campus and Arkansas State University, both esteemed institutions in Arkansas, offer distinct educational experiences. Southern Arkansas University Main Campus, nestled in Magnolia, boasts a close-knit community with a lower acceptance rate, making it a more selective choice. Arkansas State University, located in Jonesboro, stands out with its larger student body, providing a diverse and vibrant campus atmosphere. While both universities offer a wide range of academic programs, Southern Arkansas University Main Campus excels in fields like Business, Education, and Nursing, while Arkansas State University shines in areas such as Agriculture, Engineering, and Health Professions. Explore the detailed comparison table to uncover further differences in acceptance rates, popular majors, student demographics, and graduation rates, helping you make an informed decision that aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Arkansas State University	Southern Arkansas University Main Campus
Overview
Location	Jonesboro, Arkansas	Magnolia, Arkansas
Campus setting	City: Small	Town: Remote
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%	64.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	63.3%	62.6%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $30 Graduate: $30	$25
SAT range	1030 - 1200	930 - 1140
ACT range	20 - 26	18 - 25
Students submitting SAT score	2.0%	10.0%
Students submitting ACT score	89.0%	100.0%
Total number of applicants	5,835	2,813
Total number of admissions given out	3,693	1,761
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,301	632
Yield rate	35.2%	35.9%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $23,703 Out of state: $29,271	In state: $26,411 Out of state: $31,631
Average net price	$13,560	$14,141
Tuition	In state: $5,232 Out of state: $10,800	In state: $6,750 Out of state: $11,970
Room & board	$9,640	Room/dormitory: $4,340 Meal plan: $3,444
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $11,264	98.0% Average amount $8,861
Students receiving federal student loan	53.0% Average amount $5,098	50.0% Average amount $5,247
Students taking out private loans	3.0% Average amount $9,249	3.0% Average amount $8,817

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	8,241 Men 37.9% Women 62.1%	3,160 Men 43.4% Women 56.6%
Graduate students	4,622 Men 29.6% Women 70.4%	1,274 Men 35.2% Women 64.8%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	13.4%	28.0%
International students	4.8%	7.5%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	Town: Remote
Dormitory capacity	3,200	2,032
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Arkansas Missouri Tennessee Texas Florida	Arkansas Texas Louisiana Oklahoma Alabama

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Health Professions Liberal Arts Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Communication and Journalism	Liberal Arts Education Business Computer and Information Science Agriculture
Students to faculty ratio	14:1	15:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	53.8%	40.1%
Dropout rate	17.1%	23.3%
Transferred out	26.7%	35.5%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $118,704 Year 2: $135,614 Year 3: $142,090 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $68,394 Year 2: $68,422 Year 3: $72,609 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,156 Year 2: $58,142 Year 3: $63,281 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $49,331 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $63,119 Engineering, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $58,131 Year 3: $62,428 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $61,829 Year 2: $59,124 Year 3: $61,766 Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $58,334 Year 2: $52,107 Year 3: $61,498 Civil Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $52,368 Year 2: $54,996 Year 3: $59,662 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $48,639 Year 2: $52,107 Year 3: $59,484 Educational Administration and Supervision (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: $55,539 Year 2: $56,544 Year 3: $59,037	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $54,230 Year 2: $58,402 Year 3: $70,408 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $55,929 Year 2: $55,151 Year 3: $62,262 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $39,925 Year 2: $42,458 Year 3: $42,763 Business/Commerce, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,784 Year 2: $35,060 Year 3: $38,968 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $29,986 Year 2: $30,228 Year 3: $35,029 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,781 Year 2: $33,565 Year 3: $33,986 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $25,194 Year 3: $28,923 Physics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $52,362 Year 2: $52,107 Year 3: N/A Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $33,993 Year 3: N/A Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $58,402 Year 3: N/A

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