University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW) vs Northern Kentucky University (NKU)

When it comes to choosing the right university, it's essential to compare institutions to find the best fit. University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW) and Northern Kentucky University (NKU) offer distinct experiences for prospective students. UNCW boasts a higher acceptance rate, allowing more students the opportunity to pursue their academic goals. NKU, on the other hand, has a slightly higher graduation rate, indicating a strong commitment to student success. Both universities offer a diverse range of popular majors, including business, nursing, and education, catering to various interests and career aspirations. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to delve into further details about these universities, including student body demographics, tuition fees, and additional factors that can help you make an informed decision about your higher education journey.

	Northern Kentucky University	University of North Carolina Wilmington
Overview
Location	Highland Heights, Kentucky	Wilmington, North Carolina
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	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	70.0%	83.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	80.3%	68.0%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $40	Undergraduate: $80 Graduate: $75
SAT range	983 - 1210	1210 - 1330
ACT range	20 - 26	24 - 28
Students submitting SAT score	7.0%	8.0%
Students submitting ACT score	84.0%	19.0%
Total number of applicants	6,637	15,792
Total number of admissions given out	5,329	10,736
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,690	2,435
Yield rate	31.7%	22.7%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	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: $25,855 Out of state: $39,920
Average net price	$7,443	$18,792
Tuition	In state: $10,008 Out of state: $20,064	In state: $4,443 Out of state: $18,508
Room & board	$11,454	Room/dormitory: $6,926 Meal plan: $4,420
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Guaranteed tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	99.0% Average amount $10,343	53.0% Average amount $6,253
Students receiving federal student loan	43.0% Average amount $4,988	47.0% Average amount $5,258
Students taking out private loans	3.0% Average amount $10,090	9.0% Average amount $15,490

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	10,814 Men 39.8% Women 60.2%	14,488 Men 35.0% Women 65.0%
Graduate students	5,165 Men 25.9% Women 74.1%	3,542 Men 28.2% Women 71.8%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	17.4%
International students	2.0%	2.0%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	1,376	5,562
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	North Carolina Maryland Pennsylvania Virginia New Jersey

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Business Education Public Administration and Social Service Visual & Performing Arts	Health Professions Business Education Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Public Administration and Social Service
Students to faculty ratio	17:1	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	47.8%	71.8%
Dropout rate	49.3%	6.5%
Transferred out	N/A	20.7%
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: $86,377 Year 2: $92,124 Year 3: $103,988 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $63,601 Year 2: $65,486 Year 3: $79,923 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $68,987 Year 2: $71,015 Year 3: $73,712 Fine and Studio Arts (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $59,073 Year 2: $60,957 Year 3: $73,607 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $54,368 Year 2: $64,493 Year 3: $72,729 Chemistry (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $52,551 Year 2: $55,108 Year 3: $65,524 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,331 Year 2: $59,253 Year 3: $63,301 Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $45,853 Year 2: $46,478 Year 3: $58,788 Business/Managerial Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $55,512 Year 3: $55,086 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,700 Year 2: $43,201 Year 3: $54,656

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