University of Southern Mississippi (USM) vs Western Michigan University (WMU)

Envision yourself as a student, embarking on a journey of higher education. As you navigate the vast landscape of universities, two prominent institutions emerge: the University of Southern Mississippi (USM) and Western Michigan University (WMU). While both offer a wealth of opportunities, they possess distinct characteristics that may influence your decision. USM, nestled in the heart of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, boasts a vibrant student body representing diverse backgrounds. In contrast, WMU, located in Kalamazoo, Michigan, prides itself on its strong academic reputation and commitment to research. With acceptance rates of 84% and 79% respectively, both universities welcome a considerable number of aspiring scholars. Delve into the comparison table to uncover further insights into these institutions, including popular majors, student demographics, and graduation rates, empowering you to make an informed choice that aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	University of Southern Mississippi	Western Michigan University
Overview
Location	Hattiesburg, Mississippi	Kalamazoo, Michigan
Campus setting	City: Small	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	70.0%	77.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	95.8%	82.8%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $60	Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $50
SAT range	N/A	1000 - 1220
ACT range	19 - 26	21 - 27
Students submitting SAT score		37.0%
Students submitting ACT score	99.0%	7.0%
Total number of applicants	9,314	18,853
Total number of admissions given out	8,922	15,612
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,587	2,112
Yield rate	17.8%	13.5%
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: $25,100 Out of state: $27,100	In state: $27,947 Out of state: $31,281
Average net price	$13,651	$19,749
Tuition	In state: $9,094 Out of state: $11,094	In state: $13,334 Out of state: $16,668
Room & board	$10,950	$10,884
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan Other alternative tuition plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	91.0% Average amount $9,072	95.0% Average amount $6,352
Students receiving federal student loan	54.0% Average amount $5,327	49.0% Average amount $5,188
Students taking out private loans	4.0% Average amount $12,298	10.0% Average amount $15,132

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	10,693 Men 35.3% Women 64.7%	14,587 Men 50.1% Women 49.9%
Graduate students	3,453 Men 33.7% Women 66.3%	3,679 Men 37.4% Women 62.6%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	25.7%	23.8%
International students	2.8%	7.3%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	3,592	5,130
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Mississippi Louisiana Alabama Florida Tennessee	Michigan Illinois Indiana Wisconsin Ohio

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Education Business Psychology Kinesiology & Leisure Studies	Health Professions Education Engineering Business Multidisciplinary Studies
Students to faculty ratio	16:1	16:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	51.8%	56.3%
Dropout rate	46.0%	14.6%
Transferred out	N/A	25.6%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $157,573 Year 2: $156,846 Year 3: $164,002 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $95,073 Year 3: $99,130 Education, General (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $67,660 Year 3: $71,295 Public Health (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $61,516 Year 3: $67,024 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $55,957 Year 2: $56,254 Year 3: $57,464 Architectural Engineering Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $53,555 Year 2: $52,107 Year 3: $56,239 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $52,332 Year 2: $53,358 Year 3: $52,453 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,129 Year 2: $38,829 Year 3: $50,674 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $51,726 Year 2: $48,432 Year 3: $49,610 Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $46,917 Year 2: $45,696 Year 3: $48,921	Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $102,212 Year 2: $103,274 Year 3: $105,179 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $77,392 Year 2: $73,801 Year 3: $88,332 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $84,653 Year 3: $87,977 Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,143 Year 2: $65,945 Year 3: $79,982 Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $69,346 Year 2: $70,456 Year 3: $77,922 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $70,069 Year 2: $73,562 Year 3: $77,263 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,557 Year 2: $70,776 Year 3: $75,447 Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,559 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $73,968 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $66,118 Year 2: $63,749 Year 3: $72,465 Engineering-Related Fields (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,803 Year 2: $59,576 Year 3: $69,288

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