Washburn U vs Ball State

Washburn University and Ball State University, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Washburn, a private university in Topeka, Kansas, boasts a smaller student body and a higher acceptance rate compared to Ball State, a public university located in Muncie, Indiana. While Ball State offers a wider range of undergraduate and graduate programs, Washburn excels in specific areas such as nursing, business, and education. Both universities prioritize student success, with Ball State having a slightly higher graduation rate. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more about the differences in tuition, student demographics, popular majors, and other key factors that can help you make an informed decision about your academic journey.

	Ball State University	Washburn University
Overview
Location	Muncie, Indiana	Topeka, Kansas
Campus setting	City: Small	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	73.0%	66.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	68.2%	Open Admission
Application fees	Undergraduate: $60 Graduate: $60	Undergraduate: $20 Graduate: $40
SAT range	1010 - 1210	N/A
ACT range	20 - 27	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	42.0%
Students submitting ACT score	13.0%
Total number of applicants	22,947
Total number of admissions given out	15,642
Admitted students who chose to enroll	3,278
Yield rate	21.0%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A
High school GPA	Required	N/A
Recommendation letters	Not required	N/A
High school transcript	Not required	N/A
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	N/A

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $25,254 Out of state: $42,488	In state: $23,895 Out of state: $34,899
Average net price	$12,968	$14,617
Tuition	In state: $9,628 Out of state: $26,862	In state: $8,762 Out of state: $19,766
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,862 Meal plan: $6,282	Room/dormitory: $5,625 Meal plan: $4,090
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	86.0% Average amount $11,442	94.0% Average amount $6,254
Students receiving federal student loan	88.0% Average amount $5,451	44.0% Average amount $5,166
Students taking out private loans	11.0% Average amount $13,381	5.0% Average amount $10,179

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	14,898 Men 38.7% Women 61.3%	4,828 Men 37.3% Women 62.7%
Graduate students	5,421 Men 23.0% Women 77.0%	829 Men 33.4% Women 66.6%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	9.4%	3.0%
International students	1.4%	3.0%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	7,531	1,004
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Indiana Illinois Ohio Michigan Florida	Kansas Georgia Iowa Florida Arizona

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Health Professions Business Liberal Arts Psychology	Health Professions Legal Profession Liberal Arts Business Law Enforcement and Firefighting
Students to faculty ratio	14:1	13:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	68.0%	51.4%
Dropout rate	11.4%	24.7%
Transferred out	20.1%	20.7%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $95,451 Year 2: $92,124 Year 3: $94,146 Information Science/Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $69,551 Year 2: $75,989 Year 3: $81,236 Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,545 Year 2: $63,997 Year 3: $77,057 Business/Commerce, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $75,885 Year 2: $65,610 Year 3: $75,003 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $58,368 Year 2: $53,108 Year 3: $65,967 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $55,067 Year 2: $53,775 Year 3: $64,046 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,195 Year 2: $54,296 Year 3: $63,441 Business/Commerce, General (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $57,995 Year 3: $62,410 Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,157 Year 2: $56,776 Year 3: $60,714 Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $50,299 Year 2: $52,357 Year 3: $59,898	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $95,212 Year 2: $99,069 Year 3: $105,785 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: $50,713 Year 2: $56,776 Year 3: $59,264 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $48,996 Year 2: $52,542 Year 3: $57,844 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $55,332 Year 2: $54,812 Year 3: $57,071 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,896 Year 2: $44,595 Year 3: $54,443 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $46,833 Year 2: $50,270 Year 3: $53,824 Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance Technologies (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: $43,016 Year 2: $47,260 Year 3: $53,722 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $53,602 Year 2: $50,856 Year 3: $53,311 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $45,645 Year 2: $46,790 Year 3: $50,604 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $46,551 Year 2: $45,128 Year 3: $50,230

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