Wayne State vs Ball State

Wayne State University and Ball State University, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Wayne State, located in the vibrant city of Detroit, boasts a diverse student body and a wide range of academic programs, including notable strengths in medicine, engineering, and business. Ball State, situated in the charming town of Muncie, Indiana, is renowned for its acclaimed programs in journalism, music, and education. While both universities share a commitment to academic excellence, they differ in acceptance rates, popular majors, student demographics, and graduation rates. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to discover which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Ball State University	Wayne State University
Overview
Location	Muncie, Indiana	Detroit, Michigan
Campus setting	City: Small	City: Large
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%	81.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	68.2%	63.3%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $60 Graduate: $60	Undergraduate: $25 Graduate: $50
SAT range	1010 - 1210	1030 - 1260
ACT range	20 - 27	22 - 28
Students submitting SAT score	42.0%	48.0%
Students submitting ACT score	13.0%	7.0%
Total number of applicants	22,947	15,181
Total number of admissions given out	15,642	9,603
Admitted students who chose to enroll	3,278	2,732
Yield rate	21.0%	28.4%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $25,254 Out of state: $42,488	In state: $32,193 Out of state: $48,163
Average net price	$12,968	$15,710
Tuition	In state: $9,628 Out of state: $26,862	In state: $12,376 Out of state: $28,346
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,862 Meal plan: $6,282	Room/dormitory: $7,463 Meal plan: $4,280
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	86.0% Average amount $11,442	98.0% Average amount $10,091
Students receiving federal student loan	88.0% Average amount $5,451	38.0% Average amount $4,807
Students taking out private loans	11.0% Average amount $13,381	3.0% Average amount $11,147

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	14,898 Men 38.7% Women 61.3%	16,839 Men 40.6% Women 59.4%
Graduate students	5,421 Men 23.0% Women 77.0%	8,080 Men 40.0% Women 60.0%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	9.4%	1.8%
International students	1.4%	4.4%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	7,531	3,192
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	Michigan Ohio Illinois New York Washington

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Health Professions Business Liberal Arts Psychology	Health Professions Business Engineering Public Administration and Social Service Education
Students to faculty ratio	14:1	14:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	68.0%	55.8%
Dropout rate	11.4%	38.5%
Transferred out	20.1%	N/A
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	Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $109,713 Year 2: $118,922 Year 3: $120,470 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $111,568 Year 2: $105,465 Year 3: $119,721 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $99,273 Year 2: $105,037 Year 3: $108,496 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $80,257 Year 2: $90,079 Year 3: $91,709 Electrical Engineering Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $70,278 Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $90,813 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $76,864 Year 2: $79,473 Year 3: $89,687 Civil Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $66,116 Year 2: $72,510 Year 3: $88,775 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $73,198 Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $86,111 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $71,849 Year 2: $75,921 Year 3: $85,185 Chemical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,406 Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $79,412

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