West Virginia State University (WVSU) vs Marshall University

West Virginia State University (WVSU) and Marshall University (MU) stand as two prominent institutions of higher learning in the heart of West Virginia, each offering unique educational experiences. WVSU, nestled in the historic town of Institute, prides itself on its small, close-knit community, with an acceptance rate of 98% and a student body predominantly comprising African American students. MU, located in the vibrant city of Huntington, boasts a larger and more diverse student population, with an acceptance rate of 86% and a higher graduation rate. Both universities offer a wide range of academic programs, with WVSU excelling in fields like education and social work, while MU shines in engineering, business, and nursing. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more distinctions between these two esteemed universities and make an informed decision about your academic journey.

	Marshall University	West Virginia State University
Overview
Location	Huntington, West Virginia	Institute, West Virginia
Campus setting	City: Small	Suburb: 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	71.0%	56.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	97.8%	96.6%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $40	Undergraduate: $20 Graduate: $28
SAT range	930 - 1150	N/A
ACT range	19 - 25	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	56.0%
Students submitting ACT score	70.0%
Total number of applicants	5,602	2,959
Total number of admissions given out	5,479	2,857
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,596	305
Yield rate	29.1%	10.7%
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: $22,993 Out of state: $34,047	In state: $22,677 Out of state: $28,365
Average net price	$8,730	$10,889
Tuition	In state: $7,190 Out of state: $18,244	In state: $7,912 Out of state: $13,600
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,724 Meal plan: $4,330	Room/dormitory: $7,762 Meal plan: $5,314
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Guaranteed tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	91.0% Average amount $10,973	89.0% Average amount $8,961
Students receiving federal student loan	46.0% Average amount $5,033	49.0% Average amount $7,576
Students taking out private loans	4.0% Average amount $10,103	2.0% Average amount $6,704

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	8,008 Men 41.4% Women 58.6%	3,281 Men 41.9% Women 58.1%
Graduate students	3,015 Men 34.4% Women 65.6%	134 Men 41.8% Women 58.2%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	21.6%	22.6%
International students	1.6%	1.6%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	Suburb: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	2,339	369
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	West Virginia Ohio District of Columbia Virginia	West Virginia Ohio Maryland Georgia

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Education Business Liberal Arts Biological and Biomedical Sciences	Business Law Enforcement and Firefighting Education Liberal Arts Public Administration and Social Service
Students to faculty ratio	17:1	12:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	52.2%	29.6%
Dropout rate	18.9%	47.3%
Transferred out	26.2%	19.9%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $178,140 Year 2: $185,138 Year 3: $194,626 Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $110,434 Year 2: $121,632 Year 3: $123,370 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $93,290 Year 2: $87,183 Year 3: $92,283 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $71,586 Year 2: $73,635 Year 3: $78,893 Engineering, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $52,929 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $63,850 Medicine (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $55,233 Year 2: $57,087 Year 3: $63,436 Business/Commerce, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $42,991 Year 2: $55,512 Year 3: $59,064 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,473 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $57,835 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $54,506 Year 2: $58,823 Year 3: $57,647 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $52,675 Year 2: $52,107 Year 3: $57,619	Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $35,198 Year 2: $33,993 Year 3: $36,756 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $35,938 Year 2: $29,141 Year 3: $36,314 Social Work (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,771 Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: $34,416 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $25,256 Year 2: $27,504 Year 3: $32,672 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $23,227 Year 2: $26,739 Year 3: $32,224 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $29,815 Year 2: $28,816 Year 3: $30,768 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $26,073 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $19,116 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $29,654 Year 2: $20,140 Year 3: N/A Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $18,771 Year 3: N/A Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $19,626 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A

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