West Virginia State University (WVSU) vs Murray State

West Virginia State University and Murray State University, both public institutions with rich histories, offer distinct educational experiences. West Virginia State University, nestled in the scenic town of Institute, West Virginia, boasts a smaller student body, fostering a close-knit community feel. Murray State University, located in the vibrant city of Murray, Kentucky, offers a larger student population and a more diverse range of academic programs. While both universities share a commitment to academic excellence, they differ in acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to discover which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Murray State University	West Virginia State University
Overview
Location	Murray, Kentucky	Institute, West Virginia
Campus setting	Town: Remote	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	75.0%	56.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	85.2%	96.6%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $40	Undergraduate: $20 Graduate: $28
SAT range	960 - 1200	N/A
ACT range	20 - 27	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	16.0%
Students submitting ACT score	86.0%
Total number of applicants	9,144	2,959
Total number of admissions given out	7,787	2,857
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,395	305
Yield rate	17.9%	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: $26,219 Out of state: $35,495	In state: $22,677 Out of state: $28,365
Average net price	$11,237	$10,889
Tuition	In state: $8,040 Out of state: $17,316	In state: $7,912 Out of state: $13,600
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,538 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)	99.0% Average amount $11,753	89.0% Average amount $8,961
Students receiving federal student loan	47.0% Average amount $6,997	49.0% Average amount $7,576
Students taking out private loans	7.0% Average amount $10,075	2.0% Average amount $6,704

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	7,651 Men 37.5% Women 62.5%	3,281 Men 41.9% Women 58.1%
Graduate students	1,763 Men 35.1% Women 64.9%	134 Men 41.8% Women 58.2%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	22.6%
International students	5.4%	1.6%
Campus local/setting	Town: Remote	Suburb: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	3,064	369
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Illinois Tennessee Indiana Missouri	West Virginia Ohio Maryland Georgia

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Education Business Agriculture Engineering Technologies	Business Law Enforcement and Firefighting Education Liberal Arts Public Administration and Social Service
Students to faculty ratio	16:1	12:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	55.9%	29.6%
Dropout rate	42.8%	47.3%
Transferred out	N/A	19.9%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $162,817 Year 3: $178,780 Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $68,792 Year 2: $79,473 Year 3: $88,757 Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $65,448 Year 2: $66,969 Year 3: $69,761 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $43,888 Year 2: $53,775 Year 3: $66,008 Business/Commerce, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $53,643 Year 2: $59,485 Year 3: $65,410 Civil Engineering Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,121 Year 2: $55,964 Year 3: $59,977 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $54,148 Year 2: $58,142 Year 3: $55,771 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $44,974 Year 2: $59,485 Year 3: $54,238 Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $51,117 Year 2: $56,641 Year 3: $52,217 Information Science/Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $46,964 Year 2: $50,856 Year 3: $50,840	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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