West Virginia State University (WVSU) vs Northern Kentucky University (NKU)

West Virginia State University (WVSU) and Northern Kentucky University (NKU) are two distinct institutions of higher learning, each offering unique opportunities and experiences to their students. WVSU, located in Institute, West Virginia, is a public, historically black university with a rich history and a strong commitment to diversity and inclusion. NKU, situated in Highland Heights, Kentucky, is a public university known for its strong academic programs and its vibrant campus community. While both universities share some similarities, there are also several key differences between them, including acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to discover which university better aligns with your academic goals, personal preferences, and future aspirations.

	Northern Kentucky University	West Virginia State University
Overview
Location	Highland Heights, Kentucky	Institute, West Virginia
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	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	70.0%	56.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	80.3%	96.6%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $40	Undergraduate: $20 Graduate: $28
SAT range	983 - 1210	N/A
ACT range	20 - 26	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	7.0%
Students submitting ACT score	84.0%
Total number of applicants	6,637	2,959
Total number of admissions given out	5,329	2,857
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,690	305
Yield rate	31.7%	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)	Not required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $28,010 Out of state: $38,066	In state: $22,677 Out of state: $28,365
Average net price	$7,443	$10,889
Tuition	In state: $10,008 Out of state: $20,064	In state: $7,912 Out of state: $13,600
Room & board	$11,454	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 $10,343	89.0% Average amount $8,961
Students receiving federal student loan	43.0% Average amount $4,988	49.0% Average amount $7,576
Students taking out private loans	3.0% Average amount $10,090	2.0% Average amount $6,704

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	10,814 Men 39.8% Women 60.2%	3,281 Men 41.9% Women 58.1%
Graduate students	5,165 Men 25.9% Women 74.1%	134 Men 41.8% Women 58.2%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	22.6%
International students	2.0%	1.6%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	Suburb: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	1,376	369
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Ohio Indiana Florida Maryland	West Virginia Ohio Maryland Georgia

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Business Education Public Administration and Social Service Visual & Performing Arts	Business Law Enforcement and Firefighting Education Liberal Arts Public Administration and Social Service
Students to faculty ratio	17:1	12:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	47.8%	29.6%
Dropout rate	49.3%	47.3%
Transferred out	N/A	19.9%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $94,408 Year 3: $98,497 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $92,665 Year 2: $90,245 Year 3: $95,400 Human Resources Management and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $74,690 Year 2: $101,406 Year 3: $91,600 Business/Commerce, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $86,069 Year 2: $81,333 Year 3: $79,768 Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,058 Year 2: $67,420 Year 3: $74,689 Construction Management (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $61,266 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $72,692 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $53,922 Year 2: $59,071 Year 3: $66,724 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $62,135 Year 2: $59,534 Year 3: $65,990 Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $46,914 Year 2: $56,867 Year 3: $62,291 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $41,900 Year 2: $50,856 Year 3: $61,904	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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