Western Kentucky University (WKU) vs Murray State

Western Kentucky University and Murray State University, both esteemed institutions in Kentucky, offer distinct educational experiences. Western Kentucky University, located in Bowling Green, boasts a higher acceptance rate of 86% compared to Murray State University's 79%. With a larger student body, Western Kentucky University offers a more diverse range of academic programs, including popular majors like Business, Education, and Engineering. Murray State University, situated in Murray, excels in Agriculture, Health Professions, and Education. While Western Kentucky University boasts a slightly higher graduation rate, both universities provide ample opportunities for students to succeed. Explore the comprehensive comparison table to delve into further details and discover which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Murray State University	Western Kentucky University
Overview
Location	Murray, Kentucky	Bowling Green, Kentucky
Campus setting	Town: Remote	City: Small
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%	73.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	85.2%	98.5%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $40	Undergraduate: $45 Graduate: $65
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	7,255
Total number of admissions given out	7,787	7,145
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,395	2,832
Yield rate	17.9%	39.6%
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: $27,895 Out of state: $43,903
Average net price	$11,237	$12,395
Tuition	In state: $8,040 Out of state: $17,316	In state: $10,992 Out of state: $27,000
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,538 Meal plan: $4,330	Room/dormitory: $6,744 Meal plan: $3,964
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	99.0% Average amount $11,753	98.0% Average amount $9,576
Students receiving federal student loan	47.0% Average amount $6,997	47.0% Average amount $5,128
Students taking out private loans	7.0% Average amount $10,075	5.0% Average amount $9,983

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	7,651 Men 37.5% Women 62.5%	14,729 Men 37.8% Women 62.2%
Graduate students	1,763 Men 35.1% Women 64.9%	2,021 Men 34.1% Women 65.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	5.4%	1.1%
Campus local/setting	Town: Remote	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	3,064	4,942
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	Tennessee Indiana Illinois Ohio

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Education Business Agriculture Engineering Technologies	Health Professions Business Education Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Public Administration and Social Service
Students to faculty ratio	16:1	18:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	55.9%	53.6%
Dropout rate	42.8%	22.1%
Transferred out	N/A	22.9%
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	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $76,015 Year 2: $86,696 Year 3: $95,431 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $71,960 Year 2: $76,998 Year 3: $77,293 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,199 Year 2: $70,009 Year 3: $77,197 Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $53,704 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $68,358 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $65,193 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $66,850 Construction Engineering Technologies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $49,992 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $65,815 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $52,607 Year 2: $61,144 Year 3: $65,553 Civil Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $50,759 Year 2: $51,551 Year 3: $57,443 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $53,729 Year 2: $52,897 Year 3: $56,104 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,172 Year 2: $56,281 Year 3: $55,609

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Western Kentucky University (WKU) vs Murray State

Murray State University

Western Kentucky University

Overview

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Tuition and Fees

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Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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