Western Michigan University (WMU) vs Ball State

Western Michigan University and Ball State University, both esteemed public institutions in the Midwest, offer distinct educational experiences. Western Michigan, located in Kalamazoo, boasts a higher acceptance rate, making it a more accessible option for prospective students. Ball State, situated in Muncie, Indiana, has a slightly smaller student body, fostering a more intimate campus community. While Western Michigan excels in engineering and aviation programs, Ball State is renowned for its acclaimed business and journalism schools. Explore the comprehensive comparison table to delve into further details, including graduation rates, student demographics, and popular majors, to determine which university best aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Ball State University	Western Michigan University
Overview
Location	Muncie, Indiana	Kalamazoo, Michigan
Campus setting	City: Small	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	73.0%	77.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	68.2%	82.8%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $60 Graduate: $60	Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $50
SAT range	1010 - 1210	1000 - 1220
ACT range	20 - 27	21 - 27
Students submitting SAT score	42.0%	37.0%
Students submitting ACT score	13.0%	7.0%
Total number of applicants	22,947	18,853
Total number of admissions given out	15,642	15,612
Admitted students who chose to enroll	3,278	2,112
Yield rate	21.0%	13.5%
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: $25,254 Out of state: $42,488	In state: $27,947 Out of state: $31,281
Average net price	$12,968	$19,749
Tuition	In state: $9,628 Out of state: $26,862	In state: $13,334 Out of state: $16,668
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,862 Meal plan: $6,282	$10,884
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan Other alternative tuition plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	86.0% Average amount $11,442	95.0% Average amount $6,352
Students receiving federal student loan	88.0% Average amount $5,451	49.0% Average amount $5,188
Students taking out private loans	11.0% Average amount $13,381	10.0% Average amount $15,132

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	14,898 Men 38.7% Women 61.3%	14,587 Men 50.1% Women 49.9%
Graduate students	5,421 Men 23.0% Women 77.0%	3,679 Men 37.4% Women 62.6%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	9.4%	23.8%
International students	1.4%	7.3%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	7,531	5,130
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 Illinois Indiana Wisconsin Ohio

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Health Professions Business Liberal Arts Psychology	Health Professions Education Engineering Business Multidisciplinary Studies
Students to faculty ratio	14:1	16:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	68.0%	56.3%
Dropout rate	11.4%	14.6%
Transferred out	20.1%	25.6%
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	Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $102,212 Year 2: $103,274 Year 3: $105,179 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $77,392 Year 2: $73,801 Year 3: $88,332 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $84,653 Year 3: $87,977 Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,143 Year 2: $65,945 Year 3: $79,982 Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $69,346 Year 2: $70,456 Year 3: $77,922 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $70,069 Year 2: $73,562 Year 3: $77,263 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,557 Year 2: $70,776 Year 3: $75,447 Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,559 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $73,968 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $66,118 Year 2: $63,749 Year 3: $72,465 Engineering-Related Fields (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,803 Year 2: $59,576 Year 3: $69,288

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