Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) vs Bowie State

Winston-Salem State University and Bowie State University, both historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), offer unique educational experiences for students seeking a diverse and enriching academic environment. While they share similarities in their commitment to academic excellence and student success, there are key differences between the two institutions that prospective students should consider. This side-by-side comparison delves into the acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates of both universities, providing valuable insights to help students make informed decisions about their higher education journey.

	Bowie State University	Winston-Salem State University
Overview
Location	Bowie, Maryland	Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	City: 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	72.0%	76.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	87.0%	81.5%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $40	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $50
SAT range	840 - 1020	880 - 1040
ACT range	17 - 20	15 - 19
Students submitting SAT score	17.0%	7.0%
Students submitting ACT score	1.0%	35.0%
Total number of applicants	4,978	5,419
Total number of admissions given out	4,333	4,415
Admitted students who chose to enroll	913	912
Yield rate	21.1%	20.7%
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: $26,504 Out of state: $37,244	In state: $23,252 Out of state: $33,908
Average net price	$14,290	$12,976
Tuition	In state: $5,760 Out of state: $16,500	In state: $3,401 Out of state: $14,057
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,616 Meal plan: $4,842	Room/dormitory: $7,568 Meal plan: $3,872
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Guaranteed tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	78.0% Average amount $9,115	87.0% Average amount $7,752
Students receiving federal student loan	49.0% Average amount $5,364	78.0% Average amount $6,071
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $14,572	3.0% Average amount $9,995

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	5,381 Men 39.0% Women 61.0%	4,726 Men 23.8% Women 76.2%
Graduate students	927 Men 31.8% Women 68.2%	500 Men 19.0% Women 81.0%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	16.1%
International students	2.8%	1.2%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	1,600	2,423
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	North Carolina South Carolina Maryland District of Columbia Virginia

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Psychology Education Health Professions Law Enforcement and Firefighting	Health Professions Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Business Liberal Arts Education
Students to faculty ratio	18:1	16:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	41.9%	45.8%
Dropout rate	24.0%	26.8%
Transferred out	30.0%	25.9%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $105,317 Year 2: $95,473 Year 3: $104,121 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $68,584 Year 2: $62,012 Year 3: $73,718 Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $51,055 Year 2: $58,673 Year 3: $67,579 Human Resources Management and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $48,606 Year 2: $59,045 Year 3: $66,119 Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $41,270 Year 2: $52,107 Year 3: $55,369 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $45,731 Year 2: $46,087 Year 3: $53,272 Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $52,107 Year 3: $50,897 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $35,964 Year 2: $32,925 Year 3: $48,228 Audiovisual Communications Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,607 Year 2: $27,048 Year 3: $43,708 Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,158 Year 2: $34,526 Year 3: $41,986	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $85,095 Year 2: $88,195 Year 3: $101,566 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $69,950 Year 2: $73,446 Year 3: $77,785 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,779 Year 2: $62,067 Year 3: $64,434 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $54,681 Year 2: $59,837 Year 3: $62,855 Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $51,993 Year 2: $47,930 Year 3: $54,205 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $25,515 Year 2: $31,708 Year 3: $36,585 Health and Medical Administrative Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $25,333 Year 2: $32,094 Year 3: $35,280 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $32,123 Year 2: $30,554 Year 3: $34,927 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,639 Year 2: $31,133 Year 3: $34,903 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,801 Year 2: $21,850 Year 3: $32,247

Compare Similar Colleges

The list of suggested college comparisons provided below is generated automatically by our system, utilizing statistics gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and various online sources. If you don't find the colleges you wish to compare, please visit our comparison page. There, you can search for the specific colleges and initiate your comparison.

Bowie State

Alabama State University