Ball State vs Illinois State

Ball State University and Illinois State University, both esteemed public universities in the Midwest, offer distinct educational experiences. Ball State, located in Muncie, Indiana, boasts a higher acceptance rate (84%) compared to Illinois State's 79% in Normal, Illinois. While Ball State excels in programs like Architecture, Elementary Education, and Nursing, Illinois State shines in fields such as Business, Communication, and Psychology. Ball State's student body is slightly larger, with over 21,000 undergraduates, while Illinois State has a more diverse student population. Both universities boast impressive graduation rates, with Ball State at 68% and Illinois State at 67%. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more key differences and make an informed decision about which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Ball State University	Illinois State University
Overview
Location	Muncie, Indiana	Normal, Illinois
Campus setting	City: Small	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	73.0%	83.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	68.2%	91.5%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $60 Graduate: $60	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $50
SAT range	1010 - 1210	1000 - 1200
ACT range	20 - 27	21 - 27
Students submitting SAT score	42.0%	51.0%
Students submitting ACT score	13.0%	19.0%
Total number of applicants	22,947	11,913
Total number of admissions given out	15,642	10,905
Admitted students who chose to enroll	3,278	3,374
Yield rate	21.0%	30.9%
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: $31,811 Out of state: $43,335
Average net price	$12,968	$21,033
Tuition	In state: $9,628 Out of state: $26,862	In state: $11,524 Out of state: $23,048
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,862 Meal plan: $6,282	Room/dormitory: $5,494 Meal plan: $4,652
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Guaranteed tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	86.0% Average amount $11,442	91.0% Average amount $10,848
Students receiving federal student loan	88.0% Average amount $5,451	46.0% Average amount $5,065
Students taking out private loans	11.0% Average amount $13,381	8.0% Average amount $14,532

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	14,898 Men 38.7% Women 61.3%	17,674 Men 43.0% Women 57.0%
Graduate students	5,421 Men 23.0% Women 77.0%	2,559 Men 35.1% Women 64.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	9.4%	4.2%
International students	1.4%	2.8%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	Suburb: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	7,531	5,560
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	Illinois Missouri Wisconsin Michigan Iowa

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Health Professions Business Liberal Arts Psychology	Education Health Professions Business Communication and Journalism Computer and Information Science
Students to faculty ratio	14:1	19:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	68.0%	67.3%
Dropout rate	11.4%	32.0%
Transferred out	20.1%	N/A
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	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $97,556 Year 2: $95,930 Year 3: $102,485 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $68,002 Year 2: $64,990 Year 3: $78,276 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $78,303 Year 2: $72,884 Year 3: $77,896 Construction Management (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $65,576 Year 2: $67,101 Year 3: $73,936 Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $52,516 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $73,592 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $62,000 Year 2: $64,791 Year 3: $70,358 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,829 Year 2: $65,194 Year 3: $65,533 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,294 Year 2: $54,996 Year 3: $64,567 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $52,313 Year 2: $52,781 Year 3: $64,241 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $54,480 Year 2: $54,470 Year 3: $63,207

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