Bluefield State College vs Marshall University

Bluefield State College and Marshall University, both esteemed institutions of higher learning in West Virginia, offer distinct educational experiences. Bluefield State College, a historically Black college, fosters a close-knit community with a focus on undergraduate education, while Marshall University, a public research university, boasts a diverse student body and a wide range of academic programs. With acceptance rates of 88% and 79% respectively, both universities welcome students from various backgrounds. Bluefield State College's popular majors include education, business, and social sciences, while Marshall University offers a diverse selection of programs, including engineering, nursing, and arts. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more about the differences in student demographics, graduation rates, and other key factors that can help you make an informed decision about your academic journey.

	Bluefield State College	Marshall University
Overview
Location	Bluefield, West Virginia	Huntington, West Virginia
Campus setting	Town: Distant	City: Small
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	61.0%	71.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	96.9%	97.8%
Application fees		Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $40
SAT range	880 - 1110	930 - 1150
ACT range	17 - 23	19 - 25
Students submitting SAT score	23.0%	56.0%
Students submitting ACT score	19.0%	70.0%
Total number of applicants	1,019	5,602
Total number of admissions given out	987	5,479
Admitted students who chose to enroll	346	1,596
Yield rate	35.1%	29.1%
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: $22,971 Out of state: $30,169	In state: $22,993 Out of state: $34,047
Average net price	$11,309	$8,730
Tuition	In state: $8,434 Out of state: $15,632	In state: $7,190 Out of state: $18,244
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,600 Meal plan: $4,800	Room/dormitory: $5,724 Meal plan: $4,330
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	85.0% Average amount $7,250	91.0% Average amount $10,973
Students receiving federal student loan	57.0% Average amount $5,367	46.0% Average amount $5,033
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $7,360	4.0% Average amount $10,103

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,358 Men 39.8% Women 60.2%	8,008 Men 41.4% Women 58.6%
Graduate students	N/A	3,015 Men 34.4% Women 65.6%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	21.6%
International students	0.8%	1.6%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	176	2,339
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	West Virginia Ohio District of Columbia Virginia

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Engineering Technologies Education Liberal Arts Business	Health Professions Education Business Liberal Arts Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	13:1	17:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	32.3%	52.2%
Dropout rate	48.9%	18.9%
Transferred out	14.7%	26.2%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $50,489 Year 2: $48,935 Year 3: $51,981 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,859 Year 2: $48,041 Year 3: $51,131 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,154 Year 2: $28,236 Year 3: N/A Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $25,307 Year 2: $32,391 Year 3: N/A Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $26,729 Year 2: $30,554 Year 3: N/A Social Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $20,986 Year 2: $26,933 Year 3: N/A Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $37,208 Year 3: N/A	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $178,140 Year 2: $185,138 Year 3: $194,626 Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $110,434 Year 2: $121,632 Year 3: $123,370 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $93,290 Year 2: $87,183 Year 3: $92,283 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $71,586 Year 2: $73,635 Year 3: $78,893 Engineering, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $52,929 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $63,850 Medicine (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $55,233 Year 2: $57,087 Year 3: $63,436 Business/Commerce, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $42,991 Year 2: $55,512 Year 3: $59,064 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,473 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $57,835 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $54,506 Year 2: $58,823 Year 3: $57,647 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $52,675 Year 2: $52,107 Year 3: $57,619

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