Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) vs Columbus State

Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) and Columbus State University (CSU) are two distinct institutions of higher learning with unique characteristics and offerings. EKU, located in Richmond, Kentucky, boasts a higher acceptance rate (86%) compared to CSU's 68%, making it a more accessible option for prospective students. CSU, situated in Columbus, Georgia, has a larger student body, with over 7,000 undergraduates, while EKU has a more intimate community of around 5,000 undergraduates. Both universities offer a diverse range of academic programs, with popular majors at EKU including Nursing, Business Administration, and Education, while CSU excels in fields such as Business, Health Sciences, and Education. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to delve into further details about these universities, including graduation rates, student demographics, and additional factors that may influence your decision in choosing the best fit for your academic and personal aspirations.

	Columbus State University	Eastern Kentucky University
Overview
Location	Columbus, Georgia	Richmond, Kentucky
Campus setting	City: Midsize	Town: Distant
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	61.0%	74.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	78.5%	98.3%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $50
SAT range	870 - 1130	950 - 1180
ACT range	18 - 24	18 - 24
Students submitting SAT score	10.0%	4.0%
Students submitting ACT score	11.0%	88.0%
Total number of applicants	5,275	7,251
Total number of admissions given out	4,142	7,131
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,205	2,493
Yield rate	29.1%	35.0%
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: $23,563 Out of state: $34,617	In state: $23,762 Out of state: $34,034
Average net price	$13,571	$14,271
Tuition	In state: $4,371 Out of state: $15,425	In state: $9,452 Out of state: $19,724
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $6,228 Meal plan: $4,400	Room/dormitory: $5,416 Meal plan: $3,994
Available payment plans		Guaranteed tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	94.0% Average amount $7,234	98.0% Average amount $9,891
Students receiving federal student loan	50.0% Average amount $4,926	49.0% Average amount $4,950
Students taking out private loans	10.0% Average amount $7,458	5.0% Average amount $10,455

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	6,403 Men 39.6% Women 60.4%	11,684 Men 40.6% Women 59.4%
Graduate students	1,495 Men 32.6% Women 67.4%	2,300 Men 30.0% Women 70.0%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Very Low
Out-of-state students	5.6%	N/A
International students	1.7%	1.1%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	Town: Distant
Dormitory capacity	1,467	4,479
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Georgia Alabama Florida Texas Ohio	Ohio Illinois Indiana West Virginia

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Education Business Law Enforcement and Firefighting Visual & Performing Arts	Health Professions Education Law Enforcement and Firefighting Liberal Arts Engineering Technologies
Students to faculty ratio	16:1	15:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	42.7%	47.8%
Dropout rate	20.9%	48.5%
Transferred out	32.0%	1.6%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $72,649 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $76,343 Educational Administration and Supervision (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $67,553 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $65,327 Year 2: $70,009 Year 3: $66,828 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $50,668 Year 2: $54,852 Year 3: $65,564 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $61,920 Year 2: $56,169 Year 3: $61,330 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $63,251 Year 2: $61,516 Year 3: $60,599 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $48,949 Year 2: $51,106 Year 3: $58,076 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $48,041 Year 3: $51,075 Special Education and Teaching (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $48,483 Year 2: $46,087 Year 3: $50,572 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $47,256 Year 2: $46,478 Year 3: $50,084	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $110,878 Year 3: $113,532 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $94,123 Year 2: $90,291 Year 3: $95,519 Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,935 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $78,046 Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting and Related Protective Services, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $73,209 Year 2: $74,105 Year 3: $74,692 Construction Management (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,585 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $71,030 Educational Administration and Supervision (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $54,959 Year 2: $60,523 Year 3: $62,961 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $50,605 Year 2: $49,019 Year 3: $62,600 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $56,959 Year 2: $60,523 Year 3: $61,708 Fire Protection (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $48,702 Year 2: $49,787 Year 3: $58,036 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,745 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $57,935

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