Fairmont State vs Marshall University

Fairmont State University and Marshall University, both esteemed institutions of higher learning in West Virginia, offer distinct educational experiences tailored to diverse student aspirations. Fairmont State, nestled in the scenic town of Fairmont, boasts a close-knit community with a focus on personalized attention and undergraduate education. Marshall, located in the vibrant city of Huntington, is a comprehensive university renowned for its research opportunities, graduate programs, and Division I athletics. While both universities share a commitment to academic excellence, they differ in acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to discover which university aligns best with your academic goals, preferred campus environment, and desired student experience.

	Fairmont State University	Marshall University
Overview
Location	Fairmont, 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 and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	61.0%	71.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	98.8%	97.8%
Application fees	$50	Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $40
SAT range	900 - 1090	930 - 1150
ACT range	17 - 23	19 - 25
Students submitting SAT score	46.0%	56.0%
Students submitting ACT score	34.0%	70.0%
Total number of applicants	1,767	5,602
Total number of admissions given out	1,745	5,479
Admitted students who chose to enroll	655	1,596
Yield rate	37.5%	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: $20,914 Out of state: $30,172	In state: $22,993 Out of state: $34,047
Average net price	$11,277	$8,730
Tuition	In state: $5,946 Out of state: $14,992	In state: $7,190 Out of state: $18,244
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,624 Meal plan: $4,574	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)	94.0% Average amount $6,593	91.0% Average amount $10,973
Students receiving federal student loan	53.0% Average amount $4,996	46.0% Average amount $5,033
Students taking out private loans	6.0% Average amount $11,907	4.0% Average amount $10,103

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	3,273 Men 40.6% Women 59.4%	8,008 Men 41.4% Women 58.6%
Graduate students	289 Men 32.9% Women 67.1%	3,015 Men 34.4% Women 65.6%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	11.1%	21.6%
International students	1.6%	1.6%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	1,058	2,339
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	West Virginia Pennsylvania Maryland Virginia Ohio	West Virginia Ohio District of Columbia Virginia

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Engineering Technologies Education Liberal Arts Biological and Biomedical Sciences	Health Professions Education Business Liberal Arts Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	14:1	17:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	45.4%	52.2%
Dropout rate	33.9%	18.9%
Transferred out	20.6%	26.2%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Civil Engineering Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $54,279 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $62,993 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,620 Year 2: $63,855 Year 3: $61,157 Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $46,294 Year 2: $54,153 Year 3: $58,294 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $58,529 Year 2: $56,641 Year 3: $56,475 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $39,809 Year 2: $37,306 Year 3: $43,308 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $25,042 Year 2: $28,598 Year 3: $41,321 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,631 Year 2: $30,409 Year 3: $39,952 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $29,253 Year 2: $31,189 Year 3: $39,801 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,125 Year 2: $31,495 Year 3: $38,357 Education, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $32,334 Year 2: $28,816 Year 3: $34,425	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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