Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) vs Carson-Newman University

Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) and Carson-Newman University (CNU) are two distinct institutions of higher learning, each offering unique educational experiences. MTSU, a public university located in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, boasts a larger student body and a wider range of academic programs compared to CNU, a private Christian university in Jefferson City, Tennessee. While both universities offer strong undergraduate programs, MTSU excels in fields like business, engineering, and nursing, while CNU is known for its strengths in liberal arts, education, and music. With different acceptance rates, student demographics, and graduation outcomes, MTSU and CNU cater to diverse student populations with varying academic aspirations. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover which university aligns best with your academic goals and personal preferences.

	Carson-Newman University	Middle Tennessee State University
Overview
Location	Jefferson City, Tennessee	Murfreesboro, Tennessee
Campus setting	Suburb: Small	City: Midsize
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	69.0%	75.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Baptist

Admission
Acceptance rate	78.9%	68.4%
Application fees		Undergraduate: $25 Graduate: $35
SAT range	955 - 1135	1010 - 1210
ACT range	19 - 25	19 - 26
Students submitting SAT score	9.0%	7.0%
Students submitting ACT score	78.0%	92.0%
Total number of applicants	2,953	11,244
Total number of admissions given out	2,329	7,691
Admitted students who chose to enroll	395	2,752
Yield rate	17.0%	35.8%
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	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$43,818	In state: $24,554 Out of state: $43,586
Average net price	$18,147	$12,617
Tuition	$29,920	In state: $7,344 Out of state: $26,376
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,134 Meal plan: $5,340	$9,576
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $23,432	97.0% Average amount $8,747
Students receiving federal student loan	55.0% Average amount $5,217	36.0% Average amount $4,835
Students taking out private loans	4.0% Average amount $11,046	3.0% Average amount $12,638

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,695 Men 42.8% Women 57.2%	18,603 Men 45.2% Women 54.8%
Graduate students	1,140 Men 23.9% Women 76.1%	2,965 Men 36.1% Women 63.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Low
Out-of-state students	22.8%	N/A
International students	4.0%	2.4%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Small	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	1,172	2,518
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Tennessee Florida Georgia South Carolina North Carolina	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Business Health Professions Liberal Arts Kinesiology & Leisure Studies	Business Visual & Performing Arts Multidisciplinary Studies Education Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	14:1	16:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	56.5%	53.7%
Dropout rate	7.6%	14.7%
Transferred out	35.2%	28.5%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $81,965 Year 2: $85,760 Year 3: $89,368 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $50,676 Year 2: $51,829 Year 3: $54,331 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $50,186 Year 2: $50,499 Year 3: $53,320 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $49,686 Year 2: $50,465 Year 3: $53,061 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: $49,368 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $42,928 Year 2: $42,853 Year 3: $46,623 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,221 Year 2: $36,745 Year 3: $43,416 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,689 Year 2: $36,110 Year 3: $40,485 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,153 Year 2: $35,060 Year 3: N/A Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $43,693 Year 2: $49,331 Year 3: N/A	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $88,408 Year 2: $85,760 Year 3: $90,571 Psychology, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $49,120 Year 2: $59,485 Year 3: $88,221 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $71,903 Year 2: $66,104 Year 3: $78,609 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $68,709 Year 2: $67,101 Year 3: $72,118 Construction Management (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,220 Year 2: $66,541 Year 3: $69,654 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $57,896 Year 2: $57,860 Year 3: $67,093 Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $50,963 Year 2: $57,995 Year 3: $66,752 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,662 Year 2: $54,192 Year 3: $66,144 Engineering-Related Fields (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,628 Year 2: $58,943 Year 3: $61,839 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $55,209 Year 2: $55,061 Year 3: $58,677

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Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) vs Carson-Newman University

Carson-Newman University

Middle Tennessee State University

Overview

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Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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