Sam Houston State University (SHSU) vs East Tennessee State University (ETSU)

Sam Houston State University and East Tennessee State University, both public universities with rich histories, offer distinct educational experiences. Sam Houston, located in Huntsville, Texas, boasts a higher acceptance rate (84%) compared to East Tennessee State University's (ETSU) 78% in Johnson City, Tennessee. While ETSU has a slightly larger student body, Sam Houston's student population is more diverse. Both universities offer a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs, with popular majors including business, education, and nursing. However, ETSU excels in allied health professions and sciences, while Sam Houston is known for its criminal justice and agricultural programs. With comparable graduation rates, both institutions provide students with opportunities for academic success and career preparation. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover which university better aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	East Tennessee State University	Sam Houston State University
Overview
Location	Johnson City, Tennessee	Huntsville, Texas
Campus setting	City: Small	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	67.0%	73.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	87.4%	96.6%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $25 Graduate: $55	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $50
SAT range	N/A	950 - 1120
ACT range	19 - 26	18 - 23
Students submitting SAT score		57.0%
Students submitting ACT score	80.0%	16.0%
Total number of applicants	8,563	11,556
Total number of admissions given out	7,484	11,161
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,856	2,908
Yield rate	24.8%	26.1%
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: $28,704 Out of state: $32,006	In state: $24,612 Out of state: $34,404
Average net price	$14,482	$14,287
Tuition	In state: $7,486 Out of state: $10,788	In state: $5,856 Out of state: $15,648
Room & board	$9,582	Room/dormitory: $5,918 Meal plan: $4,650
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Guaranteed tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	97.0% Average amount $9,541	70.0% Average amount $9,492
Students receiving federal student loan	34.0% Average amount $6,489	52.0% Average amount $5,618
Students taking out private loans	4.0% Average amount $13,366	0.0% Average amount $14,496

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	10,316 Men 38.3% Women 61.7%	18,288 Men 36.2% Women 63.8%
Graduate students	2,987 Men 30.7% Women 69.3%	3,324 Men 31.7% Women 68.3%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	22.1%	1.4%
International students	2.0%	1.3%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	Town: Distant
Dormitory capacity	2,833	3,398
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Tennessee North Carolina Virginia South Carolina Georgia	Texas Florida California Arkansas Illinois

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Education Public Administration and Social Service Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Business	Business Education Health Professions Agriculture Communication and Journalism
Students to faculty ratio	15:1	20:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	50.6%	57.3%
Dropout rate	21.3%	16.2%
Transferred out	25.2%	23.6%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $105,882 Year 2: $117,477 Year 3: $121,003 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $87,648 Year 2: $94,408 Year 3: $101,627 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $86,704 Year 2: $87,604 Year 3: $92,942 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $69,704 Year 2: $70,009 Year 3: $77,994 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $71,980 Year 2: $68,592 Year 3: $75,044 Medicine (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $53,417 Year 2: $55,286 Year 3: $71,655 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $48,748 Year 2: $54,748 Year 3: $69,192 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $50,234 Year 2: $56,867 Year 3: $66,513 Public Health (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $45,737 Year 2: $44,971 Year 3: $59,138 Engineering Technology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $51,039 Year 2: $52,107 Year 3: $58,679	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $73,554 Year 2: $68,858 Year 3: $76,776 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $68,691 Year 2: $74,953 Year 3: $76,058 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,097 Year 2: $69,740 Year 3: $73,214 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $59,694 Year 2: $66,049 Year 3: $72,403 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $53,377 Year 2: $56,415 Year 3: $67,947 Construction Engineering Technologies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $61,438 Year 2: $60,128 Year 3: $67,313 Music (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $59,381 Year 2: $57,705 Year 3: $65,080 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $50,710 Year 2: $68,666 Year 3: $62,801 Agricultural Mechanization (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,352 Year 2: $49,436 Year 3: $59,631 Special Education and Teaching (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $54,213 Year 2: $56,579 Year 3: $57,976

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