Towson vs Western Kentucky University (WKU)

Towson University and Western Kentucky University, both public institutions with rich histories, offer distinct educational experiences. Towson, located in Maryland, boasts a higher acceptance rate (83%) compared to Western Kentucky's 78%. While Western Kentucky has a larger student body, Towson's student population is more diverse. Both universities offer a wide range of undergraduate programs, with popular majors including Business, Education, and Health Professions. However, Towson excels in Liberal Arts and Sciences, while Western Kentucky is known for its strong Engineering and Agriculture programs. With similar graduation rates, both universities provide ample opportunities for students to succeed academically and professionally. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more key differences and make an informed decision about which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Towson University	Western Kentucky University
Overview
Location	Towson, Maryland	Bowling Green, Kentucky
Campus setting	City: Small	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	85.0%	73.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	87.9%	98.5%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $45 Graduate: $45	Undergraduate: $45 Graduate: $65
SAT range	1040 - 1220	N/A
ACT range	21 - 26	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	28.0%
Students submitting ACT score	3.0%
Total number of applicants	11,616	7,255
Total number of admissions given out	10,213	7,145
Admitted students who chose to enroll	2,592	2,832
Yield rate	25.4%	39.6%
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: $28,126 Out of state: $43,178	In state: $27,895 Out of state: $43,903
Average net price	$11,076	$12,395
Tuition	In state: $7,100 Out of state: $22,152	In state: $10,992 Out of state: $27,000
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,632 Meal plan: $6,650	Room/dormitory: $6,744 Meal plan: $3,964
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	73.0% Average amount $9,261	98.0% Average amount $9,576
Students receiving federal student loan	42.0% Average amount $5,098	47.0% Average amount $5,128
Students taking out private loans	5.0% Average amount $15,576	5.0% Average amount $9,983

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	17,907 Men 40.5% Women 59.5%	14,729 Men 37.8% Women 62.2%
Graduate students	2,949 Men 22.9% Women 77.1%	2,021 Men 34.1% Women 65.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	10.6%	N/A
International students	1.7%	1.1%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	5,351	4,942
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Maryland New Jersey Pennsylvania New York Virginia	Tennessee Indiana Illinois Ohio

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Health Professions Computer and Information Science Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Business	Health Professions Business Education Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Public Administration and Social Service
Students to faculty ratio	16:1	18:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	72.3%	53.6%
Dropout rate	6.8%	22.1%
Transferred out	18.9%	22.9%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $110,447 Year 2: $107,906 Year 3: $122,885 Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: $73,340 Year 2: $82,440 Year 3: $94,047 Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $73,795 Year 2: $83,768 Year 3: $85,948 Information Science/Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $85,262 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,242 Year 2: $66,821 Year 3: $79,355 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,719 Year 2: $66,984 Year 3: $69,964 Human Resources Management and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $60,483 Year 2: $63,666 Year 3: $68,130 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $63,907 Year 2: $67,156 Year 3: $67,633 Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $58,402 Year 3: $66,692 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $61,389 Year 2: $62,012 Year 3: $65,981	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $76,015 Year 2: $86,696 Year 3: $95,431 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $71,960 Year 2: $76,998 Year 3: $77,293 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,199 Year 2: $70,009 Year 3: $77,197 Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $53,704 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $68,358 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $65,193 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $66,850 Construction Engineering Technologies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $49,992 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $65,815 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $52,607 Year 2: $61,144 Year 3: $65,553 Civil Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $50,759 Year 2: $51,551 Year 3: $57,443 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $53,729 Year 2: $52,897 Year 3: $56,104 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,172 Year 2: $56,281 Year 3: $55,609

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