West Virginia State University (WVSU) vs Western Kentucky University (WKU)

West Virginia State University and Western Kentucky University, both public institutions with rich histories, offer distinct educational experiences. West Virginia State University, nestled in the scenic town of Institute, West Virginia, boasts a smaller student body, fostering a close-knit community feel. In contrast, Western Kentucky University, located in the vibrant city of Bowling Green, Kentucky, offers a larger and more diverse student population. While both universities share a commitment to academic excellence, they differ in their 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 aspirations and personal preferences.

	West Virginia State University	Western Kentucky University
Overview
Location	Institute, West Virginia	Bowling Green, Kentucky
Campus setting	Suburb: Midsize	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	56.0%	73.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	96.6%	98.5%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $20 Graduate: $28	Undergraduate: $45 Graduate: $65
SAT range	N/A	N/A
ACT range	N/A	N/A
Students submitting SAT score
Students submitting ACT score
Total number of applicants	2,959	7,255
Total number of admissions given out	2,857	7,145
Admitted students who chose to enroll	305	2,832
Yield rate	10.7%	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: $22,677 Out of state: $28,365	In state: $27,895 Out of state: $43,903
Average net price	$10,889	$12,395
Tuition	In state: $7,912 Out of state: $13,600	In state: $10,992 Out of state: $27,000
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,762 Meal plan: $5,314	Room/dormitory: $6,744 Meal plan: $3,964
Available payment plans	Guaranteed tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	89.0% Average amount $8,961	98.0% Average amount $9,576
Students receiving federal student loan	49.0% Average amount $7,576	47.0% Average amount $5,128
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $6,704	5.0% Average amount $9,983

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	3,281 Men 41.9% Women 58.1%	14,729 Men 37.8% Women 62.2%
Graduate students	134 Men 41.8% Women 58.2%	2,021 Men 34.1% Women 65.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Low
Out-of-state students	22.6%	N/A
International students	1.6%	1.1%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Midsize	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	369	4,942
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	West Virginia Ohio Maryland Georgia	Tennessee Indiana Illinois Ohio

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Law Enforcement and Firefighting Education Liberal Arts Public Administration and Social Service	Health Professions Business Education Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Public Administration and Social Service
Students to faculty ratio	12:1	18:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	29.6%	53.6%
Dropout rate	47.3%	22.1%
Transferred out	19.9%	22.9%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $35,198 Year 2: $33,993 Year 3: $36,756 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $35,938 Year 2: $29,141 Year 3: $36,314 Social Work (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,771 Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: $34,416 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $25,256 Year 2: $27,504 Year 3: $32,672 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $23,227 Year 2: $26,739 Year 3: $32,224 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $29,815 Year 2: $28,816 Year 3: $30,768 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $26,073 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $19,116 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $29,654 Year 2: $20,140 Year 3: N/A Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $18,771 Year 3: N/A Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $19,626 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A	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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West Virginia State University (WVSU) vs Western Kentucky University (WKU)

West Virginia State University

Western Kentucky University

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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