Western Kentucky University (WKU) vs Fort Hays State University (FHSU)

Western Kentucky University and Fort Hays State University, both public institutions with rich histories, offer distinct educational experiences. Western Kentucky University, nestled in Bowling Green, Kentucky, boasts a higher acceptance rate, allowing more students the opportunity to pursue their academic aspirations. Fort Hays State University, located in Hays, Kansas, stands out with its smaller student body, fostering a close-knit community. While Western Kentucky University excels in fields like business, education, and nursing, Fort Hays State University shines in areas such as aviation, agriculture, and health sciences. Explore the detailed comparison table to uncover further differences in acceptance rates, popular majors, student demographics, and graduation rates, helping you make an informed decision about your higher education journey.

	Fort Hays State University	Western Kentucky University
Overview
Location	Hays, Kansas	Bowling Green, Kentucky
Campus setting	Town: Remote	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	73.0%	73.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	90.3%	98.5%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $30 Graduate: $40	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	1,997	7,255
Total number of admissions given out	1,804	7,145
Admitted students who chose to enroll	955	2,832
Yield rate	52.9%	39.6%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not 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: $19,364 Out of state: $29,804	In state: $27,895 Out of state: $43,903
Average net price	$13,788	$12,395
Tuition	In state: $4,140 Out of state: $14,580	In state: $10,992 Out of state: $27,000
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,047 Meal plan: $4,326	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)	91.0% Average amount $5,027	98.0% Average amount $9,576
Students receiving federal student loan	50.0% Average amount $5,059	47.0% Average amount $5,128
Students taking out private loans	3.0% Average amount $9,055	5.0% Average amount $9,983

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	11,402 Men 39.1% Women 60.9%	14,729 Men 37.8% Women 62.2%
Graduate students	2,700 Men 29.7% Women 70.3%	2,021 Men 34.1% Women 65.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	1.7%	1.1%
Campus local/setting	Town: Remote	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	1,731	4,942
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	Tennessee Indiana Illinois Ohio

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Education Health Professions Liberal Arts Social Sciences	Health Professions Business Education Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Public Administration and Social Service
Students to faculty ratio	15:1	18:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	50.5%	53.6%
Dropout rate	31.2%	22.1%
Transferred out	15.0%	22.9%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $85,036 Year 2: $82,440 Year 3: $99,232 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $56,228 Year 2: $55,286 Year 3: $67,227 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,873 Year 2: $57,461 Year 3: $61,895 Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $58,104 Year 2: $57,995 Year 3: $60,659 Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $48,849 Year 3: $59,909 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $54,167 Year 2: $51,392 Year 3: $57,191 Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $51,360 Year 2: $55,512 Year 3: $53,880 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $51,829 Year 3: $52,488 Information Science/Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,081 Year 2: $47,846 Year 3: $49,888 Educational/Instructional Media Design (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $50,407 Year 2: $48,432 Year 3: $49,592	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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