Western Kentucky University (WKU) vs LA Tech

Western Kentucky University and Louisiana Tech University, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer unique educational experiences to their students. Western Kentucky University, nestled in the heart of Bowling Green, Kentucky, boasts an acceptance rate of 86%, welcoming a diverse student body of over 20,000 students. Louisiana Tech University, situated in the vibrant city of Ruston, Louisiana, has a slightly lower acceptance rate of 79%, fostering a close-knit community of approximately 13,000 students. While both universities excel in various academic disciplines, Western Kentucky University is renowned for its strong programs in nursing, education, and business, while Louisiana Tech University shines in engineering, business, and the arts. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to delve into further details about these universities, including graduation rates, popular majors, student demographics, and more, to help you make an informed decision about your academic journey.

	Louisiana Tech University	Western Kentucky University
Overview
Location	Ruston, Louisiana	Bowling Green, Kentucky
Campus setting	Town: Distant	City: Small
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Quarter	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	81.0%	73.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	65.8%	98.5%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $20 Graduate: $40	Undergraduate: $45 Graduate: $65
SAT range	1070 - 1280	N/A
ACT range	22 - 27	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	8.0%
Students submitting ACT score	93.0%
Total number of applicants	7,724	7,255
Total number of admissions given out	5,085	7,145
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,871	2,832
Yield rate	36.8%	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)	Not required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $25,182 Out of state: $31,923	In state: $27,895 Out of state: $43,903
Average net price	$12,154	$12,395
Tuition	In state: $6,401 Out of state: $13,142	In state: $10,992 Out of state: $27,000
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $3,000 Meal plan: $4,800	Room/dormitory: $6,744 Meal plan: $3,964
Available payment plans		Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	96.0% Average amount $11,577	98.0% Average amount $9,576
Students receiving federal student loan	40.0% Average amount $5,221	47.0% Average amount $5,128
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $9,781	5.0% Average amount $9,983

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	10,053 Men 52.4% Women 47.6%	14,729 Men 37.8% Women 62.2%
Graduate students	984 Men 46.4% Women 53.6%	2,021 Men 34.1% Women 65.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	14.1%	N/A
International students	2.3%	1.1%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	2,499	4,942
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Louisiana Texas Arkansas Mississippi Alabama	Tennessee Indiana Illinois Ohio

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Engineering Health Professions Education Biological and Biomedical Sciences	Health Professions Business Education Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Public Administration and Social Service
Students to faculty ratio	20:1	18:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	58.9%	53.6%
Dropout rate	13.1%	22.1%
Transferred out	25.9%	22.9%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $56,100 Year 2: $84,653 Year 3: $95,978 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $69,065 Year 2: $63,600 Year 3: $68,905 Air Transportation (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $50,634 Year 2: $44,356 Year 3: $66,953 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $62,364 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $54,877 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $35,660 Year 2: $39,009 Year 3: $50,089 Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $54,977 Year 2: $49,214 Year 3: $49,230 Student Counseling and Personnel Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $39,996 Year 2: $39,369 Year 3: $42,799 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,446 Year 2: $37,748 Year 3: $41,679 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,426 Year 2: $40,446 Year 3: $41,487 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $42,347 Year 2: $41,689 Year 3: $41,383	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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