Comparison tool
Rankings across 8 publishers plus admissions, cost, debt and outcome data for Marshall University, Florida Atlantic University, Columbus State University. Every figure is sourced and dated.
| Metric | Marshall UniversityHuntington, WV | Florida AtlanticBoca Raton, FL | Columbus StateColumbus, GA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acceptance rate | 95.7% | 66.1% | 99.1% |
| SAT middle 50% | 910–1150 | 1040–1200 | 800–1060 |
| Average net price | $7,50238.7% on Pell grants | $8,75233.9% on Pell grants | $13,11544.6% on Pell grants |
| Published tuition & fees | $9,162 in-state · $20,342 outMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release | $4,879 in-state · $17,324 outMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release | $5,898 in-state · $17,610 outMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release |
| 6-year graduation rate | 51.2% | 62.6% | 41.8% |
| First-year retention | 72.2% | 84.5% | 69.7% |
| Undergraduates on Pell grants | 38.7% | 33.9% | 44.6% |
| Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry | $46,354 | $56,746 | $44,544 |
| Median federal debt at graduation | $23,250 | $17,236 | $26,000 |
| Student-faculty ratio | 15:1 | 23:1 | 18:1 |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 7,266 | 23,757 | 5,625 |
| Consensus percentile | 37Lower is better | 37Lower is better | 37Lower is better |
| Methodology sensitivity | 62 ptsHow far published lists disagree, in percentile points | 61 ptsHow far published lists disagree, in percentile points | 23 ptsHow far published lists disagree, in percentile points |
Highlighted cells mark the most favourable value in that row where a direction is meaningful. No highlight appears for metrics like enrollment or SAT range, where “better” depends entirely on what you want.
“Not ranked by this source” means that publisher’s list does not include the school — not missing data and not a poor rank.
| Source | Marshall University | Florida Atlantic | Columbus State |
|---|---|---|---|
| US News | #318 of 436National universitiesNational Universities · 2026 | #183 of 436National universitiesNational Universities · 2026 | #65 of 135Regional univ. (South)Regional Universities (South) · 2026 |
| Forbes | Not ranked by this source | #214 of 500Top colleges (Forbes)America's Top Colleges · 2026 | Not ranked by this source |
| Washington Monthly | #396 of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars · 2026 | #116 of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars · 2026 | #566 of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars · 2026 |
| WSJ | Not ranked by this source | #263 of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)Best Colleges in the U.S. · 2026 | Not ranked by this source |
| Niche | #291 of 2,605Overall (Niche)Best Colleges (Overall) · 2026 | #200 of 2,605Overall (Niche)Best Colleges (Overall) · 2026 | #656 of 2,605Overall (Niche)Best Colleges (Overall) · 2026 |
| Money | Not ranked by this source | Listed | Not ranked by this source |
| Princeton Review | Not ranked by this source | Not ranked by this source | Not ranked by this source |
| QS | Not ranked by this source | #1036 of 1,504World (QS)World University Rankings · 2026 | Not ranked by this source |
Students comparing Marshall University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.
This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
Full profileStudents comparing Florida Atlantic University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.
This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
Full profileStudents comparing Columbus State University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.
This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
Full profile