Alvernia University vs West Chester University of Pennsylvania (WCUPA)

Alvernia University and West Chester University of Pennsylvania, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Alvernia, a private Catholic university, boasts a smaller student body and a more intimate learning environment, with an acceptance rate of 85%. West Chester, a public university, has a larger and more diverse student population, with an acceptance rate of 73%. While Alvernia excels in nursing, business, and education programs, West Chester shines in fields like business, education, and communication. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more about these universities' unique strengths, student demographics, graduation rates, and other key factors that will help you make an informed decision about your academic journey.

	Alvernia University	West Chester University of Pennsylvania
Overview
Location	Reading, Pennsylvania	West Chester, Pennsylvania
Campus setting	City: Small	Suburb: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	73.0%	85.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Catholic

Admission
Acceptance rate	57.8%	89.4%
Application fees	$50	Undergraduate: $45 Graduate: $50
SAT range	N/A	1070 - 1250
ACT range	N/A	23 - 29
Students submitting SAT score		27.0%
Students submitting ACT score		1.0%
Total number of applicants	5,371	14,020
Total number of admissions given out	3,103	12,528
Admitted students who chose to enroll	403	2,628
Yield rate	13.0%	21.0%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Not required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$49,480	In state: $28,419 Out of state: $40,243
Average net price	$24,917	$14,133
Tuition	$37,780	In state: $7,716 Out of state: $19,290
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $6,930 Meal plan: $6,750	Room/dormitory: $5,794 Meal plan: $3,700
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	95.0% Average amount $26,065	100.0% Average amount $4,607
Students receiving federal student loan	94.0% Average amount $4,652	51.0% Average amount $5,238
Students taking out private loans	20.0% Average amount $18,154	11.0% Average amount $11,835

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,032 Men 34.0% Women 66.0%	14,471 Men 40.0% Women 60.0%
Graduate students	504 Men 31.0% Women 69.0%	3,143 Men 31.7% Women 68.3%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	27.8%	11.4%
International students	4.0%	0.4%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	1,079	5,128
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Pennsylvania New Jersey Maryland New Mexico Virginia	Pennsylvania New Jersey Delaware Maryland New York

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Business Education Public Administration and Social Service Psychology	Health Professions Business Education Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Public Administration and Social Service
Students to faculty ratio	13:1	20:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	65.3%	72.8%
Dropout rate	6.2%	7.6%
Transferred out	27.9%	18.4%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $66,956 Year 2: $64,553 Year 3: $70,009 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $66,528 Year 2: $63,600 Year 3: $69,944 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $65,042 Year 2: $60,878 Year 3: $68,491 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $66,259 Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: $54,161 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $45,308 Year 2: $45,500 Year 3: $50,326 Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $39,968 Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: $47,691 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,786 Year 2: $39,832 Year 3: $46,290 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,572 Year 2: $31,941 Year 3: $42,891 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $29,208 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $40,464 Social Work (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,850 Year 2: $35,060 Year 3: $39,539	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $78,514 Year 2: $91,211 Year 3: $102,513 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,034 Year 2: $70,863 Year 3: $83,078 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $68,346 Year 2: $66,653 Year 3: $74,076 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,184 Year 2: $59,253 Year 3: $67,374 Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $52,978 Year 2: $57,589 Year 3: $65,537 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $53,367 Year 2: $53,508 Year 3: $61,456 Business/Managerial Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $53,396 Year 2: $50,856 Year 3: $58,904 Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $53,608 Year 3: $57,532 Special Education and Teaching (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $51,096 Year 2: $58,402 Year 3: $56,740 Music (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $52,107 Year 3: $56,355

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