CWU-Ellensburg vs Chico State

Central Washington University (CWU) and California State University-Chico (CSUC) are two distinct universities with unique offerings. CWU, located in Ellensburg, Washington, boasts a higher acceptance rate (84%) compared to CSUC's 79%. Both universities offer a diverse range of undergraduate programs, with CWU excelling in fields like Business, Education, and Health Professions, while CSUC shines in areas such as Business, Communication, and Engineering. CSUC's student body is more diverse, with a higher percentage of Hispanic and Asian students, while CWU has a slightly higher graduation rate (58% vs. 56%). Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more key differences and make an informed decision about which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	California State University-Chico	Central Washington University
Overview
Location	Chico, California	Ellensburg, Washington
Campus setting	City: Midsize	Town: Distant
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Quarter
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	81.0%	69.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	85.5%	88.4%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $70	Undergraduate: $60 Graduate: $75
SAT range	N/A	N/A
ACT range	N/A	N/A
Students submitting SAT score
Students submitting ACT score
Total number of applicants	19,990	10,767
Total number of admissions given out	17,086	9,523
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,929	1,371
Yield rate	11.3%	14.4%
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	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $23,984 Out of state: $35,864	In state: $22,248 Out of state: $38,776
Average net price	$13,749	$17,645
Tuition	In state: $5,742 Out of state: $17,622	In state: $6,656 Out of state: $23,184
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $8,609 Meal plan: $3,881	Room/dormitory: $7,645 Meal plan: $7,957
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	63.0% Average amount $8,691	80.0% Average amount $7,378
Students receiving federal student loan	29.0% Average amount $4,637	41.0% Average amount $4,834
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $11,369	2.0% Average amount $14,197

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	14,462 Men 45.5% Women 54.5%	9,566 Men 47.0% Women 53.0%
Graduate students	1,240 Men 33.6% Women 66.4%	610 Men 37.4% Women 62.6%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	1.3%	6.7%
International students	2.9%	2.7%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	Town: Distant
Dormitory capacity	2,323	3,755
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	California Oregon Washington Arizona Colorado	Washington California Oregon Hawaii Arkansas

Academics
Popular study areas	Liberal Arts Health Professions Public Administration and Social Service Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Engineering Technologies	Education Business Social Sciences Health Professions Visual & Performing Arts
Students to faculty ratio	22:1	15:1
Institutional accreditation	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission	Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities

Outcome
Graduation rate	65.4%	53.6%
Dropout rate	27.4%	44.0%
Transferred out	4.8%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $94,107 Year 2: $95,797 Year 3: $96,478 Construction Management (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $78,190 Year 2: $83,091 Year 3: $93,961 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $72,808 Year 2: $74,241 Year 3: $91,563 Electrical Engineering Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $71,244 Year 2: $70,176 Year 3: $79,499 Civil Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,761 Year 2: $69,617 Year 3: $79,308 Engineering, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $68,803 Year 2: $66,355 Year 3: $76,389 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,879 Year 2: $59,350 Year 3: $74,258 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $68,880 Year 2: $66,222 Year 3: $74,116 Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $67,298 Year 2: $68,499 Year 3: $69,321 Engineering-Related Fields (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,812 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $68,680	Electrical Engineering Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $72,482 Year 3: $86,230 Construction Management (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $73,538 Year 2: $71,168 Year 3: $82,194 Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $68,024 Year 2: $65,486 Year 3: $79,944 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $58,531 Year 2: $61,020 Year 3: $77,665 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,052 Year 2: $52,941 Year 3: $69,645 Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,580 Year 2: $56,979 Year 3: $69,564 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $55,151 Year 3: $62,577 Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $44,170 Year 3: $61,531 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,008 Year 2: $39,369 Year 3: $58,391 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $47,842 Year 2: $50,606 Year 3: $58,240

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