Clark College vs Western Washington University (WWU)

Clark College and Western Washington University, both esteemed institutions in Washington state, offer distinct educational experiences tailored to diverse student aspirations. Clark College, a community college in Vancouver, Washington, boasts an open-door admissions policy, welcoming students from all backgrounds. In contrast, Western Washington University, a public university located in Bellingham, Washington, has a more selective admissions process, ensuring a higher level of academic rigor. While Clark College excels in providing affordable associate degrees and career-oriented programs, Western Washington University offers a wider range of bachelor's and master's degrees, preparing students for advanced careers and research. Explore the detailed comparison table below to delve into specific data points, including acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates, to determine which institution best aligns with your academic goals and preferences.

	Clark College	Western Washington University
Overview
Location	Vancouver, Washington	Bellingham, Washington
Campus setting	City: Midsize	City: Small
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Quarter	Quarter
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate		81.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	Open Admission	96.1%
Application fees		Undergraduate: $65 Graduate: $100
SAT range	N/A	1090 - 1310
ACT range	N/A	22 - 29
Students submitting SAT score		16.0%
Students submitting ACT score		3.0%
Total number of applicants		10,580
Total number of admissions given out		10,167
Admitted students who chose to enroll		2,874
Yield rate		28.3%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	Not required	N/A
High school GPA	N/A	Required
Recommendation letters	N/A	Not required
High school transcript	N/A	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	N/A	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $19,349 Out of state: $24,953	In state: $26,634 Out of state: $43,861
Average net price	$8,640	$11,388
Tuition	In state: $4,203 Out of state: $9,807	In state: $7,572 Out of state: $24,799
Room & board		$13,079
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	41.0% Average amount $6,514	82.0% Average amount $7,112
Students receiving federal student loan	9.0% Average amount $5,616	29.0% Average amount $4,929
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $5,878	3.0% Average amount $15,435

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	6,921 Men 39.5% Women 60.5%	14,019 Men 42.6% Women 57.4%
Graduate students	N/A	1,106 Men 36.4% Women 63.6%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	6.1%	N/A
International students	0.6%	1.0%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	N/A	3,985
First year students are required to live on campus?	N/A	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Washington Oregon Alaska Idaho Utah	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Liberal Arts Business Health Professions Biological and Biomedical Sciences Engineering Technologies	Education Psychology Business Multidisciplinary Studies Kinesiology & Leisure Studies
Students to faculty ratio	12:1	17:1
Institutional accreditation	Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities	Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities

Outcome
Graduation rate	36.3%	67.7%
Dropout rate	37.2%	30.6%
Transferred out	16.3%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $61,033 Year 2: $63,898 Year 3: $72,393 Dental Support Services and Allied Professions (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $61,055 Year 2: $60,320 Year 3: $67,184 Dental Support Services and Allied Professions (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $60,839 Year 3: $54,083 Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $39,729 Year 3: $47,447 Accounting and Related Services (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $32,951 Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: $39,397 Precision Metal Working (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $34,206 Year 2: $34,704 Year 3: $38,580 Data Entry/Microcomputer Applications (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $24,556 Year 2: $33,993 Year 3: $38,154 Business/Commerce, General (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $30,796 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $36,942 Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $33,785 Year 2: $34,348 Year 3: $36,913 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $24,974 Year 2: $22,534 Year 3: $27,432	Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $69,837 Year 2: $81,333 Year 3: $92,019 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $71,492 Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $78,577 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $60,314 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $76,877 Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $52,624 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $71,599 Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $61,592 Year 2: $60,920 Year 3: $64,540 Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $60,325 Year 3: $64,302 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $46,243 Year 2: $49,572 Year 3: $60,999 Chemistry (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,788 Year 2: $37,748 Year 3: $58,090 Design and Applied Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,818 Year 2: $46,087 Year 3: $57,268 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,065 Year 2: $45,696 Year 3: $57,167

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