Indiana State vs Western Carolina University (WCU)

Indiana State University and Western Carolina University, both public institutions with rich histories, offer distinct educational experiences. Indiana State, located in Terre Haute, Indiana, boasts a higher acceptance rate, making it a more accessible option for students. Western Carolina, nestled in Cullowhee, North Carolina, stands out with its smaller student body, fostering a close-knit community. While Indiana State excels in programs like nursing and business, Western Carolina shines in fields such as education and health professions. Explore the detailed comparison table to uncover more differences, including graduation rates, student demographics, and popular majors, and make an informed decision that aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Indiana State University	Western Carolina University
Overview
Location	Terre Haute, Indiana	Cullowhee, North Carolina
Campus setting	City: Small	Town: Distant
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	61.0%	75.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	93.7%	79.4%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $25 Graduate: $45	Undergraduate: $65 Graduate: $65
SAT range	N/A	1060 - 1230
ACT range	N/A	19 - 25
Students submitting SAT score		12.0%
Students submitting ACT score		43.0%
Total number of applicants	12,581	12,308
Total number of admissions given out	11,786	9,775
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,434	1,729
Yield rate	12.2%	17.7%
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)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $24,804 Out of state: $36,068	In state: $19,349 Out of state: $23,349
Average net price	$13,653	$13,082
Tuition	In state: $9,318 Out of state: $20,582	In state: $1,000 Out of state: $5,000
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,346 Meal plan: $4,284	Room/dormitory: $6,403 Meal plan: $5,029
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	94.0% Average amount $8,657	73.0% Average amount $5,772
Students receiving federal student loan	59.0% Average amount $5,979	56.0% Average amount $4,850
Students taking out private loans	7.0% Average amount $11,296	9.0% Average amount $9,396

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	7,704 Men 43.7% Women 56.3%	10,145 Men 43.6% Women 56.4%
Graduate students	1,755 Men 36.2% Women 63.8%	1,732 Men 32.1% Women 67.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	17.1%	17.7%
International students	2.4%	1.7%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	Town: Distant
Dormitory capacity	3,929	3,815
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Indiana Illinois Ohio Missouri	North Carolina South Carolina Georgia Florida Tennessee

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Education Business Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Engineering Technologies	Health Professions Education Business Public Administration and Social Service Engineering Technologies
Students to faculty ratio	16:1	15:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	41.2%	61.4%
Dropout rate	57.4%	10.2%
Transferred out	N/A	27.5%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $108,149 Year 2: $98,915 Year 3: $104,293 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $94,087 Year 2: $97,959 Year 3: $102,110 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $89,625 Year 2: $94,408 Year 3: $101,146 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $62,741 Year 2: $67,420 Year 3: $68,209 Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,199 Year 2: $61,350 Year 3: $66,936 Construction Management (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,441 Year 2: $55,286 Year 3: $64,649 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $59,124 Year 3: $64,169 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $72,688 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $63,602 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,294 Year 2: $58,739 Year 3: $61,243 Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $53,232 Year 2: $53,775 Year 3: $61,153	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $97,321 Year 2: $103,913 Year 3: $103,661 Human Resources Management and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $55,207 Year 2: $64,990 Year 3: $72,372 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $54,769 Year 2: $53,775 Year 3: $72,367 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $65,460 Year 2: $67,324 Year 3: $68,635 Construction Engineering Technologies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,202 Year 2: $58,221 Year 3: $64,334 Engineering Technology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,173 Year 2: $54,996 Year 3: $63,171 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $64,798 Year 2: $55,286 Year 3: $61,637 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $53,571 Year 2: $55,512 Year 3: $59,030 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $55,835 Year 2: $52,107 Year 3: $58,930 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,362 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $57,003

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