MSU Denver vs Western Washington University (WWU)

Metropolitan State University of Denver and Western Washington University, both public universities with rich histories, offer distinct educational experiences. Metropolitan State, located in the vibrant city of Denver, Colorado, boasts an acceptance rate of 88%, making it a more accessible option for students. Western Washington, nestled in the scenic town of Bellingham, Washington, has a lower acceptance rate of 76%, indicating a more selective admissions process. While Metropolitan State excels in fields like business, nursing, and criminal justice, Western Washington shines in areas such as environmental science, psychology, and education. Metropolitan State's student body is predominantly composed of undergraduate students, while Western Washington has a more balanced mix of undergraduate and graduate programs. With graduation rates of 38% and 59% respectively, both universities are committed to supporting students in achieving their academic goals. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more key differences and make an informed decision about which university aligns best with your aspirations.

	Metropolitan State University of Denver	Western Washington University
Overview
Location	Denver, Colorado	Bellingham, Washington
Campus setting	City: Large	City: Small
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	63.0%	81.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	88.8%	96.1%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $25 Graduate: $50	Undergraduate: $65 Graduate: $100
SAT range	910 - 1140	1090 - 1310
ACT range	18 - 24	22 - 29
Students submitting SAT score	32.0%	16.0%
Students submitting ACT score	8.0%	3.0%
Total number of applicants	11,306	10,580
Total number of admissions given out	10,042	10,167
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,832	2,874
Yield rate	18.2%	28.3%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $30,721 Out of state: $48,202	In state: $26,634 Out of state: $43,861
Average net price	$14,195	$11,388
Tuition	In state: $8,280 Out of state: $25,761	In state: $7,572 Out of state: $24,799
Room & board		$13,079
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan Other alternative tuition plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	61.0% Average amount $6,912	82.0% Average amount $7,112
Students receiving federal student loan	57.0% Average amount $5,116	29.0% Average amount $4,929
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $10,638	3.0% Average amount $15,435

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	16,515 Men 44.1% Women 55.9%	14,019 Men 42.6% Women 57.4%
Graduate students	1,163 Men 21.6% Women 78.4%	1,106 Men 36.4% Women 63.6%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	2.4%	N/A
International students	0.7%	1.0%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	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	Colorado California Texas Arizona Florida	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Public Administration and Social Service Health Professions Education Biological and Biomedical Sciences Business	Education Psychology Business Multidisciplinary Studies Kinesiology & Leisure Studies
Students to faculty ratio	19:1	17:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities

Outcome
Graduation rate	29.8%	67.7%
Dropout rate	26.8%	30.6%
Transferred out	37.3%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $68,483 Year 2: $72,790 Year 3: $83,404 Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,535 Year 2: $61,516 Year 3: $70,061 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $60,241 Year 2: $58,131 Year 3: $68,317 Electrical Engineering Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,003 Year 2: $54,254 Year 3: $66,636 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,686 Year 2: $62,922 Year 3: $64,216 Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $50,437 Year 2: $56,415 Year 3: $64,125 Civil Engineering Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,154 Year 2: $57,770 Year 3: $61,122 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $47,504 Year 2: $51,551 Year 3: $58,317 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $48,409 Year 2: $48,376 Year 3: $55,676 Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,189 Year 2: $44,356 Year 3: $54,984	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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