Northern Michigan University (NMU) vs CWU-Ellensburg

Northern Michigan University (NMU) and Central Washington University (CWU) are two public universities located in picturesque regions of the United States. NMU, nestled in the heart of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, offers a close-knit community and a wide range of academic programs, while CWU, situated in the vibrant city of Ellensburg, Washington, boasts a diverse student body and a strong focus on experiential learning. With acceptance rates of 86% and 83% respectively, both universities welcome students from various backgrounds. While NMU excels in fields like engineering, nursing, and education, CWU shines in business, psychology, and communication. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more about these universities' unique offerings, student demographics, graduation rates, and other key factors that will help you make an informed decision about your higher education journey.

	Central Washington University	Northern Michigan University
Overview
Location	Ellensburg, Washington	Marquette, Michigan
Campus setting	Town: Distant	Town: Remote
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Quarter	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	69.0%	72.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	88.4%	71.3%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $60 Graduate: $75	Undergraduate: $35 Graduate: $50
SAT range	N/A	N/A
ACT range	N/A	N/A
Students submitting SAT score
Students submitting ACT score
Total number of applicants	10,767	6,553
Total number of admissions given out	9,523	4,670
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,371	1,496
Yield rate	14.4%	32.0%
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	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $22,248 Out of state: $38,776	In state: $26,076 Out of state: $31,572
Average net price	$17,645	$17,686
Tuition	In state: $6,656 Out of state: $23,184	In state: $12,098 Out of state: $17,594
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,645 Meal plan: $7,957	Room/dormitory: $6,212 Meal plan: $5,700
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	80.0% Average amount $7,378	100.0% Average amount $8,291
Students receiving federal student loan	41.0% Average amount $4,834	60.0% Average amount $4,882
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $14,197	13.0% Average amount $12,023

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	9,566 Men 47.0% Women 53.0%	6,611 Men 41.4% Women 58.6%
Graduate students	610 Men 37.4% Women 62.6%	603 Men 31.8% Women 68.2%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Very Low
Out-of-state students	6.7%	27.5%
International students	2.7%	1.2%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	Town: Remote
Dormitory capacity	3,755	2,956
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Washington California Oregon Hawaii Arkansas	Michigan Wisconsin Illinois Minnesota California

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Business Social Sciences Health Professions Visual & Performing Arts	Health Professions Business Education Visual & Performing Arts Liberal Arts
Students to faculty ratio	15:1	19:1
Institutional accreditation	Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	53.6%	49.4%
Dropout rate	44.0%	48.5%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	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	Construction Engineering Technologies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,628 Year 2: $72,796 Year 3: $79,136 Electrical and Power Transmission Installers (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: $46,384 Year 2: $47,846 Year 3: $59,593 Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $56,415 Year 3: $58,726 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,371 Year 2: $56,776 Year 3: $57,709 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $47,668 Year 2: $53,358 Year 3: $55,574 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,975 Year 2: $46,087 Year 3: $51,392 Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,045 Year 2: $34,793 Year 3: $47,951 Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $48,424 Year 2: $44,635 Year 3: $46,290 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $35,823 Year 2: $38,649 Year 3: $45,786 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $43,293 Year 2: $38,529 Year 3: $44,324

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