Saint Martin's University vs CWU-Ellensburg

Saint Martin's University and Central Washington University, both esteemed institutions of higher learning in the Pacific Northwest, offer distinct educational experiences. Saint Martin's, a private Catholic university, boasts a tight-knit community and a focus on liberal arts, while Central Washington, a public university, is known for its strong programs in business, education, and the sciences. With different acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates, these universities cater to diverse student populations and academic aspirations. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to discover which university aligns best with your unique goals and preferences, ensuring a fulfilling and successful academic journey.

	Central Washington University	Saint Martin's University
Overview
Location	Ellensburg, Washington	Lacey, Washington
Campus setting	Town: Distant	City: Small
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Quarter	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	69.0%	80.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation		Catholic

Admission
Acceptance rate	88.4%	71.6%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $60 Graduate: $75	$50
SAT range	N/A	995 - 1225
ACT range	N/A	18 - 23
Students submitting SAT score		28.0%
Students submitting ACT score		5.0%
Total number of applicants	10,767	2,653
Total number of admissions given out	9,523	1,900
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,371	348
Yield rate	14.4%	18.3%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	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	$55,463
Average net price	$17,645	$23,964
Tuition	In state: $6,656 Out of state: $23,184	$40,210
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,645 Meal plan: $7,957	Room/dormitory: $5,970 Meal plan: $6,880
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	99.0% Average amount $32,101
Students receiving federal student loan	41.0% Average amount $4,834	64.0% Average amount $5,609
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $14,197	10.0% Average amount $15,185

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	9,566 Men 47.0% Women 53.0%	1,358 Men 39.1% Women 60.9%
Graduate students	610 Men 37.4% Women 62.6%	258 Men 45.0% Women 55.0%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	6.7%	N/A
International students	2.7%	2.1%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	3,755	630
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	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Business Social Sciences Health Professions Visual & Performing Arts	Computer and Information Science Engineering Education Health Professions Business
Students to faculty ratio	15:1	11:1
Institutional accreditation	Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities	Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities

Outcome
Graduation rate	53.6%	60.9%
Dropout rate	44.0%	7.3%
Transferred out	N/A	30.7%
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	Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,996 Year 2: $57,995 Year 3: $72,304 Civil Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,495 Year 2: $60,623 Year 3: $72,162 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $73,524 Year 2: $66,045 Year 3: $70,114 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $59,139 Year 2: $55,964 Year 3: $63,546 Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $50,546 Year 2: $46,087 Year 3: $53,276 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $57,908 Year 2: $58,221 Year 3: $52,388 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $47,606 Year 2: $44,077 Year 3: $47,792 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,669 Year 2: $38,048 Year 3: $46,357 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,783 Year 2: $28,055 Year 3: $25,425 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,491 Year 2: $30,771 Year 3: N/A

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