University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) vs CWU-Ellensburg

Nestled in the heart of Alaska's largest city, University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) stands as a beacon of higher learning, while Central Washington University (CWU) thrives in the vibrant city of Ellensburg, Washington. Both universities offer a diverse range of academic programs, but they differ in several key aspects. UAA boasts a higher acceptance rate, making it a more accessible option for students, while CWU's smaller student body fosters a close-knit community. UAA excels in fields like engineering and nursing, while CWU shines in business and education. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to delve into further details, such as graduation rates, student demographics, and more, to help you make an informed decision about your academic journey.

	Central Washington University	University of Alaska Anchorage
Overview
Location	Ellensburg, Washington	Anchorage, Alaska
Campus setting	Town: Distant	City: Large
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%	69.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	88.4%	69.0%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $60 Graduate: $75
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	3,431
Total number of admissions given out	9,523	2,369
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,371	990
Yield rate	14.4%	41.8%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Not 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: $29,573 Out of state: $46,179
Average net price	$17,645	$12,816
Tuition	In state: $6,656 Out of state: $23,184	In state: $7,224 Out of state: $23,072
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,645 Meal plan: $7,957	Room/dormitory: $7,312 Meal plan: $5,350
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	80.0% Average amount $7,523
Students receiving federal student loan	41.0% Average amount $4,834	19.0% Average amount $4,913
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $14,197	1.0% Average amount $12,115

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	9,566 Men 47.0% Women 53.0%	10,259 Men 38.7% Women 61.3%
Graduate students	610 Men 37.4% Women 62.6%	586 Men 33.1% Women 66.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	6.7%	7.2%
International students	2.7%	1.5%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	3,755	996
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	Alaska California Texas Oregon Hawaii

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Business Social Sciences Health Professions Visual & Performing Arts	Health Professions Business Liberal Arts Engineering Psychology
Students to faculty ratio	15:1	12:1
Institutional accreditation	Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities	Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities

Outcome
Graduation rate	53.6%	30.5%
Dropout rate	44.0%	47.9%
Transferred out	N/A	16.2%
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	Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $76,098 Year 2: $74,017 Year 3: $91,752 Educational Administration and Supervision (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $87,604 Year 3: $90,902 Construction Management (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $80,711 Year 2: $72,274 Year 3: $78,757 Engineering, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $66,728 Year 3: $74,552 Civil Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $55,504 Year 2: $66,325 Year 3: $71,837 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $73,122 Year 2: $72,101 Year 3: $70,544 Health/Medical Preparatory Programs (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $71,329 Year 2: $68,033 Year 3: $65,761 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $54,366 Year 2: $55,840 Year 3: $61,104 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $46,628 Year 2: $47,260 Year 3: $58,933 Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $39,066 Year 2: $55,770 Year 3: $58,645

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