University of Central Arkansas (UCA) vs Western Carolina University (WCU)

Nestled in the heart of Arkansas, the University of Central Arkansas (UCA) and Western Carolina University (WCU), located in the picturesque mountains of North Carolina, offer distinct educational experiences. UCA boasts a higher acceptance rate, making it a more accessible option for aspiring students. In contrast, WCU's lower acceptance rate indicates a more selective admissions process. While both universities offer a diverse range of academic programs, UCA excels in fields like nursing, business, and education, while WCU shines in areas such as health professions, engineering, and social sciences. Explore the detailed comparison table below to delve into further differences in student demographics, graduation rates, and other key factors that will help you make an informed decision about your academic journey.

	University of Central Arkansas	Western Carolina University
Overview
Location	Conway, Arkansas	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	71.0%	75.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	92.4%	79.4%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $25 Graduate: $45	Undergraduate: $65 Graduate: $65
SAT range	980 - 1160	1060 - 1230
ACT range	19 - 26	19 - 25
Students submitting SAT score	3.0%	12.0%
Students submitting ACT score	94.0%	43.0%
Total number of applicants	6,057	12,308
Total number of admissions given out	5,595	9,775
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,854	1,729
Yield rate	33.1%	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: $25,219 Out of state: $32,089	In state: $19,349 Out of state: $23,349
Average net price	$14,042	$13,082
Tuition	In state: $6,870 Out of state: $13,740	In state: $1,000 Out of state: $5,000
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,326 Meal plan: $3,570	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)	92.0% Average amount $7,693	73.0% Average amount $5,772
Students receiving federal student loan	51.0% Average amount $5,106	56.0% Average amount $4,850
Students taking out private loans	5.0% Average amount $10,426	9.0% Average amount $9,396

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	8,244 Men 39.0% Women 61.0%	10,145 Men 43.6% Women 56.4%
Graduate students	1,861 Men 26.6% Women 73.4%	1,732 Men 32.1% Women 67.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	7.9%	17.7%
International students	3.8%	1.7%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	Town: Distant
Dormitory capacity	3,675	3,815
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Arkansas Texas Oklahoma Tennessee Alabama	North Carolina South Carolina Georgia Florida Tennessee

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

Outcome
Graduation rate	49.4%	61.4%
Dropout rate	19.1%	10.2%
Transferred out	29.7%	27.5%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $92,284 Year 2: $92,358 Year 3: $96,070 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $72,491 Year 2: $70,736 Year 3: $76,640 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $61,696 Year 2: $67,548 Year 3: $65,753 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,174 Year 2: $58,842 Year 3: $59,396 Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $52,787 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $57,030 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $51,827 Year 2: $52,107 Year 3: $55,240 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $45,080 Year 2: $45,305 Year 3: $52,677 Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $48,462 Year 2: $47,729 Year 3: $52,542 Library Science, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $46,140 Year 2: $47,260 Year 3: $49,838 Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $40,755 Year 2: $48,432 Year 3: $49,837	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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