University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS) vs CWU-Ellensburg

Envision yourself pursuing higher education in the picturesque landscapes of Colorado or Washington. University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS) and Central Washington University (CWU) offer distinct academic experiences amidst breathtaking surroundings. UCCS boasts a higher acceptance rate, allowing more students to embark on their educational journeys. CWU, on the other hand, offers a more diverse student body, fostering a vibrant and inclusive campus community. Both universities excel in specific areas of study, with UCCS excelling in engineering and CWU excelling in education. Explore the comprehensive comparison table to delve into further details, such as graduation rates, tuition fees, and available student support services, to determine which institution aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Central Washington University	University of Colorado Colorado Springs
Overview
Location	Ellensburg, Washington	Colorado Springs, Colorado
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%	67.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	88.4%	95.3%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $60 Graduate: $75	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $60
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	11,900
Total number of admissions given out	9,523	11,337
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,371	1,409
Yield rate	14.4%	12.4%
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	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $22,248 Out of state: $38,776	In state: $26,306 Out of state: $38,762
Average net price	$17,645	$15,547
Tuition	In state: $6,656 Out of state: $23,184	In state: $7,296 Out of state: $19,752
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,645 Meal plan: $7,957	$11,458
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	71.0% Average amount $6,940
Students receiving federal student loan	41.0% Average amount $4,834	34.0% Average amount $5,047
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $14,197	7.0% Average amount $15,415

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	9,566 Men 47.0% Women 53.0%	10,002 Men 45.8% Women 54.2%
Graduate students	610 Men 37.4% Women 62.6%	2,029 Men 40.0% Women 60.0%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	6.7%	22.0%
International students	2.7%	1.3%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	3,755	1,719
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	Colorado Texas California Illinois Minnesota

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Business Social Sciences Health Professions Visual & Performing Arts	Business Health Professions Education Engineering Communication and Journalism
Students to faculty ratio	15:1	16:1
Institutional accreditation	Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	53.6%	44.1%
Dropout rate	44.0%	16.8%
Transferred out	N/A	35.6%
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	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $96,442 Year 2: $92,358 Year 3: $103,568 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,849 Year 2: $67,240 Year 3: $77,111 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $68,511 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $76,950 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $67,374 Year 2: $71,015 Year 3: $74,444 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,567 Year 2: $56,544 Year 3: $64,874 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,473 Year 2: $59,441 Year 3: $63,152 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $42,437 Year 2: $45,048 Year 3: $53,324 Public Administration (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $50,674 Year 2: $44,170 Year 3: $49,511 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,542 Year 2: $40,089 Year 3: $48,299 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,745 Year 2: $40,521 Year 3: $47,859

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