University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS) vs Western Carolina University (WCU)

Nestled in the picturesque Rocky Mountains, University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS) and Western Carolina University (WCU), located in the vibrant town of Cullowhee, North Carolina, offer distinct educational experiences. UCCS boasts a higher acceptance rate, making it a more accessible option for aspiring students. In contrast, WCU's smaller student body fosters a close-knit community. Both universities excel in different academic areas; UCCS is renowned for its strong engineering and business programs, while WCU shines in nursing and education. Explore the detailed comparison table to uncover more intriguing differences, including graduation rates, student demographics, and popular majors, and make an informed decision that aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	University of Colorado Colorado Springs	Western Carolina University
Overview
Location	Colorado Springs, Colorado	Cullowhee, North Carolina
Campus setting	City: Large	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	67.0%	75.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	95.3%	79.4%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $60	Undergraduate: $65 Graduate: $65
SAT range	N/A	1060 - 1230
ACT range	N/A	19 - 25
Students submitting SAT score		12.0%
Students submitting ACT score		43.0%
Total number of applicants	11,900	12,308
Total number of admissions given out	11,337	9,775
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,409	1,729
Yield rate	12.4%	17.7%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not 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: $26,306 Out of state: $38,762	In state: $19,349 Out of state: $23,349
Average net price	$15,547	$13,082
Tuition	In state: $7,296 Out of state: $19,752	In state: $1,000 Out of state: $5,000
Room & board	$11,458	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)	71.0% Average amount $6,940	73.0% Average amount $5,772
Students receiving federal student loan	34.0% Average amount $5,047	56.0% Average amount $4,850
Students taking out private loans	7.0% Average amount $15,415	9.0% Average amount $9,396

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	10,002 Men 45.8% Women 54.2%	10,145 Men 43.6% Women 56.4%
Graduate students	2,029 Men 40.0% Women 60.0%	1,732 Men 32.1% Women 67.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	22.0%	17.7%
International students	1.3%	1.7%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	Town: Distant
Dormitory capacity	1,719	3,815
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Colorado Texas California Illinois Minnesota	North Carolina South Carolina Georgia Florida Tennessee

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Health Professions Education Engineering Communication and Journalism	Health Professions Education Business Public Administration and Social Service Engineering Technologies
Students to faculty ratio	16:1	15:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	44.1%	61.4%
Dropout rate	16.8%	10.2%
Transferred out	35.6%	27.5%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	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	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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