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

Nestled amidst the Rocky Mountains, University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS) and Western Colorado University (WCU) stand as two distinct beacons of higher education. While both institutions offer a vibrant college experience, they possess unique characteristics that cater to different academic aspirations and personal preferences. UCCS boasts a higher acceptance rate, allowing a broader range of students to pursue their educational goals. In contrast, WCU's smaller student body fosters a close-knit community, where students receive personalized attention from faculty and staff. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to delve into further details regarding acceptance rates, popular majors, student demographics, and graduation rates. Discover which university aligns best with your academic pursuits and personal preferences, setting the stage for a transformative educational journey.
University of Colorado Colorado Springs logo

University of Colorado Colorado Springs

Western Colorado University logo

Western Colorado University

Overview

Location Colorado Springs, Colorado Gunnison, Colorado
Campus setting City: Large Town: Remote
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% 74.0%
Common app member Yes Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission

Acceptance rate 95.3% 90.9%
Application fees
Undergraduate: $50

Graduate: $60
Undergraduate: $30

Graduate: $50
SAT range N/A 1040 - 1230
ACT range N/A 21 - 26
Students submitting SAT score 37.0%
Students submitting ACT score 11.0%
Total number of applicants 11,900 3,243
Total number of admissions given out 11,337 2,947
Admitted students who chose to enroll 1,409 456
Yield rate 12.4% 15.5%
Test scores (SAT/ACT) N/A N/A
High school GPA Not 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: $26,306

Out of state: $38,762
In state: $26,956

Out of state: $38,740
Average net price $15,547 $17,490
Tuition
In state: $7,296

Out of state: $19,752
In state: $6,816

Out of state: $18,600
Room & board $11,458
Room/dormitory: $5,200

Meal plan: $4,790
Available payment plans
  • Tuition payment plan
  • Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

71.0%
Average amount $6,940
87.0%
Average amount $8,085
Students receiving federal student loan 34.0%
Average amount $5,047
56.0%
Average amount $4,669
Students taking out private loans 7.0%
Average amount $15,415
7.0%
Average amount $12,501

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students 10,002
Men 45.8% Women 54.2%
3,241
Men 51.4% Women 48.6%
Graduate students 2,029
Men 40.0% Women 60.0%
448
Men 31.2% Women 68.8%
Racial/ethnic diversity
Low
Low
Out-of-state students 22.0% 34.9%
International students 1.3% 0.3%
Campus local/setting City: Large Town: Remote
Dormitory capacity 1,719 1,241
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 Colorado Texas California Alaska Illinois

Academics

Popular study areas
  • Business
  • Health Professions
  • Education
  • Engineering
  • Communication and Journalism
  • Education
  • Kinesiology & Leisure Studies
  • Natural Resources and Conservation
  • Business
  • Social Sciences
Students to faculty ratio 16:1 18:1
Institutional accreditation Higher Learning Commission Higher Learning Commission

Outcome

Graduation rate 44.1% 47.6%
Dropout rate 16.8% 32.8%
Transferred out 35.6% 17.2%
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
Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $46,087
  • Year 3: $50,432
Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $29,076
  • Year 2: $40,365
  • Year 3: $45,493
Education, General (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $42,272
  • Year 2: $40,488
  • Year 3: $43,479
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $40,324
  • Year 2: $33,281
  • Year 3: $39,884
Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $30,326
  • Year 2: $28,405
  • Year 3: $39,040
Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $28,244
  • Year 2: $29,685
  • Year 3: $37,581
Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $18,798
  • Year 2: N/A
  • Year 3: $36,678
Business/Commerce, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $39,585
  • Year 3: $35,898
Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $26,963
  • Year 2: $27,947
  • Year 3: $35,691
Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $23,793
  • Year 2: $27,874
  • Year 3: $34,114

Compare Similar Colleges

The list of suggested college comparisons provided below is generated automatically by our system, utilizing statistics gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and various online sources. If you don't find the colleges you wish to compare, please visit our comparison page. There, you can search for the specific colleges and initiate your comparison.
University of Colorado Colorado Springs UCCS vs Adams State University Adams State University
University of Colorado Colorado Springs UCCS vs Fort Lewis College Fort Lewis College
University of Colorado Colorado Springs UCCS vs Colorado Mesa University Colorado Mesa University
University of Colorado Colorado Springs UCCS vs Metropolitan State University of Denver Metropolitan State University of Denver
University of Colorado Colorado Springs UCCS vs University of Northern Colorado University of Northern Colorado
University of Colorado Colorado Springs UCCS vs Regis University Regis University
University of Colorado Colorado Springs UCCS vs Colorado State University Pueblo Colorado State University Pueblo
University of Colorado Colorado Springs UCCS vs United States Air Force Academy United States Air Force Academy
University of Colorado Colorado Springs UCCS vs Western Colorado University Western Colorado University
University of Colorado Colorado Springs UCCS vs University of West Georgia University of West Georgia
University of Colorado Colorado Springs UCCS vs Idaho State University Idaho State University
University of Colorado Colorado Springs UCCS vs University of Idaho University of Idaho
University of Colorado Colorado Springs UCCS vs Emporia State University Emporia State University
University of Colorado Colorado Springs UCCS vs The University of Montana The University of Montana
University of Colorado Colorado Springs UCCS vs Western Carolina University Western Carolina University
University of Colorado Colorado Springs UCCS vs University of North Dakota University of North Dakota
University of Colorado Colorado Springs UCCS vs Oregon State University Oregon State University
University of Colorado Colorado Springs UCCS vs South Dakota State University South Dakota State University
University of Colorado Colorado Springs UCCS vs University of South Dakota University of South Dakota
University of Colorado Colorado Springs UCCS vs University of Houston-Clear Lake University of Houston-Clear Lake
University of Colorado Colorado Springs UCCS vs The University of Texas Permian Basin The University of Texas Permian Basin
University of Colorado Colorado Springs UCCS vs Norfolk State University Norfolk State University
University of Colorado Colorado Springs UCCS vs Central Washington University Central Washington University
University of Colorado Colorado Springs UCCS vs Eastern Washington University Eastern Washington University
University of Colorado Colorado Springs UCCS vs Washington State University Washington State University
University of Colorado Colorado Springs UCCS vs Western Washington University Western Washington University
University of Colorado Colorado Springs UCCS vs West Virginia University Institute of Technology West Virginia University Institute of Technology
University of Colorado Colorado Springs UCCS vs University of Wyoming University of Wyoming
University of Colorado Colorado Springs UCCS vs Denver College of Nursing Denver College of Nursing
University of Colorado Colorado Springs UCCS vs DeVry University-Colorado DeVry University-Colorado
Western Colorado University Western Colorado University vs California State University-East Bay California State University-East Bay
Western Colorado University Western Colorado University vs Adams State University Adams State University
Western Colorado University Western Colorado University vs Fort Lewis College Fort Lewis College
Western Colorado University Western Colorado University vs Colorado Mesa University Colorado Mesa University
Western Colorado University Western Colorado University vs Montana State University Billings Montana State University Billings
Western Colorado University Western Colorado University vs Montana State University-Northern Montana State University-Northern
Western Colorado University Western Colorado University vs The University of Montana-Western The University of Montana-Western
Western Colorado University Western Colorado University vs Peru State College Peru State College
Western Colorado University Western Colorado University vs SUNY at Fredonia SUNY at Fredonia
Western Colorado University Western Colorado University vs Dickinson State University Dickinson State University
Western Colorado University Western Colorado University vs University of Mary University of Mary
Western Colorado University Western Colorado University vs Mayville State University Mayville State University
Western Colorado University Western Colorado University vs Minot State University Minot State University
Western Colorado University Western Colorado University vs Valley City State University Valley City State University
Western Colorado University Western Colorado University vs Shawnee State University Shawnee State University
Western Colorado University Western Colorado University vs Northwestern Oklahoma State University Northwestern Oklahoma State University
Western Colorado University Western Colorado University vs Oklahoma Panhandle State University Oklahoma Panhandle State University
Western Colorado University Western Colorado University vs Eastern Oregon University Eastern Oregon University
Western Colorado University Western Colorado University vs Oregon Institute of Technology Oregon Institute of Technology
Western Colorado University Western Colorado University vs Southern Oregon University Southern Oregon University
Western Colorado University Western Colorado University vs Western Oregon University Western Oregon University
Western Colorado University Western Colorado University vs Northern State University Northern State University
Western Colorado University Western Colorado University vs Central Washington University Central Washington University
Western Colorado University Western Colorado University vs Eastern Washington University Eastern Washington University
Western Colorado University Western Colorado University vs The Evergreen State College The Evergreen State College
Western Colorado University Western Colorado University vs Washington State University Washington State University
Western Colorado University Western Colorado University vs Western Washington University Western Washington University
Western Colorado University Western Colorado University vs Glenville State University Glenville State University
Western Colorado University Western Colorado University vs Shepherd University Shepherd University
Western Colorado University Western Colorado University vs California State University-Channel Islands California State University-Channel Islands