University of Massachusetts-Amherst (UMass) vs West Virginia University (WVU)

Nestled in the heart of the picturesque Pioneer Valley, University of Massachusetts-Amherst (UMass-Amherst) stands as a beacon of academic excellence, while West Virginia University (WVU) thrives in the vibrant city of Morgantown, surrounded by the Allegheny Mountains. Both institutions offer a wealth of opportunities for students to pursue their academic aspirations, but they also possess distinct characteristics that set them apart. UMass-Amherst boasts a higher acceptance rate, attracting a diverse student body from across the globe, while WVU maintains a strong focus on research, ranking among the top 100 public universities for research expenditures. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to delve into the details of these two esteemed universities, contrasting their acceptance rates, popular majors, student demographics, graduation rates, and more, to help you make an informed decision about your academic journey.

	University of Massachusetts-Amherst	West Virginia University
Overview
Location	Amherst, Massachusetts	Morgantown, West Virginia
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	City: Small
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	91.0%	81.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	65.5%	89.8%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $85 Graduate: $85	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $60
SAT range	1250 - 1460	1030 - 1230
ACT range	28 - 33	21 - 27
Students submitting SAT score	26.0%	57.0%
Students submitting ACT score	5.0%	38.0%
Total number of applicants	42,540	17,074
Total number of admissions given out	27,877	15,336
Admitted students who chose to enroll	4,872	4,313
Yield rate	17.5%	28.1%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $32,434 Out of state: $52,959	In state: $21,756 Out of state: $38,100
Average net price	$17,291	$13,422
Tuition	In state: $15,791 Out of state: $36,316	In state: $8,976 Out of state: $25,320
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,611 Meal plan: $5,984	Room/dormitory: $6,184 Meal plan: $5,504
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	86.0% Average amount $10,662	89.0% Average amount $10,867
Students receiving federal student loan	39.0% Average amount $5,123	52.0% Average amount $5,294
Students taking out private loans	7.0% Average amount $15,924	15.0% Average amount $16,332

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	24,231 Men 48.8% Women 51.2%	19,599 Men 47.9% Women 52.1%
Graduate students	7,814 Men 47.9% Women 52.1%	5,875 Men 44.4% Women 55.6%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	55.3%
International students	11.1%	5.3%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	13,582	6,956
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	New York New Jersey Connecticut California New Hampshire	West Virginia Pennsylvania Virginia Maryland Ohio

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Engineering Health Professions Multidisciplinary Studies Computer and Information Science	Health Professions Business Engineering Education Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	18:1	18:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	83.7%	63.9%
Dropout rate	5.1%	11.3%
Transferred out	10.5%	22.5%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $112,236 Year 2: $99,741 Year 3: $118,959 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $97,497 Year 2: $97,071 Year 3: $105,578 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $79,216 Year 2: $78,232 Year 3: $95,030 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $71,683 Year 2: $75,518 Year 3: $94,055 Education, General (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $71,391 Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $79,970 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $65,906 Year 2: $67,202 Year 3: $79,007 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $72,222 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $76,636 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $68,607 Year 2: $68,647 Year 3: $74,913 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $66,719 Year 2: $65,594 Year 3: $74,578 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,571 Year 2: $63,646 Year 3: $73,746	Dentistry (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $112,323 Year 2: $125,015 Year 3: $143,709 Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $103,140 Year 2: $118,155 Year 3: $119,358 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $93,573 Year 2: $94,763 Year 3: $96,536 Business/Commerce, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $77,732 Year 2: $81,997 Year 3: $91,425 Human Resources Management and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $71,711 Year 2: $81,333 Year 3: $82,001 Petroleum Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $74,468 Year 2: $61,303 Year 3: $79,782 Industrial Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $66,292 Year 2: $68,047 Year 3: $77,798 Chemical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,506 Year 2: $62,012 Year 3: $77,273 Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $66,040 Year 2: $65,238 Year 3: $76,205 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $54,477 Year 2: $66,069 Year 3: $76,022

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