UMass Lowell vs The University of West Florida (UWF)

When it comes to higher education, University of Massachusetts-Lowell and The University of West Florida stand out as two distinct institutions with unique offerings. UMass-Lowell, located in the heart of Massachusetts, boasts a higher acceptance rate, making it a more accessible option for students. In contrast, The University of West Florida, situated in the vibrant city of Pensacola, Florida, has a lower acceptance rate, indicating a more selective admissions process. While both universities offer a diverse range of academic programs, UMass-Lowell excels in engineering and computer science, while The University of West Florida shines in business and nursing. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to delve into further details about these universities, including student body demographics, graduation rates, and more, to help you make an informed decision about your academic journey.

	The University of West Florida	University of Massachusetts-Lowell
Overview
Location	Pensacola, Florida	Lowell, Massachusetts
Campus setting	City: Small	Suburb: Large
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	84.0%	82.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	52.8%	84.6%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $30 Graduate: $30	Undergraduate: $60 Graduate: $50
SAT range	1040 - 1230	1170 - 1340
ACT range	21 - 27	25 - 32
Students submitting SAT score	58.0%	26.0%
Students submitting ACT score	67.0%	2.0%
Total number of applicants	8,660	12,493
Total number of admissions given out	4,573	10,565
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,159	1,907
Yield rate	25.3%	18.1%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $21,528 Out of state: $34,409	In state: $24,672 Out of state: $42,598
Average net price	$10,344	$13,227
Tuition	In state: $4,319 Out of state: $16,587	In state: $15,078 Out of state: $33,004
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,900 Meal plan: $4,590	Room/dormitory: $8,500 Meal plan: $5,070
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	97.0% Average amount $10,774	78.0% Average amount $10,449
Students receiving federal student loan	22.0% Average amount $4,656	59.0% Average amount $5,148
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $10,351	5.0% Average amount $10,989

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	9,319 Men 41.8% Women 58.2%	12,884 Men 58.6% Women 41.4%
Graduate students	3,969 Men 31.7% Women 68.3%	4,713 Men 53.7% Women 46.3%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	2.5%	5.8%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	1,467	4,787
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	Mississippi New Hampshire New York New Jersey Pennsylvania

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Liberal Arts Education Business Psychology	Business Engineering Health Professions Computer and Information Science Law Enforcement and Firefighting
Students to faculty ratio	21:1	18:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	52.0%	69.0%
Dropout rate	38.0%	28.0%
Transferred out	7.0%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,119 Year 2: $61,172 Year 3: $71,579 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $53,454 Year 2: $54,322 Year 3: $61,949 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,076 Year 2: $58,454 Year 3: $61,780 Curriculum and Instruction (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $71,854 Year 3: $57,639 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $55,438 Year 2: $52,895 Year 3: $57,401 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $55,827 Year 2: $49,854 Year 3: $57,159 Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $51,104 Year 2: $52,941 Year 3: $56,478 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $48,359 Year 2: $50,773 Year 3: $56,183 Special Education and Teaching (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $51,664 Year 2: $49,918 Year 3: $54,030 Mathematics (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $59,129 Year 2: $50,105 Year 3: $52,616	Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $73,995 Year 2: $71,575 Year 3: $92,580 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $71,575 Year 3: $90,960 Mechanical Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $81,072 Year 2: $74,576 Year 3: $89,338 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $81,208 Year 2: $71,854 Year 3: $88,920 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $97,889 Year 2: $78,612 Year 3: $88,135 Chemical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,760 Year 2: $63,501 Year 3: $77,826 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $51,707 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $77,121 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $69,655 Year 2: $66,989 Year 3: $74,462 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $67,655 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $73,578 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,402 Year 2: $60,623 Year 3: $73,430

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