University of Nebraska at Kearney (UNK) vs Western Nebraska Community College (WNCC)

When it comes to higher education, University of Nebraska at Kearney (UNK) and Western Nebraska Community College (WNCC) offer distinct experiences. UNK, a four-year public university, boasts a higher acceptance rate and a more diverse student body, while WNCC, a two-year community college, offers a more intimate learning environment and lower tuition fees. Both institutions provide a range of academic programs, with UNK excelling in fields like business, education, and nursing, and WNCC specializing in technical and vocational programs. While UNK graduates enjoy higher earning potential, WNCC students benefit from a shorter time to degree completion and a strong focus on career preparation. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to discover more key differences and make an informed decision about your educational journey.

	University of Nebraska at Kearney	Western Nebraska Community College
Overview
Location	Kearney, Nebraska	Scottsbluff, Nebraska
Campus setting	Town: Distant	Town: Remote
College type	4 year	2 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	76.0%	60.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	90.3%	Open Admission
Application fees	Undergraduate: $45 Graduate: $45
SAT range	938 - 1133	N/A
ACT range	18 - 25	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	4.0%
Students submitting ACT score	86.0%
Total number of applicants	6,076
Total number of admissions given out	5,488
Admitted students who chose to enroll	958
Yield rate	17.5%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	Not required
High school GPA	Not required	N/A
Recommendation letters	Not required	N/A
High school transcript	Not required	N/A
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	N/A

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $24,300 Out of state: $30,552	In state: $15,032 Out of state: $15,128
Average net price	$16,433	$6,756
Tuition	In state: $6,292 Out of state: $12,498	In state: $2,556 Out of state: $2,652
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,436 Meal plan: $5,192	$7,496
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan Other alternative tuition plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	85.0% Average amount $7,441	96.0% Average amount $6,892
Students receiving federal student loan	45.0% Average amount $4,821	26.0% Average amount $4,148
Students taking out private loans	5.0% Average amount $9,368	0.0% Average amount $0

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	4,427 Men 37.7% Women 62.3%	1,306 Men 37.0% Women 63.0%
Graduate students	1,848 Men 30.2% Women 69.8%	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Low
Out-of-state students	9.9%	N/A
International students	4.2%	4.5%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	Town: Remote
Dormitory capacity	2,072	336
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Nebraska Colorado Kansas Iowa Wyoming	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Biological and Biomedical Sciences Business Health Professions Liberal Arts	Health Professions Business Computer and Information Science Education Automotive Technology
Students to faculty ratio	13:1	16:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	58.0%	42.4%
Dropout rate	11.4%	52.4%
Transferred out	28.0%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $56,208 Year 2: $58,479 Year 3: $63,133 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $48,641 Year 3: $54,125 Special Education and Teaching (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $49,040 Year 2: $52,607 Year 3: $53,723 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $51,490 Year 2: $48,302 Year 3: $53,277 Biology, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $54,246 Year 2: $48,432 Year 3: $52,603 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $45,894 Year 2: $45,618 Year 3: $52,491 Fine and Studio Arts (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $53,665 Year 2: $48,432 Year 3: $51,898 Agricultural Business and Management (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $43,654 Year 2: $38,829 Year 3: $51,703 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $49,159 Year 2: $49,464 Year 3: $51,277 Curriculum and Instruction (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $48,157 Year 2: $45,500 Year 3: $49,659	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $53,775 Year 3: $57,758 Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $31,127 Year 3: $44,748 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $18,154 Year 3: N/A

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University of Nebraska at Kearney (UNK) vs Western Nebraska Community College (WNCC)

University of Nebraska at Kearney

Western Nebraska Community College

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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