USJ-West Hartford vs Western Connecticut State University (WCSU)

When it comes to higher education, University of Saint Joseph (USJ) and Western Connecticut State University (WCSU) stand out as two distinct institutions with unique offerings. USJ, a private Catholic university, boasts a smaller student body and a lower acceptance rate compared to WCSU, a public university. While both universities offer a diverse range of undergraduate and graduate programs, USJ excels in nursing, health professions, and business, while WCSU is known for its strong programs in education, social work, and criminal justice. Additionally, USJ has a higher graduation rate and a more diverse student body, while WCSU offers more affordable tuition and a larger campus. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to discover more key differences and make an informed decision about which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	University of Saint Joseph	Western Connecticut State University
Overview
Location	West Hartford, Connecticut	Danbury, Connecticut
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	City: Small
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	77.0%	69.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Catholic

Admission
Acceptance rate	78.3%	84.9%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $50	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $50
SAT range	1036 - 1181	N/A
ACT range	N/A	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	16.0%
Students submitting ACT score
Total number of applicants	1,338	4,688
Total number of admissions given out	1,047	3,978
Admitted students who chose to enroll	186	733
Yield rate	17.8%	18.4%
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	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$59,044	In state: $28,783 Out of state: $42,187
Average net price	$26,328	$15,660
Tuition	$40,826	In state: $6,162 Out of state: $18,436
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,172 Meal plan: $5,560	Room/dormitory: $8,020 Meal plan: $5,856
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $26,100	78.0% Average amount $6,312
Students receiving federal student loan	75.0% Average amount $5,268	58.0% Average amount $7,417
Students taking out private loans	19.0% Average amount $16,880	5.0% Average amount $12,388

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	906 Men 22.8% Women 77.2%	4,172 Men 47.6% Women 52.4%
Graduate students	1,226 Men 18.1% Women 81.9%	630 Men 25.4% Women 74.6%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	7.6%	28.6%
International students	1.0%	0.4%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	384	1,315
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Connecticut Mississippi New Jersey New York Rhode Island	Connecticut New York New Jersey Mississippi Maine

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Education Public Administration and Social Service Biological and Biomedical Sciences Psychology	Business Psychology Health Professions Law Enforcement and Firefighting Visual & Performing Arts
Students to faculty ratio	8:1	11:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	56.4%	52.9%
Dropout rate	9.9%	12.0%
Transferred out	32.7%	31.0%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $103,231 Year 2: $121,072 Year 3: $124,172 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $108,302 Year 2: $98,974 Year 3: $109,012 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $73,150 Year 2: $70,705 Year 3: $71,578 Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $51,231 Year 2: $51,899 Year 3: $60,033 Education, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $56,612 Year 2: $58,582 Year 3: $59,982 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $52,941 Year 3: $58,028 Special Education and Teaching (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $52,419 Year 2: $54,676 Year 3: $57,591 Social Work (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $50,190 Year 2: $44,021 Year 3: $52,110 Student Counseling and Personnel Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $48,432 Year 3: $47,172 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $28,598 Year 3: $36,287	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $75,081 Year 2: $75,104 Year 3: $76,468 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $51,332 Year 2: $57,995 Year 3: $70,455 Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,994 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $65,192 Education, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $56,867 Year 3: $58,464 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $49,944 Year 2: $46,321 Year 3: $51,949 Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $43,260 Year 2: $41,464 Year 3: $50,288 Student Counseling and Personnel Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $47,672 Year 2: $46,087 Year 3: $49,639 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,963 Year 2: $45,340 Year 3: $47,607 Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,029 Year 2: $41,441 Year 3: $44,462 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $32,205 Year 2: $35,877 Year 3: $43,291

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USJ-West Hartford vs Western Connecticut State University (WCSU)

University of Saint Joseph

Western Connecticut State University

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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