Maine USM vs West Chester University of Pennsylvania (WCUPA)

Envision yourself pursuing higher education at either the University of Southern Maine (USM) or West Chester University of Pennsylvania (WCU). Both institutions offer distinct experiences, catering to diverse student aspirations. USM, nestled in the vibrant city of Portland, Maine, boasts a higher acceptance rate, welcoming a broader range of applicants. WCU, situated in the historic town of West Chester, Pennsylvania, stands out with its higher graduation rate, ensuring a successful completion of academic pursuits. While USM excels in fields like nursing and education, WCU shines in business and communication programs. Explore the detailed comparison table to uncover further distinctions in acceptance rates, popular majors, student demographics, and graduation outcomes. Discover which university aligns best with your academic goals and personal preferences, setting the stage for a fulfilling college journey.

	University of Southern Maine	West Chester University of Pennsylvania
Overview
Location	Portland, Maine	West Chester, Pennsylvania
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	65.0%	85.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	87.0%	89.4%
Application fees		Undergraduate: $45 Graduate: $50
SAT range	995 - 1230	1070 - 1250
ACT range	19 - 24	23 - 29
Students submitting SAT score	18.0%	27.0%
Students submitting ACT score	1.0%	1.0%
Total number of applicants	5,397	14,020
Total number of admissions given out	4,695	12,528
Admitted students who chose to enroll	895	2,628
Yield rate	19.1%	21.0%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	Not 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: $23,842 Out of state: $37,842	In state: $28,419 Out of state: $40,243
Average net price	$9,793	$14,133
Tuition	In state: $8,064 Out of state: $22,064	In state: $7,716 Out of state: $19,290
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,460 Meal plan: $4,980	Room/dormitory: $5,794 Meal plan: $3,700
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	92.0% Average amount $8,886	100.0% Average amount $4,607
Students receiving federal student loan	45.0% Average amount $4,969	51.0% Average amount $5,238
Students taking out private loans	6.0% Average amount $10,975	11.0% Average amount $11,835

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	5,956 Men 40.6% Women 59.4%	14,471 Men 40.0% Women 60.0%
Graduate students	2,040 Men 25.3% Women 74.7%	3,143 Men 31.7% Women 68.3%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Low
Out-of-state students	23.4%	11.4%
International students	1.2%	0.4%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	1,189	5,128
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Maine New Hampshire Mississippi Vermont Connecticut	Pennsylvania New Jersey Delaware Maryland New York

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Education Business Public Administration and Social Service Legal Profession	Health Professions Business Education Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Public Administration and Social Service
Students to faculty ratio	13:1	20:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	34.5%	72.8%
Dropout rate	33.0%	7.6%
Transferred out	30.0%	18.4%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $97,041 Year 2: $95,169 Year 3: $100,726 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,660 Year 2: $61,728 Year 3: $71,074 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $52,579 Year 2: $55,594 Year 3: $65,574 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,254 Year 2: $57,422 Year 3: $60,602 Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,123 Year 2: $50,231 Year 3: $55,627 Public Policy Analysis (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $49,644 Year 3: $54,835 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $45,681 Year 2: $45,852 Year 3: $51,356 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $43,716 Year 2: $51,690 Year 3: $50,246 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $42,148 Year 2: $45,767 Year 3: $49,334 Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,098 Year 2: $41,342 Year 3: $48,118	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $78,514 Year 2: $91,211 Year 3: $102,513 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,034 Year 2: $70,863 Year 3: $83,078 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $68,346 Year 2: $66,653 Year 3: $74,076 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,184 Year 2: $59,253 Year 3: $67,374 Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $52,978 Year 2: $57,589 Year 3: $65,537 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $53,367 Year 2: $53,508 Year 3: $61,456 Business/Managerial Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $53,396 Year 2: $50,856 Year 3: $58,904 Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $53,608 Year 3: $57,532 Special Education and Teaching (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $51,096 Year 2: $58,402 Year 3: $56,740 Music (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $52,107 Year 3: $56,355

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