Washburn U vs Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU)

Washburn University and Florida Gulf Coast University, located in opposite corners of the country, offer distinct educational experiences. Washburn, a private institution in Topeka, Kansas, boasts a long history dating back to 1865, while Florida Gulf Coast, a public university in Fort Myers, Florida, is a younger institution established in 1997. With acceptance rates of 85% and 54%, respectively, Washburn presents a more accessible admissions process compared to Florida Gulf Coast's selective approach. While both universities offer a diverse range of undergraduate programs, Washburn excels in fields like business, education, and nursing, while Florida Gulf Coast shines in areas such as engineering, health professions, and hospitality management. Explore the detailed comparison table below to uncover further distinctions between these two institutions, including student body demographics, graduation rates, and additional factors that may influence your higher education journey.

	Florida Gulf Coast University	Washburn University
Overview
Location	Fort Myers, Florida	Topeka, Kansas
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	City: Midsize
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	82.0%	66.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	89.2%	Open Admission
Application fees	Undergraduate: $30 Graduate: $30	Undergraduate: $20 Graduate: $40
SAT range	1010 - 1180	N/A
ACT range	19 - 25	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	79.0%
Students submitting ACT score	45.0%
Total number of applicants	14,462
Total number of admissions given out	12,901
Admitted students who chose to enroll	3,125
Yield rate	24.2%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A
High school GPA	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: $20,390 Out of state: $39,434	In state: $23,895 Out of state: $34,899
Average net price	$9,840	$14,617
Tuition	In state: $4,191 Out of state: $22,328	In state: $8,762 Out of state: $19,766
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,820 Meal plan: $4,346	Room/dormitory: $5,625 Meal plan: $4,090
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	78.0% Average amount $6,754	94.0% Average amount $6,254
Students receiving federal student loan	30.0% Average amount $7,251	44.0% Average amount $5,166
Students taking out private loans	4.0% Average amount $16,201	5.0% Average amount $10,179

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	14,228 Men 42.9% Women 57.1%	4,828 Men 37.3% Women 62.7%
Graduate students	1,681 Men 29.2% Women 70.8%	829 Men 33.4% Women 66.6%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	17.6%	3.0%
International students	2.1%	3.0%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	4,732	1,004
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Florida Illinois New Jersey Pennsylvania Ohio	Kansas Georgia Iowa Florida Arizona

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Multidisciplinary Studies Liberal Arts Education Engineering	Health Professions Legal Profession Liberal Arts Business Law Enforcement and Firefighting
Students to faculty ratio	22:1	13:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	56.2%	51.4%
Dropout rate	26.2%	24.7%
Transferred out	13.4%	20.7%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,910 Year 2: $59,722 Year 3: $85,341 Computer Software and Media Applications (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $74,972 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $70,296 Year 3: $73,324 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $66,429 Year 2: $66,821 Year 3: $68,880 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $51,840 Year 2: $59,124 Year 3: $68,095 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $47,707 Year 2: $47,520 Year 3: $65,837 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,279 Year 2: $62,409 Year 3: $64,731 Civil Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $54,799 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $63,963 Biomedical/Medical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $48,944 Year 2: $46,769 Year 3: $59,253 Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $54,874 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $58,083	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $95,212 Year 2: $99,069 Year 3: $105,785 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: $50,713 Year 2: $56,776 Year 3: $59,264 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $48,996 Year 2: $52,542 Year 3: $57,844 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $55,332 Year 2: $54,812 Year 3: $57,071 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,896 Year 2: $44,595 Year 3: $54,443 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $46,833 Year 2: $50,270 Year 3: $53,824 Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance Technologies (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: $43,016 Year 2: $47,260 Year 3: $53,722 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $53,602 Year 2: $50,856 Year 3: $53,311 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $45,645 Year 2: $46,790 Year 3: $50,604 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $46,551 Year 2: $45,128 Year 3: $50,230

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