Washington State University (WSU) vs BYU–Provo

Washington State University (WSU) and Brigham Young University (BYU) are two distinct institutions of higher learning that offer unique educational experiences. WSU, a public research university, boasts an acceptance rate of 78%, while BYU, a private university affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, has a more selective acceptance rate of 50%. Both universities offer a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs, with popular majors at WSU including business, engineering, and nursing, and popular majors at BYU including business, education, and computer science. While WSU's student body is more diverse, with 23% of students identifying as non-white, BYU's student body is predominantly white, with only 10% of students identifying as non-white. Additionally, WSU has a higher graduation rate, with 68% of students completing their degrees within six years, compared to BYU's graduation rate of 65%. To help you make an informed
Brigham Young University logo

Brigham Young University

Washington State University logo

Washington State University

Overview

Location Provo, Utah Pullman, Washington
Campus setting City: Midsize Town: Distant
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 89.0% 81.0%
Common app member No Yes
Religious affiliation Mormon

Admission

Acceptance rate 59.2% 85.8%
Application fees
Undergraduate: $35

Graduate: $50
Undergraduate: $50

Graduate: $75
SAT range 1220 - 1440 N/A
ACT range 26 - 32 N/A
Students submitting SAT score 20.0%
Students submitting ACT score 76.0%
Total number of applicants 11,608 18,197
Total number of admissions given out 6,870 15,607
Admitted students who chose to enroll 5,413 4,007
Yield rate 78.8% 25.7%
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 $20,146
In state: $28,767

Out of state: $44,083
Average net price $13,432 $11,877
Tuition $6,120
In state: $10,457

Out of state: $25,773
Room & board $8,048
Room/dormitory: $7,400

Meal plan: $4,350
Available payment plans
  • Prepaid tuition plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

48.0%
Average amount $5,867
86.0%
Average amount $9,993
Students receiving federal student loan 10.0%
Average amount $5,278
27.0%
Average amount $5,042
Students taking out private loans 0.0%
Average amount $9,371
3.0%
Average amount $15,454

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students 31,642
Men 48.7% Women 51.3%
24,278
Men 45.9% Women 54.1%
Graduate students 3,169
Men 54.4% Women 45.6%
5,565
Men 44.7% Women 55.3%
Racial/ethnic diversity
Very Low
Low
Out-of-state students N/A 15.2%
International students 3.6% 5.7%
Campus local/setting City: Midsize Town: Distant
Dormitory capacity 7,073 7,043
First year students are required to live on campus? No No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from N/A Washington California Oregon Idaho Hawaii

Academics

Popular study areas
  • Business
  • Engineering
  • Education
  • Health Professions
  • Computer and Information Science
  • Business
  • Engineering
  • Social Sciences
  • Health Professions
  • Education
Students to faculty ratio 21:1 15:1
Institutional accreditation Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities

Outcome

Graduation rate 76.8% 59.5%
Dropout rate 15.6% 38.1%
Transferred out N/A N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $122,288
  • Year 2: $119,642
  • Year 3: $131,537
Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $74,326
  • Year 2: $87,604
  • Year 3: $103,770
Management Information Systems and Services (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $91,071
  • Year 2: $86,498
  • Year 3: $103,443
Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $82,667
  • Year 2: $83,848
  • Year 3: $99,723
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $83,177
  • Year 3: $95,117
Mechanical Engineering (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $82,340
  • Year 2: $83,177
  • Year 3: $93,220
Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $71,754
  • Year 2: $76,460
  • Year 3: $88,329
Chemical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $67,199
  • Year 2: $76,460
  • Year 3: $86,347
Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $72,287
  • Year 2: $75,989
  • Year 3: $85,287
Business/Managerial Economics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $63,484
  • Year 2: $70,456
  • Year 3: $83,356
Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $135,393
  • Year 3: $143,888
Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $110,911
  • Year 2: $123,178
  • Year 3: $127,531
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $90,080
  • Year 2: $100,915
  • Year 3: $120,737
Engineering-Related Fields (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $111,957
  • Year 2: $112,073
  • Year 3: $119,910
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees)
  • Year 1: $106,275
  • Year 2: $105,813
  • Year 3: $117,478
Veterinary Medicine (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $82,971
  • Year 2: N/A
  • Year 3: $96,760
Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $76,468
  • Year 2: $69,338
  • Year 3: $88,746
Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $80,693
  • Year 2: $75,204
  • Year 3: $81,535
Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $73,112
  • Year 2: $68,808
  • Year 3: $80,939
Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $69,531
  • Year 2: $72,881
  • Year 3: $79,650