West Chester University of Pennsylvania (WCUPA) vs Bucknell University

West Chester University of Pennsylvania and Bucknell University, two distinct institutions of higher learning, offer unique educational experiences to prospective students. West Chester, a public university, boasts an acceptance rate of 79%, while Bucknell, a private university, maintains a more selective admissions process with an acceptance rate of 32%. Both universities offer a diverse range of undergraduate programs, with West Chester excelling in fields like Business, Education, and Nursing, and Bucknell excelling in Engineering, Business, and the Liberal Arts. While West Chester's student body is predominantly composed of Pennsylvania residents, Bucknell attracts a more geographically diverse student population. Additionally, Bucknell's graduation rate stands at 91%, slightly higher than West Chester's 78%. To help you make an informed decision about your academic journey, we have compiled a comprehensive comparison table that delves into these aspects and more. Explore the table to discover which university aligns best with your aspirations and goals.

	Bucknell University	West Chester University of Pennsylvania
Overview
Location	Lewisburg, Pennsylvania	West Chester, Pennsylvania
Campus setting	Town: Distant	Suburb: Large
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	91.0%	85.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	34.5%	89.4%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $50	Undergraduate: $45 Graduate: $50
SAT range	1295 - 1450	1070 - 1250
ACT range	29 - 33	23 - 29
Students submitting SAT score	35.0%	27.0%
Students submitting ACT score	17.0%	1.0%
Total number of applicants	11,263	14,020
Total number of admissions given out	3,886	12,528
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,027	2,628
Yield rate	26.4%	21.0%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	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	$77,740	In state: $28,419 Out of state: $40,243
Average net price	$38,170	$14,133
Tuition	$59,474	In state: $7,716 Out of state: $19,290
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $9,192 Meal plan: $5,682	Room/dormitory: $5,794 Meal plan: $3,700
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	59.0% Average amount $37,752	100.0% Average amount $4,607
Students receiving federal student loan	32.0% Average amount $5,232	51.0% Average amount $5,238
Students taking out private loans	7.0% Average amount $23,169	11.0% Average amount $11,835

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	3,724 Men 47.1% Women 52.9%	14,471 Men 40.0% Women 60.0%
Graduate students	33 Men 30.3% Women 69.7%	3,143 Men 31.7% Women 68.3%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	76.9%	11.4%
International students	5.3%	0.4%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	3,394	5,128
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Pennsylvania New Jersey New York Connecticut Maryland	Pennsylvania New Jersey Delaware Maryland New York

Academics
Popular study areas	Engineering Business Social Sciences Education Foreign Languages and Literatures	Health Professions Business Education Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Public Administration and Social Service
Students to faculty ratio	9:1	20:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	88.0%	72.8%
Dropout rate	0.6%	7.6%
Transferred out	11.3%	18.4%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $68,290 Year 2: $66,147 Year 3: $82,360 Chemical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $71,437 Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $80,333 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $68,748 Year 2: $69,002 Year 3: $76,198 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $61,343 Year 2: $49,683 Year 3: $69,149 Civil Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $66,231 Year 2: $65,610 Year 3: $68,732 Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $51,607 Year 3: $66,842 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $61,041 Year 2: $55,102 Year 3: $63,698 Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $45,358 Year 2: $49,136 Year 3: $60,608 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $49,507 Year 2: $52,941 Year 3: $57,352 International Relations and National Security Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,905 Year 2: $55,964 Year 3: $55,173	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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