Western Carolina University (WCU) vs CCSU-New Britain

Western Carolina University and Central Connecticut State University, both public institutions with rich histories, offer distinct educational experiences. Western Carolina, nestled in the scenic Blue Ridge Mountains, boasts a higher acceptance rate and a larger student body, while Central Connecticut, located in the vibrant city of New Britain, offers a more diverse student population and a higher graduation rate. With Western Carolina's focus on liberal arts and Central Connecticut's strength in business and healthcare, both universities provide a wide range of academic programs to cater to diverse interests. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more about these institutions, including their costs, financial aid opportunities, and student life, to make an informed decision that aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Central Connecticut State University	Western Carolina University
Overview
Location	New Britain, Connecticut	Cullowhee, North Carolina
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	Town: Distant
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	72.0%	75.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	74.8%	79.4%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $50	Undergraduate: $65 Graduate: $65
SAT range	950 - 1180	1060 - 1230
ACT range	19 - 26	19 - 25
Students submitting SAT score	52.0%	12.0%
Students submitting ACT score	1.0%	43.0%
Total number of applicants	6,285	12,308
Total number of admissions given out	4,703	9,775
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,093	1,729
Yield rate	23.2%	17.7%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Not required
High school transcript	Required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $27,572 Out of state: $40,976	In state: $19,349 Out of state: $23,349
Average net price	$14,425	$13,082
Tuition	In state: $6,162 Out of state: $18,436	In state: $1,000 Out of state: $5,000
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,174 Meal plan: $5,200	Room/dormitory: $6,403 Meal plan: $5,029
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	90.0% Average amount $6,526	73.0% Average amount $5,772
Students receiving federal student loan	48.0% Average amount $5,113	56.0% Average amount $4,850
Students taking out private loans	7.0% Average amount $10,404	9.0% Average amount $9,396

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	7,748 Men 53.5% Women 46.5%	10,145 Men 43.6% Women 56.4%
Graduate students	1,905 Men 35.9% Women 64.1%	1,732 Men 32.1% Women 67.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	5.6%	17.7%
International students	1.6%	1.7%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	Town: Distant
Dormitory capacity	2,512	3,815
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Connecticut Mississippi New York New Jersey Rhode Island	North Carolina South Carolina Georgia Florida Tennessee

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Business Health Professions Computer and Information Science Engineering Technologies	Health Professions Education Business Public Administration and Social Service Engineering Technologies
Students to faculty ratio	14:1	15:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	54.7%	61.4%
Dropout rate	14.3%	10.2%
Transferred out	27.2%	27.5%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $187,984 Year 2: $198,307 Year 3: $194,357 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $79,864 Year 2: $87,604 Year 3: $98,038 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $66,439 Year 2: $70,456 Year 3: $97,145 Educational Administration and Supervision (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: $78,617 Year 2: $82,685 Year 3: $86,267 Computer Engineering Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $54,056 Year 2: $60,839 Year 3: $79,520 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,268 Year 2: $68,422 Year 3: $79,440 Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,906 Year 2: $63,997 Year 3: $78,042 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $68,873 Year 2: $69,617 Year 3: $76,973 Construction Management (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $65,468 Year 2: $65,131 Year 3: $76,161 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $73,686 Year 2: $68,139 Year 3: $71,268	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $97,321 Year 2: $103,913 Year 3: $103,661 Human Resources Management and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $55,207 Year 2: $64,990 Year 3: $72,372 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $54,769 Year 2: $53,775 Year 3: $72,367 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $65,460 Year 2: $67,324 Year 3: $68,635 Construction Engineering Technologies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,202 Year 2: $58,221 Year 3: $64,334 Engineering Technology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,173 Year 2: $54,996 Year 3: $63,171 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $64,798 Year 2: $55,286 Year 3: $61,637 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $53,571 Year 2: $55,512 Year 3: $59,030 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $55,835 Year 2: $52,107 Year 3: $58,930 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,362 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $57,003

Compare Similar Colleges

The list of suggested college comparisons provided below is generated automatically by our system, utilizing statistics gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and various online sources. If you don't find the colleges you wish to compare, please visit our comparison page. There, you can search for the specific colleges and initiate your comparison.