Western Carolina University (WCU) vs Davidson College

Western Carolina University and Davidson College, both esteemed institutions of higher learning in North Carolina, offer distinct educational experiences. Western Carolina, a public university nestled in the picturesque town of Cullowhee, boasts an acceptance rate of 78%, making it more accessible to a wider range of students. Davidson, a private liberal arts college situated in the charming town of Davidson, maintains a highly selective admissions process, with an acceptance rate of 28%. While Western Carolina's student body is predominantly composed of in-state students, Davidson attracts a diverse population from across the nation and the world. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to delve into further details regarding these institutions, including popular majors, student demographics, graduation rates, and more, to determine which university best aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Davidson College	Western Carolina University
Overview
Location	Davidson, North Carolina	Cullowhee, North Carolina
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	Town: Distant
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	95.0%	75.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Presbyterian

Admission
Acceptance rate	17.8%	79.4%
Application fees	$50	Undergraduate: $65 Graduate: $65
SAT range	N/A	1060 - 1230
ACT range	N/A	19 - 25
Students submitting SAT score		12.0%
Students submitting ACT score		43.0%
Total number of applicants	6,434	12,308
Total number of admissions given out	1,145	9,775
Admitted students who chose to enroll	547	1,729
Yield rate	47.8%	17.7%
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	$73,200	In state: $19,349 Out of state: $23,349
Average net price	$25,794	$13,082
Tuition	$54,460	In state: $1,000 Out of state: $5,000
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,700 Meal plan: $7,525	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)	64.0% Average amount $47,889	73.0% Average amount $5,772
Students receiving federal student loan	10.0% Average amount $5,095	56.0% Average amount $4,850
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $33,219	9.0% Average amount $9,396

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,973 Men 47.2% Women 52.8%	10,145 Men 43.6% Women 56.4%
Graduate students	N/A	1,732 Men 32.1% Women 67.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	76.8%	17.7%
International students	8.2%	1.7%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	Town: Distant
Dormitory capacity	1,830	3,815
First year students are required to live on campus?	Yes	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	North Carolina Virginia Texas New Jersey Florida	North Carolina South Carolina Georgia Florida Tennessee

Academics
Popular study areas	Psychology Physical Science Social Sciences Foreign Languages and Literatures Ethnic Studies	Health Professions Education Business Public Administration and Social Service Engineering Technologies
Students to faculty ratio	10:1	15:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	89.6%	61.4%
Dropout rate	10.0%	10.2%
Transferred out	N/A	27.5%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Economics (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: $60,797 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $80,388 Political Science and Government (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: $42,752 Year 2: $45,715 Year 3: $53,747 Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $43,240 Year 3: N/A English Language and Literature, General (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: $41,099 Year 2: $35,330 Year 3: N/A Biology, General (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $31,670 Year 3: N/A Psychology, General (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: $34,292 Year 2: $28,598 Year 3: N/A Anthropology (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: N/A History (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $22,075 Year 3: N/A	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

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Western Carolina University (WCU) vs Davidson College

Davidson College

Western Carolina University

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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