Western Carolina University (WCU) vs Eastern Kentucky University (EKU)

Western Carolina University and Eastern Kentucky University, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer unique educational experiences to students seeking a well-rounded college education. While they share similarities in their commitment to academic excellence and student success, there are distinct differences between the two universities that prospective students should consider. From acceptance rates and popular majors to student body demographics and graduation rates, this side-by-side comparison will help you understand the nuances of each university and make an informed decision about your academic journey. Dive into the comparison table to explore these differences in detail and find the institution that best aligns with your aspirations and goals.

	Eastern Kentucky University	Western Carolina University
Overview
Location	Richmond, Kentucky	Cullowhee, North Carolina
Campus setting	Town: Distant	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	74.0%	75.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	98.3%	79.4%
Application fees		Undergraduate: $65 Graduate: $65
SAT range	950 - 1180	1060 - 1230
ACT range	18 - 24	19 - 25
Students submitting SAT score	4.0%	12.0%
Students submitting ACT score	88.0%	43.0%
Total number of applicants	7,251	12,308
Total number of admissions given out	7,131	9,775
Admitted students who chose to enroll	2,493	1,729
Yield rate	35.0%	17.7%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $23,762 Out of state: $34,034	In state: $19,349 Out of state: $23,349
Average net price	$14,271	$13,082
Tuition	In state: $9,452 Out of state: $19,724	In state: $1,000 Out of state: $5,000
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,416 Meal plan: $3,994	Room/dormitory: $6,403 Meal plan: $5,029
Available payment plans	Guaranteed tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	98.0% Average amount $9,891	73.0% Average amount $5,772
Students receiving federal student loan	49.0% Average amount $4,950	56.0% Average amount $4,850
Students taking out private loans	5.0% Average amount $10,455	9.0% Average amount $9,396

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	11,684 Men 40.6% Women 59.4%	10,145 Men 43.6% Women 56.4%
Graduate students	2,300 Men 30.0% Women 70.0%	1,732 Men 32.1% Women 67.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	17.7%
International students	1.1%	1.7%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	Town: Distant
Dormitory capacity	4,479	3,815
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Ohio Illinois Indiana West Virginia	North Carolina South Carolina Georgia Florida Tennessee

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Education Law Enforcement and Firefighting Liberal Arts Engineering Technologies	Health Professions Education Business Public Administration and Social Service Engineering Technologies
Students to faculty ratio	15:1	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	47.8%	61.4%
Dropout rate	48.5%	10.2%
Transferred out	1.6%	27.5%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $110,878 Year 3: $113,532 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $94,123 Year 2: $90,291 Year 3: $95,519 Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,935 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $78,046 Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting and Related Protective Services, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $73,209 Year 2: $74,105 Year 3: $74,692 Construction Management (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,585 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $71,030 Educational Administration and Supervision (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $54,959 Year 2: $60,523 Year 3: $62,961 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $50,605 Year 2: $49,019 Year 3: $62,600 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $56,959 Year 2: $60,523 Year 3: $61,708 Fire Protection (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $48,702 Year 2: $49,787 Year 3: $58,036 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,745 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $57,935	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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