Western Carolina University (WCU) vs Elon University

Western Carolina University and Elon University, both esteemed institutions of higher learning in North Carolina, offer distinct educational experiences. Western Carolina, nestled in the picturesque mountains of Cullowhee, boasts a higher acceptance rate, making it a more accessible option for aspiring students. Elon, situated in the vibrant town of Elon, stands out with its smaller class sizes, fostering a more personalized learning environment. While Western Carolina excels in fields like nursing and education, Elon shines in business and communications. Explore the detailed comparison table to delve into further differences, including student body demographics, graduation rates, and more, to help you make an informed decision about your academic journey.

	Elon University	Western Carolina University
Overview
Location	Elon, North Carolina	Cullowhee, North Carolina
Campus setting	Suburb: Midsize	Town: Distant
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Public
Calendar system	4-1-4	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	88.0%	75.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	77.7%	79.4%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $60 Graduate: $60	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	17,834	12,308
Total number of admissions given out	13,859	9,775
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,591	1,729
Yield rate	11.5%	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	$55,647	In state: $19,349 Out of state: $23,349
Average net price	$40,366	$13,082
Tuition	$38,218	In state: $1,000 Out of state: $5,000
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $6,593 Meal plan: $6,829	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)	67.0% Average amount $13,677	73.0% Average amount $5,772
Students receiving federal student loan	30.0% Average amount $5,259	56.0% Average amount $4,850
Students taking out private loans	7.0% Average amount $25,192	9.0% Average amount $9,396

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	6,302 Men 40.2% Women 59.8%	10,145 Men 43.6% Women 56.4%
Graduate students	825 Men 36.5% Women 63.5%	1,732 Men 32.1% Women 67.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	80.6%	17.7%
International students	2.0%	1.7%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Midsize	Town: Distant
Dormitory capacity	4,192	3,815
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	North Carolina New Jersey New York Pennsylvania Virginia	North Carolina South Carolina Georgia Florida Tennessee

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Legal Profession Health Professions Communication and Journalism Education	Health Professions Education Business Public Administration and Social Service Engineering Technologies
Students to faculty ratio	12:1	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	83.3%	61.4%
Dropout rate	16.7%	10.2%
Transferred out	N/A	27.5%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $101,556 Year 2: $104,061 Year 3: $105,320 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $64,803 Year 2: $71,854 Year 3: $78,720 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,320 Year 2: $60,016 Year 3: $77,567 Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $46,276 Year 2: $54,192 Year 3: $77,220 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,564 Year 2: $62,154 Year 3: $76,604 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $68,888 Year 2: $69,629 Year 3: $70,208 Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $50,091 Year 2: $50,022 Year 3: $64,255 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $44,189 Year 3: $59,817 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,293 Year 2: $36,674 Year 3: $58,053 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $44,055 Year 3: $55,617	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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