Western Carolina University (WCU) vs James Madison University (JMU)

Western Carolina University and James Madison University, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Western Carolina, nestled in the picturesque mountains of Cullowhee, North Carolina, boasts a welcoming community with a strong focus on undergraduate teaching. James Madison, located in the vibrant city of Harrisonburg, Virginia, is known for its rigorous academic programs and research opportunities. While both universities share a commitment to academic excellence, they differ in acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to discover which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	James Madison University	Western Carolina University
Overview
Location	Harrisonburg, Virginia	Cullowhee, North Carolina
Campus setting	City: Small	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	91.0%	75.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	86.3%	79.4%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $60	Undergraduate: $65 Graduate: $65
SAT range	1140 - 1310	1060 - 1230
ACT range	24 - 29	19 - 25
Students submitting SAT score	26.0%	12.0%
Students submitting ACT score	5.0%	43.0%
Total number of applicants	21,176	12,308
Total number of admissions given out	18,265	9,775
Admitted students who chose to enroll	4,767	1,729
Yield rate	26.1%	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: $29,293 Out of state: $46,219	In state: $19,349 Out of state: $23,349
Average net price	$18,528	$13,082
Tuition	In state: $7,460 Out of state: $23,800	In state: $1,000 Out of state: $5,000
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,564 Meal plan: $5,986	Room/dormitory: $6,403 Meal plan: $5,029
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	31.0% Average amount $9,594	73.0% Average amount $5,772
Students receiving federal student loan	33.0% Average amount $5,199	56.0% Average amount $4,850
Students taking out private loans	8.0% Average amount $18,776	9.0% Average amount $9,396

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	20,070 Men 42.3% Women 57.7%	10,145 Men 43.6% Women 56.4%
Graduate students	2,096 Men 29.4% Women 70.6%	1,732 Men 32.1% Women 67.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	17.7%
International students	1.4%	1.7%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	Town: Distant
Dormitory capacity	6,513	3,815
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	North Carolina South Carolina Georgia Florida Tennessee

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Business Education Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Visual & Performing Arts	Health Professions Education Business Public Administration and Social Service Engineering Technologies
Students to faculty ratio	16:1	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	81.8%	61.4%
Dropout rate	17.4%	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: $106,893 Year 2: $116,083 Year 3: $116,887 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $103,590 Year 2: $91,744 Year 3: $105,768 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $73,457 Year 2: $72,659 Year 3: $85,951 Information Science/Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $70,020 Year 2: $72,290 Year 3: $82,877 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $65,544 Year 2: $67,380 Year 3: $80,406 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $64,052 Year 2: $66,377 Year 3: $77,982 Systems Science and Theory (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,389 Year 2: $60,623 Year 3: $75,407 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $53,331 Year 2: $49,270 Year 3: $69,797 Engineering, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,114 Year 2: $57,943 Year 3: $69,218 International Business (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $45,708 Year 2: $55,964 Year 3: $68,304	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 James Madison University (JMU)

James Madison University

Western Carolina University

Overview

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Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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