Western Carolina University (WCU) vs Mars Hill University

Western Carolina University and Mars Hill University, both esteemed institutions in North Carolina, offer distinct educational experiences. Western Carolina, nestled in the picturesque town of Cullowhee, boasts a higher acceptance rate, welcoming a more diverse student body. Its larger size provides a wider range of academic programs, with popular majors in nursing, business, and education. Mars Hill, located in the charming town of Mars Hill, offers a more intimate learning environment with smaller class sizes. It excels in liberal arts and sciences, with notable programs in biology, psychology, and criminal justice. While both universities offer competitive graduation rates, Western Carolina's larger alumni network may provide broader career opportunities. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Mars Hill University	Western Carolina University
Overview
Location	Mars Hill, 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 and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	74.0%	75.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	79.5%	79.4%
Application fees		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	1,713	12,308
Total number of admissions given out	1,362	9,775
Admitted students who chose to enroll	302	1,729
Yield rate	22.2%	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)	Not required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$45,251	In state: $19,349 Out of state: $23,349
Average net price	$18,717	$13,082
Tuition	$35,655	In state: $1,000 Out of state: $5,000
Room & board	$9,934	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)	99.0% Average amount $27,309	73.0% Average amount $5,772
Students receiving federal student loan	74.0% Average amount $5,350	56.0% Average amount $4,850
Students taking out private loans	15.0% Average amount $14,231	9.0% Average amount $9,396

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,026 Men 49.2% Women 50.8%	10,145 Men 43.6% Women 56.4%
Graduate students	47 Men 48.9% Women 51.1%	1,732 Men 32.1% Women 67.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	40.0%	17.7%
International students	5.3%	1.7%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	Town: Distant
Dormitory capacity	839	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 Georgia Florida South Carolina Tennessee	North Carolina South Carolina Georgia Florida Tennessee

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Education Law Enforcement and Firefighting Biological and Biomedical Sciences Public Administration and Social Service	Health Professions Education Business Public Administration and Social Service Engineering Technologies
Students to faculty ratio	9:1	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	33.5%	61.4%
Dropout rate	37.9%	10.2%
Transferred out	28.6%	27.5%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $26,739 Year 3: $40,958 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $33,795 Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: $36,962 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,637 Year 2: $32,391 Year 3: $36,750 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $36,437 Year 3: $36,608 Social Work (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,048 Year 2: $33,726 Year 3: $36,441 Special Education and Teaching (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: N/A Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $41,205 Year 3: N/A Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $25,194 Year 3: N/A Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $25,836 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,645 Year 2: N/A 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 Mars Hill University

Mars Hill University

Western Carolina University

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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