Western Carolina University (WCU) vs Meredith College

Western Carolina University and Meredith College, two distinct institutions of higher learning, offer unique educational experiences to prospective students. Western Carolina University, a public university nestled in the scenic mountains of Cullowhee, North Carolina, boasts an acceptance rate of 79%, welcoming a diverse student body of over 12,000 undergraduates. In contrast, Meredith College, a private women's college located in the vibrant city of Raleigh, North Carolina, maintains a more selective admissions process with an acceptance rate of 65%. While both institutions excel in various academic disciplines, Western Carolina University is renowned for its strong programs in nursing, education, and business, while Meredith College shines in the fields of nursing, psychology, and communications. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to delve into further details about these institutions, including graduation rates, student demographics, and additional factors that may influence your college decision.

	Meredith College	Western Carolina University
Overview
Location	Raleigh, North Carolina	Cullowhee, North Carolina
Campus setting	City: 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	82.0%	75.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	69.9%	79.4%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $60	Undergraduate: $65 Graduate: $65
SAT range	1098 - 1273	1060 - 1230
ACT range	23 - 29	19 - 25
Students submitting SAT score	15.0%	12.0%
Students submitting ACT score	29.0%	43.0%
Total number of applicants	1,706	12,308
Total number of admissions given out	1,192	9,775
Admitted students who chose to enroll	344	1,729
Yield rate	28.9%	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)	Not required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$56,034	In state: $19,349 Out of state: $23,349
Average net price	$21,717	$13,082
Tuition	$41,104	In state: $1,000 Out of state: $5,000
Room & board	$12,120	Room/dormitory: $6,403 Meal plan: $5,029
Available payment plans		Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $29,442	73.0% Average amount $5,772
Students receiving federal student loan	63.0% Average amount $5,456	56.0% Average amount $4,850
Students taking out private loans	12.0% Average amount $16,787	9.0% Average amount $9,396

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,427 Men 0.1% Women 99.9%	10,145 Men 43.6% Women 56.4%
Graduate students	284 Men 11.3% Women 88.7%	1,732 Men 32.1% Women 67.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	9.8%	17.7%
International students	1.5%	1.7%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	Town: Distant
Dormitory capacity	1,163	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 Virginia Florida Maryland South Carolina	North Carolina South Carolina Georgia Florida Tennessee

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Business Visual & Performing Arts Family and Consumer Sciences Education	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	68.5%	61.4%
Dropout rate	7.3%	10.2%
Transferred out	24.0%	27.5%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $73,949 Year 3: $78,785 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $43,798 Year 3: $46,102 Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $43,128 Year 3: $45,966 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $33,114 Year 2: $36,166 Year 3: $39,557 Specialized Sales, Merchandising and Marketing Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $35,060 Year 3: $38,866 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $32,569 Year 3: $38,786 Design and Applied Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,843 Year 2: $35,274 Year 3: $38,313 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $29,141 Year 3: $36,612 Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $29,995 Year 3: $34,856 Special Education and Teaching (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $48,432 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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