Western Carolina University (WCU) vs NC State

Western Carolina University (WCU) and North Carolina State University at Raleigh (NCSU) are two distinct universities in North Carolina, each offering unique educational experiences. WCU, nestled in the scenic mountains of Cullowhee, boasts a close-knit community with a strong focus on undergraduate teaching. NCSU, located in the vibrant city of Raleigh, is a large research university known for its exceptional STEM programs and extensive research opportunities. While both universities offer a wide range of academic programs, they differ in terms of 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.

	North Carolina State University at Raleigh	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	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	94.0%	75.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	47.5%	79.4%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $85 Graduate: $75	Undergraduate: $65 Graduate: $65
SAT range	1270 - 1440	1060 - 1230
ACT range	27 - 32	19 - 25
Students submitting SAT score	21.0%	12.0%
Students submitting ACT score	34.0%	43.0%
Total number of applicants	32,998	12,308
Total number of admissions given out	15,669	9,775
Admitted students who chose to enroll	5,046	1,729
Yield rate	32.2%	17.7%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not 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: $24,986 Out of state: $45,771	In state: $19,349 Out of state: $23,349
Average net price	$14,328	$13,082
Tuition	In state: $6,535 Out of state: $27,320	In state: $1,000 Out of state: $5,000
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $6,768 Meal plan: $4,833	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)	62.0% Average amount $9,318	73.0% Average amount $5,772
Students receiving federal student loan	40.0% Average amount $5,022	56.0% Average amount $4,850
Students taking out private loans	6.0% Average amount $14,600	9.0% Average amount $9,396

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	26,505 Men 50.9% Women 49.1%	10,145 Men 43.6% Women 56.4%
Graduate students	10,326 Men 49.8% Women 50.2%	1,732 Men 32.1% Women 67.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	12.9%	17.7%
International students	9.5%	1.7%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	Town: Distant
Dormitory capacity	10,024	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 New York New Jersey Maryland	North Carolina South Carolina Georgia Florida Tennessee

Academics
Popular study areas	Engineering Business Biological and Biomedical Sciences Agriculture Computer and Information Science	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	84.4%	61.4%
Dropout rate	5.0%	10.2%
Transferred out	9.6%	27.5%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Computer Software and Media Applications (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $99,745 Year 2: $103,078 Year 3: $122,470 Computer Science (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $94,886 Year 2: $97,071 Year 3: $113,307 Mechanical Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $90,892 Year 2: $82,440 Year 3: $92,582 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $90,869 Year 2: $74,200 Year 3: $88,476 Veterinary Medicine (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $73,974 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $88,260 Civil Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $80,860 Year 2: $81,702 Year 3: $86,459 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $73,857 Year 2: $70,710 Year 3: $83,417 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $69,627 Year 2: $70,057 Year 3: $83,342 Chemical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $73,222 Year 2: $69,757 Year 3: $81,552 Industrial Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $66,081 Year 2: $70,253 Year 3: $80,463	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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