Western Carolina University (WCU) vs Old Dominion University (ODU)

Western Carolina University and Old Dominion University, both located in the beautiful state of North Carolina, offer distinct educational experiences for prospective students. Western Carolina, nestled in the scenic mountains, boasts a lower acceptance rate and a smaller student body, fostering a close-knit community feel. Old Dominion, situated in the vibrant coastal city of Norfolk, offers a more diverse student population and a higher acceptance rate, providing a dynamic and inclusive learning environment. While both universities excel in various academic programs, Western Carolina is renowned for its strong liberal arts and sciences offerings, while Old Dominion shines in engineering, technology, and health sciences. Explore the detailed comparison table below to delve into further differences, including graduation rates, popular majors, and additional factors that may influence your decision in choosing the ideal university for your academic and personal growth.

	Old Dominion University	Western Carolina University
Overview
Location	Norfolk, Virginia	Cullowhee, North Carolina
Campus setting	City: Midsize	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	72.0%	75.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	96.2%	79.4%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $50	Undergraduate: $65 Graduate: $65
SAT range	1020 - 1220	1060 - 1230
ACT range	20 - 27	19 - 25
Students submitting SAT score	83.0%	12.0%
Students submitting ACT score	11.0%	43.0%
Total number of applicants	13,586	12,308
Total number of admissions given out	13,074	9,775
Admitted students who chose to enroll	2,899	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)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $28,088 Out of state: $48,248	In state: $19,349 Out of state: $23,349
Average net price	$17,254	$13,082
Tuition	In state: $7,029 Out of state: $26,664	In state: $1,000 Out of state: $5,000
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,690 Meal plan: $5,398	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)	91.0% Average amount $7,702	73.0% Average amount $5,772
Students receiving federal student loan	57.0% Average amount $5,222	56.0% Average amount $4,850
Students taking out private loans	7.0% Average amount $15,206	9.0% Average amount $9,396

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	18,678 Men 43.9% Women 56.1%	10,145 Men 43.6% Women 56.4%
Graduate students	4,816 Men 39.4% Women 60.6%	1,732 Men 32.1% Women 67.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Very Low
Out-of-state students	10.2%	17.7%
International students	2.8%	1.7%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	Town: Distant
Dormitory capacity	4,361	3,815
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Virginia Maryland Pennsylvania North Carolina New Jersey	North Carolina South Carolina Georgia Florida Tennessee

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Education Engineering Computer and Information Science Biological and Biomedical Sciences	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	48.7%	61.4%
Dropout rate	19.7%	10.2%
Transferred out	28.2%	27.5%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Engineering, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $98,047 Year 2: $106,421 Year 3: $104,107 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $105,948 Year 2: $95,295 Year 3: $103,379 Engineering, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $79,161 Year 2: $78,719 Year 3: $83,937 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,137 Year 2: $72,231 Year 3: $83,852 Education, Other (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $74,043 Year 2: $71,854 Year 3: $77,597 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $64,315 Year 2: $58,673 Year 3: $75,302 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,709 Year 2: $66,126 Year 3: $74,887 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $72,357 Year 2: $71,114 Year 3: $74,858 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,112 Year 2: $61,516 Year 3: $73,924 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,804 Year 2: $62,654 Year 3: $72,559	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

Compare Similar Colleges

The list of suggested college comparisons provided below is generated automatically by our system, utilizing statistics gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and various online sources. If you don't find the colleges you wish to compare, please visit our comparison page. There, you can search for the specific colleges and initiate your comparison.