Western Carolina University (WCU) vs Salisbury University

Western Carolina University and Salisbury University, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Western Carolina, nestled in the picturesque Blue Ridge Mountains, boasts a higher acceptance rate, allowing more students to pursue their academic aspirations. Salisbury, situated in the vibrant city of Salisbury, Maryland, offers a more selective admissions process, ensuring a highly competitive student body. While Western Carolina excels in fields like nursing, education, and business, Salisbury shines in areas such as nursing, business, and social sciences. Explore the detailed comparison table to delve into further distinctions, including student demographics, graduation rates, and additional program offerings, to determine which university best aligns with your academic goals and personal preferences.

	Salisbury University	Western Carolina University
Overview
Location	Salisbury, Maryland	Cullowhee, North Carolina
Campus setting	Suburb: Small	Town: Distant
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	4-1-4	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	80.0%	75.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	86.5%	79.4%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $65	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	7,691	12,308
Total number of admissions given out	6,650	9,775
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,217	1,729
Yield rate	18.3%	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: $26,688 Out of state: $36,958	In state: $19,349 Out of state: $23,349
Average net price	$18,885	$13,082
Tuition	In state: $7,408 Out of state: $17,678	In state: $1,000 Out of state: $5,000
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,300 Meal plan: $5,200	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)	86.0% Average amount $6,437	73.0% Average amount $5,772
Students receiving federal student loan	45.0% Average amount $5,154	56.0% Average amount $4,850
Students taking out private loans	8.0% Average amount $15,078	9.0% Average amount $9,396

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	6,695 Men 44.4% Women 55.6%	10,145 Men 43.6% Women 56.4%
Graduate students	875 Men 22.3% Women 77.7%	1,732 Men 32.1% Women 67.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	17.3%	17.7%
International students	1.0%	1.7%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Small	Town: Distant
Dormitory capacity	2,248	3,815
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Maryland Delaware New Jersey Pennsylvania New York	North Carolina South Carolina Georgia Florida Tennessee

Academics
Popular study areas	Public Administration and Social Service Health Professions Education Business Kinesiology & Leisure Studies	Health Professions Education Business Public Administration and Social Service Engineering Technologies
Students to faculty ratio	14:1	15:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	72.2%	61.4%
Dropout rate	6.2%	10.2%
Transferred out	20.5%	27.5%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,634 Year 2: $74,576 Year 3: $82,316 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $54,286 Year 2: $53,537 Year 3: $72,692 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,698 Year 2: $56,931 Year 3: $66,769 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $65,403 Year 2: $63,267 Year 3: $65,146 Information Science/Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $48,581 Year 2: $57,564 Year 3: $64,056 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $50,666 Year 2: $58,221 Year 3: $63,215 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,646 Year 2: $54,296 Year 3: $58,642 Physics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $46,087 Year 3: $58,475 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $43,520 Year 2: $48,112 Year 3: $55,702 Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $47,977 Year 2: $43,426 Year 3: $55,396	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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