Western Carolina University (WCU) vs Samford

Western Carolina University and Samford University, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Western Carolina, nestled in the picturesque mountains of North Carolina, boasts a higher acceptance rate, making it a more accessible option for aspiring students. Samford, located in the vibrant city of Birmingham, Alabama, maintains a smaller student body, fostering a close-knit community. While Western Carolina excels in fields like nursing, education, and business, Samford shines in areas such as business, health professions, and the liberal arts. Explore the comprehensive comparison table to delve into further details about these universities, including their graduation rates, student demographics, and more, to make an informed decision that aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Samford University	Western Carolina University
Overview
Location	Birmingham, Alabama	Cullowhee, North Carolina
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	Town: Distant
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Public
Calendar system	4-1-4	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	89.0%	75.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Baptist

Admission
Acceptance rate	83.9%	79.4%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $35	Undergraduate: $65 Graduate: $65
SAT range	1100 - 1290	1060 - 1230
ACT range	23 - 29	19 - 25
Students submitting SAT score	22.0%	12.0%
Students submitting ACT score	66.0%	43.0%
Total number of applicants	4,217	12,308
Total number of admissions given out	3,537	9,775
Admitted students who chose to enroll	920	1,729
Yield rate	26.0%	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	$53,100	In state: $19,349 Out of state: $23,349
Average net price	$31,871	$13,082
Tuition	$34,410	In state: $1,000 Out of state: $5,000
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $6,150 Meal plan: $5,110	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 $19,443	73.0% Average amount $5,772
Students receiving federal student loan	31.0% Average amount $5,320	56.0% Average amount $4,850
Students taking out private loans	6.0% Average amount $19,317	9.0% Average amount $9,396

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	3,607 Men 33.4% Women 66.6%	10,145 Men 43.6% Women 56.4%
Graduate students	2,151 Men 32.3% Women 67.7%	1,732 Men 32.1% Women 67.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	73.0%	17.7%
International students	0.8%	1.7%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	Town: Distant
Dormitory capacity	2,375	3,815
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Alabama Georgia Tennessee Texas Florida	North Carolina South Carolina Georgia Florida Tennessee

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Legal Profession Business Education Family and Consumer Sciences	Health Professions Education Business Public Administration and Social Service Engineering Technologies
Students to faculty ratio	12:1	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	78.9%	61.4%
Dropout rate	20.9%	10.2%
Transferred out	N/A	27.5%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $109,542 Year 2: $120,880 Year 3: $122,995 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $97,811 Year 2: $99,380 Year 3: $104,909 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $86,528 Year 2: $91,363 Year 3: $88,884 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,304 Year 2: $52,941 Year 3: $67,171 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $56,217 Year 2: $59,124 Year 3: $64,364 Law (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $47,785 Year 2: $48,667 Year 3: $61,547 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $52,967 Year 2: $54,851 Year 3: $57,875 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,355 Year 2: $54,948 Year 3: $54,480 Theological and Ministerial Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $37,947 Year 2: $39,585 Year 3: $46,442 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $44,337 Year 2: $43,638 Year 3: $46,369	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.

Samford

Azusa Pacific University