Western Carolina University (WCU) vs St. Andrews University

Western Carolina University and St. Andrews University, two distinct institutions of higher learning, offer unique educational experiences to prospective students. Western Carolina, a public university nestled in the scenic mountains of North Carolina, boasts a higher acceptance rate, making it a more accessible option for students. St. Andrews, a private university located in the historic town of Laurinburg, North Carolina, offers a more selective admissions process, resulting in a smaller student body. While both universities offer a diverse range of academic programs, Western Carolina excels in fields like nursing, education, and business, while St. Andrews is renowned for its strengths in pre-professional programs, such as medicine, law, and dentistry. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to delve into further details about these universities, including their graduation rates, student demographics, and additional factors that may influence your decision in choosing the ideal fit for your academic aspirations.

	St. Andrews University	Western Carolina University
Overview
Location	Laurinburg, North Carolina	Cullowhee, North Carolina
Campus setting	Town: Distant	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	60.0%	75.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Presbyterian

Admission
Acceptance rate	12.3%	79.4%
Application fees		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	2,164	12,308
Total number of admissions given out	266	9,775
Admitted students who chose to enroll	261	1,729
Yield rate	98.1%	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	$44,000	In state: $19,349 Out of state: $23,349
Average net price	$19,862	$13,082
Tuition	$27,630	In state: $1,000 Out of state: $5,000
Room & board	$11,300	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)	97.0% Average amount $27,106	73.0% Average amount $5,772
Students receiving federal student loan	94.0% Average amount $5,940	56.0% Average amount $4,850
Students taking out private loans	13.0% Average amount $13,036	9.0% Average amount $9,396

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	876 Men 45.9% Women 54.1%	10,145 Men 43.6% Women 56.4%
Graduate students	35 Men 54.3% Women 45.7%	1,732 Men 32.1% Women 67.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Very Low
Out-of-state students	59.6%	17.7%
International students	7.1%	1.7%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	Town: Distant
Dormitory capacity	521	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 South Carolina Georgia Florida Maryland	North Carolina South Carolina Georgia Florida Tennessee

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Education Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Psychology Communication and Journalism	Health Professions Education Business Public Administration and Social Service Engineering Technologies
Students to faculty ratio	14:1	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	31.2%	61.4%
Dropout rate	68.8%	10.2%
Transferred out	N/A	27.5%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,462 Year 2: $31,133 Year 3: $33,807 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $32,845 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,750 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $35,418 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $39,852 Year 2: N/A 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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