Western Carolina University (WCU) vs The University of West Florida (UWF)

Western Carolina University and The University of West Florida, both public institutions with rich histories, offer distinct educational experiences. Western Carolina, nestled in the scenic Blue Ridge Mountains, boasts a higher acceptance rate and a larger student body, while The University of West Florida, located in the vibrant city of Pensacola, offers a more diverse student population and a higher graduation rate. With Western Carolina excelling in fields like nursing and education, and The University of West Florida specializing in business and engineering, both universities cater to a wide range of academic interests. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to discover more about these institutions, including their costs, financial aid options, and student life, and make an informed decision that aligns with your aspirations and goals.

	The University of West Florida	Western Carolina University
Overview
Location	Pensacola, Florida	Cullowhee, North Carolina
Campus setting	City: Small	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	84.0%	75.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	52.8%	79.4%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $30 Graduate: $30	Undergraduate: $65 Graduate: $65
SAT range	1040 - 1230	1060 - 1230
ACT range	21 - 27	19 - 25
Students submitting SAT score	58.0%	12.0%
Students submitting ACT score	67.0%	43.0%
Total number of applicants	8,660	12,308
Total number of admissions given out	4,573	9,775
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,159	1,729
Yield rate	25.3%	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: $21,528 Out of state: $34,409	In state: $19,349 Out of state: $23,349
Average net price	$10,344	$13,082
Tuition	In state: $4,319 Out of state: $16,587	In state: $1,000 Out of state: $5,000
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,900 Meal plan: $4,590	Room/dormitory: $6,403 Meal plan: $5,029
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	97.0% Average amount $10,774	73.0% Average amount $5,772
Students receiving federal student loan	22.0% Average amount $4,656	56.0% Average amount $4,850
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $10,351	9.0% Average amount $9,396

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	9,319 Men 41.8% Women 58.2%	10,145 Men 43.6% Women 56.4%
Graduate students	3,969 Men 31.7% Women 68.3%	1,732 Men 32.1% Women 67.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	17.7%
International students	2.5%	1.7%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	Town: Distant
Dormitory capacity	1,467	3,815
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	North Carolina South Carolina Georgia Florida Tennessee

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Liberal Arts Education Business Psychology	Health Professions Education Business Public Administration and Social Service Engineering Technologies
Students to faculty ratio	21:1	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	52.0%	61.4%
Dropout rate	38.0%	10.2%
Transferred out	7.0%	27.5%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,119 Year 2: $61,172 Year 3: $71,579 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $53,454 Year 2: $54,322 Year 3: $61,949 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,076 Year 2: $58,454 Year 3: $61,780 Curriculum and Instruction (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $71,854 Year 3: $57,639 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $55,438 Year 2: $52,895 Year 3: $57,401 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $55,827 Year 2: $49,854 Year 3: $57,159 Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $51,104 Year 2: $52,941 Year 3: $56,478 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $48,359 Year 2: $50,773 Year 3: $56,183 Special Education and Teaching (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $51,664 Year 2: $49,918 Year 3: $54,030 Mathematics (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $59,129 Year 2: $50,105 Year 3: $52,616	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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