Western Carolina University (WCU) vs University of North Alabama (UNA)

Western Carolina University and the University of North Alabama, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Western Carolina, nestled in the picturesque Blue Ridge Mountains, boasts a higher acceptance rate, welcoming a more diverse student body. Its strengths lie in the fields of nursing, education, and business, while UNA excels in engineering, nursing, and business administration. With comparable graduation rates, both universities provide ample opportunities for students to succeed. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	University of North Alabama	Western Carolina University
Overview
Location	Florence, Alabama	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	75.0%	75.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	90.0%	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	3,410	12,308
Total number of admissions given out	3,068	9,775
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,013	1,729
Yield rate	33.0%	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: $22,886 Out of state: $32,486	In state: $19,349 Out of state: $23,349
Average net price	$12,379	$13,082
Tuition	In state: $9,600 Out of state: $19,200	In state: $1,000 Out of state: $5,000
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $3,846 Meal plan: $4,120	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)	95.0% Average amount $9,243	73.0% Average amount $5,772
Students receiving federal student loan	41.0% Average amount $5,070	56.0% Average amount $4,850
Students taking out private loans	5.0% Average amount $11,765	9.0% Average amount $9,396

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	6,084 Men 36.4% Women 63.6%	10,145 Men 43.6% Women 56.4%
Graduate students	2,442 Men 34.2% Women 65.8%	1,732 Men 32.1% Women 67.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	17.7%
International students	3.9%	1.7%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	Town: Distant
Dormitory capacity	2,052	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	Business Education Health Professions Public Administration and Social Service Kinesiology & Leisure Studies	Health Professions Education Business Public Administration and Social Service Engineering Technologies
Students to faculty ratio	17:1	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	51.2%	61.4%
Dropout rate	17.6%	10.2%
Transferred out	28.8%	27.5%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $66,733 Year 2: $66,461 Year 3: $71,360 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $73,551 Year 2: $70,680 Year 3: $70,167 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $51,845 Year 2: $53,064 Year 3: $54,199 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,641 Year 2: $39,369 Year 3: $48,682 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $46,633 Year 2: $45,500 Year 3: $47,547 Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,312 Year 2: $35,701 Year 3: $45,540 Geography and Cartography (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,794 Year 2: $35,060 Year 3: $39,682 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,116 Year 2: $36,776 Year 3: $38,804 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,711 Year 2: $32,284 Year 3: $37,375 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,688 Year 2: $31,133 Year 3: $35,971	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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