Western Carolina University (WCU) vs University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC)

Western Carolina University and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, both esteemed institutions in North Carolina, offer distinct educational experiences. Western Carolina, nestled in the picturesque mountains, boasts a close-knit community with smaller class sizes, while UNC-Chapel Hill, a renowned research university, offers a vibrant college town atmosphere and a wide range of academic programs. With varying acceptance rates, popular majors, student demographics, and graduation outcomes, these universities cater to different aspirations and learning styles. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to discover which university aligns best with your academic goals and personal preferences, ensuring you make an informed decision that sets you on the path to success.

	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	Western Carolina University
Overview
Location	Chapel Hill, North Carolina	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	97.0%	75.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	20.4%	79.4%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $85 Graduate: $95	Undergraduate: $65 Graduate: $65
SAT range	1140 - 1380	1060 - 1230
ACT range	22 - 27	19 - 25
Students submitting SAT score	2.0%	12.0%
Students submitting ACT score	12.0%	43.0%
Total number of applicants	50,729	12,308
Total number of admissions given out	10,348	9,775
Admitted students who chose to enroll	4,690	1,729
Yield rate	45.3%	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)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $24,770 Out of state: $52,633	In state: $19,349 Out of state: $23,349
Average net price	$11,508	$13,082
Tuition	In state: $7,019 Out of state: $34,882	In state: $1,000 Out of state: $5,000
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $6,878 Meal plan: $5,004	Room/dormitory: $6,403 Meal plan: $5,029
Available payment plans	Guaranteed tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	42.0% Average amount $16,076	73.0% Average amount $5,772
Students receiving federal student loan	17.0% Average amount $4,244	56.0% Average amount $4,850
Students taking out private loans	3.0% Average amount $14,032	9.0% Average amount $9,396

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	19,845 Men 39.6% Women 60.4%	10,145 Men 43.6% Women 56.4%
Graduate students	11,796 Men 41.4% Women 58.6%	1,732 Men 32.1% Women 67.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	16.2%	17.7%
International students	6.8%	1.7%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	Town: Distant
Dormitory capacity	9,984	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 Georgia Maryland New York Pennsylvania	North Carolina South Carolina Georgia Florida Tennessee

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Business Social Sciences Public Administration and Social Service Multidisciplinary Studies	Health Professions Education Business Public Administration and Social Service Engineering Technologies
Students to faculty ratio	15:1	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	90.5%	61.4%
Dropout rate	3.7%	10.2%
Transferred out	5.4%	27.5%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $168,979 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $238,213 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $135,965 Year 2: $127,836 Year 3: $150,089 Dentistry (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $116,248 Year 2: $82,440 Year 3: $128,102 Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $67,961 Year 2: $103,078 Year 3: $117,488 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $89,271 Year 2: $86,036 Year 3: $96,602 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $74,162 Year 2: $72,083 Year 3: $95,204 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $74,938 Year 2: $73,823 Year 3: $89,917 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $71,557 Year 2: $57,770 Year 3: $87,057 Applied Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,899 Year 2: $67,660 Year 3: $86,155 Health and Medical Administrative Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $68,205 Year 2: $68,666 Year 3: $82,520	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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