Western Carolina University (WCU) vs University of Southern Indiana (USI)

Western Carolina University and the University of Southern Indiana, while both offering quality education, present distinct characteristics that cater to different student preferences. Western Carolina, nestled in the scenic mountains of North Carolina, boasts a higher acceptance rate, allowing more students the opportunity to pursue their academic aspirations. In contrast, the University of Southern Indiana, located in the vibrant city of Evansville, Indiana, maintains a more selective admissions process. Regarding academic offerings, Western Carolina excels in fields like nursing, education, and business, while the University of Southern Indiana shines in areas such as health professions, business, and engineering. Explore the detailed comparison table to delve into further distinctions, including student body demographics, graduation rates, and additional factors that will help you make an informed decision about your higher education journey.

	University of Southern Indiana	Western Carolina University
Overview
Location	Evansville, Indiana	Cullowhee, North Carolina
Campus setting	Suburb: Midsize	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	69.0%	75.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	96.4%	79.4%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $40	Undergraduate: $65 Graduate: $65
SAT range	1020 - 1230	1060 - 1230
ACT range	20 - 27	19 - 25
Students submitting SAT score	38.0%	12.0%
Students submitting ACT score	17.0%	43.0%
Total number of applicants	3,867	12,308
Total number of admissions given out	3,728	9,775
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,327	1,729
Yield rate	35.6%	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: $24,308 Out of state: $36,096	In state: $19,349 Out of state: $23,349
Average net price	$13,719	$13,082
Tuition	In state: $8,309 Out of state: $20,097	In state: $1,000 Out of state: $5,000
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,168 Meal plan: $4,604	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)	84.0% Average amount $8,014	73.0% Average amount $5,772
Students receiving federal student loan	47.0% Average amount $4,839	56.0% Average amount $4,850
Students taking out private loans	8.0% Average amount $9,630	9.0% Average amount $9,396

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	7,908 Men 35.9% Women 64.1%	10,145 Men 43.6% Women 56.4%
Graduate students	1,848 Men 36.7% Women 63.3%	1,732 Men 32.1% Women 67.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	11.3%	17.7%
International students	1.4%	1.7%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Midsize	Town: Distant
Dormitory capacity	2,665	3,815
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Indiana Illinois Missouri Tennessee	North Carolina South Carolina Georgia Florida Tennessee

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Business Engineering Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Communication and Journalism	Health Professions Education Business Public Administration and Social Service Engineering Technologies
Students to faculty ratio	16:1	15:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	50.2%	61.4%
Dropout rate	22.9%	10.2%
Transferred out	25.2%	27.5%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Engineering, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,165 Year 2: $64,087 Year 3: $71,439 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $59,679 Year 2: $61,020 Year 3: $66,253 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $62,632 Year 3: $63,265 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $50,021 Year 2: $55,151 Year 3: $60,513 Dental Support Services and Allied Professions (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $47,886 Year 2: $54,880 Year 3: $59,299 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $47,455 Year 2: $52,107 Year 3: $59,105 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,420 Year 2: $56,554 Year 3: $56,252 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $55,913 Year 2: $52,733 Year 3: $54,270 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $45,386 Year 2: $46,357 Year 3: $50,632 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $45,827 Year 2: $41,565 Year 3: $50,099	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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