Western Connecticut State University (WCSU) vs Sacred Heart University

Western Connecticut State University and Sacred Heart University, both esteemed institutions of higher learning in Connecticut, offer distinct educational experiences. Western, a public university, boasts a higher acceptance rate, making it more accessible to a broader range of students. Sacred Heart, a private university, offers a more selective admissions process, resulting in a smaller student body. While Western's student body is predominantly undergraduate, Sacred Heart has a significant graduate student population. Both universities offer a diverse range of undergraduate programs, with popular majors including Business, Education, and Health Sciences. However, Sacred Heart also excels in specialized fields such as Actuarial Science and Communication. To help you make an informed decision, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison table highlighting key differences between these two universities, including acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates. Explore the table to discover which institution aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Sacred Heart University	Western Connecticut State University
Overview
Location	Fairfield, Connecticut	Danbury, Connecticut
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	City: Small
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	86.0%	69.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Catholic

Admission
Acceptance rate	66.1%	84.9%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $75	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $50
SAT range	N/A	N/A
ACT range	N/A	N/A
Students submitting SAT score
Students submitting ACT score
Total number of applicants	12,663	4,688
Total number of admissions given out	8,373	3,978
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,842	733
Yield rate	22.0%	18.4%
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	$60,042	In state: $28,783 Out of state: $42,187
Average net price	$43,907	$15,660
Tuition	$44,960	In state: $6,162 Out of state: $18,436
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $11,500 Meal plan: $5,454	Room/dormitory: $8,020 Meal plan: $5,856
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	99.0% Average amount $19,690	78.0% Average amount $6,312
Students receiving federal student loan	63.0% Average amount $5,366	58.0% Average amount $7,417
Students taking out private loans	16.0% Average amount $28,281	5.0% Average amount $12,388

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	6,761 Men 32.6% Women 67.4%	4,172 Men 47.6% Women 52.4%
Graduate students	3,024 Men 25.8% Women 74.2%	630 Men 25.4% Women 74.6%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	78.1%	28.6%
International students	3.4%	0.4%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	3,434	1,315
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	New York Connecticut New Jersey Mississippi Rhode Island	Connecticut New York New Jersey Mississippi Maine

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Education Business Public Administration and Social Service Communication and Journalism	Business Psychology Health Professions Law Enforcement and Firefighting Visual & Performing Arts
Students to faculty ratio	14:1	11:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	73.5%	52.9%
Dropout rate	26.0%	12.0%
Transferred out	N/A	31.0%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $94,278 Year 2: $92,829 Year 3: $100,493 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $73,676 Year 2: $73,949 Year 3: $93,313 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $68,919 Year 2: $66,653 Year 3: $82,778 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $78,350 Year 2: $74,929 Year 3: $78,642 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $71,605 Year 2: $74,652 Year 3: $77,798 Educational Administration and Supervision (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: $79,954 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $77,726 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $69,263 Year 2: $71,202 Year 3: $73,047 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $67,979 Year 2: $66,989 Year 3: $67,313 Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $54,445 Year 2: $58,221 Year 3: $66,212 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $53,788 Year 2: $56,641 Year 3: $65,392	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $75,081 Year 2: $75,104 Year 3: $76,468 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $51,332 Year 2: $57,995 Year 3: $70,455 Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,994 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $65,192 Education, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $56,867 Year 3: $58,464 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $49,944 Year 2: $46,321 Year 3: $51,949 Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $43,260 Year 2: $41,464 Year 3: $50,288 Student Counseling and Personnel Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $47,672 Year 2: $46,087 Year 3: $49,639 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,963 Year 2: $45,340 Year 3: $47,607 Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,029 Year 2: $41,441 Year 3: $44,462 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $32,205 Year 2: $35,877 Year 3: $43,291

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Western Connecticut State University (WCSU) vs Sacred Heart University

Sacred Heart University

Western Connecticut State University

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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