Western Illinois University (WIU) vs Western Carolina University (WCU)

Western Illinois University (WIU) and Western Carolina University (WCU) are two public universities located in the Midwestern and Southern regions of the United States, respectively. While they share some similarities, there are also several key differences between the two institutions. WIU has a higher acceptance rate (84%) compared to WCU (73%), and its student body is slightly larger, with an undergraduate enrollment of over 8,000 students compared to WCU's 7,000. In terms of popular majors, WIU offers programs in business, education, and health sciences, while WCU is known for its strengths in business, nursing, and engineering. Additionally, WIU has a slightly higher graduation rate (58%) compared to WCU (56%). To help you make an informed decision about which university is the best fit for your academic and personal goals, we have compiled a comprehensive comparison table that delves into these and other key differences in greater

	Western Carolina University	Western Illinois University
Overview
Location	Cullowhee, North Carolina	Macomb, Illinois
Campus setting	Town: Distant	Town: Remote
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%	72.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	79.4%	72.5%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $65 Graduate: $65	Undergraduate: $30 Graduate: $30
SAT range	1060 - 1230	N/A
ACT range	19 - 25	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	12.0%
Students submitting ACT score	43.0%
Total number of applicants	12,308	7,156
Total number of admissions given out	9,775	5,187
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,729	920
Yield rate	17.7%	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: $19,349 Out of state: $23,349	$29,140
Average net price	$13,082	$11,666
Tuition	In state: $1,000 Out of state: $5,000	$9,238
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $6,403 Meal plan: $5,029	Room/dormitory: $6,240 Meal plan: $3,952
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Guaranteed tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	73.0% Average amount $5,772	94.0% Average amount $13,937
Students receiving federal student loan	56.0% Average amount $4,850	50.0% Average amount $5,417
Students taking out private loans	9.0% Average amount $9,396	5.0% Average amount $9,533

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	10,145 Men 43.6% Women 56.4%	5,394 Men 43.5% Women 56.5%
Graduate students	1,732 Men 32.1% Women 67.9%	2,061 Men 42.9% Women 57.1%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Low
Out-of-state students	17.7%	9.7%
International students	1.7%	8.8%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	Town: Remote
Dormitory capacity	3,815	3,083
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	North Carolina South Carolina Georgia Florida Tennessee	Illinois Iowa Missouri Wisconsin Indiana

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Education Business Public Administration and Social Service Engineering Technologies	Education Business Liberal Arts Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Health Professions
Students to faculty ratio	15:1	13:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	61.4%	50.9%
Dropout rate	10.2%	16.5%
Transferred out	27.5%	31.2%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	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	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $59,427 Year 2: $63,166 Year 3: $79,149 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $68,346 Year 2: $81,702 Year 3: $72,457 Engineering Technology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $55,220 Year 2: $60,771 Year 3: $65,823 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $64,904 Construction Management (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $51,827 Year 2: $52,941 Year 3: $64,741 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,966 Year 2: $58,334 Year 3: $63,350 Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $46,154 Year 2: $49,729 Year 3: $54,520 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,063 Year 2: $43,612 Year 3: $53,379 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,058 Year 2: $48,667 Year 3: $52,271 Educational/Instructional Media Design (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $56,853 Year 2: $52,107 Year 3: $51,827

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Western Illinois University (WIU) vs Western Carolina University (WCU)

Western Carolina University

Western Illinois University

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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