Western Kentucky University (WKU) vs University of Central Arkansas (UCA)

Western Kentucky University and University of Central Arkansas, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Western Kentucky University, nestled in Bowling Green, Kentucky, boasts a higher acceptance rate, welcoming a more diverse student body. Its strengths lie in fields like Business, Education, and Health Professions. On the other hand, University of Central Arkansas, located in Conway, Arkansas, offers a more intimate learning environment with a lower student-to-faculty ratio. It excels in programs such as Business, Education, and Nursing. While Western Kentucky University boasts a higher graduation rate, University of Central Arkansas offers a more affordable education. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	University of Central Arkansas	Western Kentucky University
Overview
Location	Conway, Arkansas	Bowling Green, Kentucky
Campus setting	City: Small	City: Small
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	71.0%	73.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	92.4%	98.5%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $25 Graduate: $45	Undergraduate: $45 Graduate: $65
SAT range	980 - 1160	N/A
ACT range	19 - 26	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	3.0%
Students submitting ACT score	94.0%
Total number of applicants	6,057	7,255
Total number of admissions given out	5,595	7,145
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,854	2,832
Yield rate	33.1%	39.6%
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: $25,219 Out of state: $32,089	In state: $27,895 Out of state: $43,903
Average net price	$14,042	$12,395
Tuition	In state: $6,870 Out of state: $13,740	In state: $10,992 Out of state: $27,000
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,326 Meal plan: $3,570	Room/dormitory: $6,744 Meal plan: $3,964
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	92.0% Average amount $7,693	98.0% Average amount $9,576
Students receiving federal student loan	51.0% Average amount $5,106	47.0% Average amount $5,128
Students taking out private loans	5.0% Average amount $10,426	5.0% Average amount $9,983

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	8,244 Men 39.0% Women 61.0%	14,729 Men 37.8% Women 62.2%
Graduate students	1,861 Men 26.6% Women 73.4%	2,021 Men 34.1% Women 65.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	7.9%	N/A
International students	3.8%	1.1%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	3,675	4,942
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Arkansas Texas Oklahoma Tennessee Alabama	Tennessee Indiana Illinois Ohio

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Education Business Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Visual & Performing Arts	Health Professions Business Education Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Public Administration and Social Service
Students to faculty ratio	15:1	18:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	49.4%	53.6%
Dropout rate	19.1%	22.1%
Transferred out	29.7%	22.9%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $92,284 Year 2: $92,358 Year 3: $96,070 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $72,491 Year 2: $70,736 Year 3: $76,640 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $61,696 Year 2: $67,548 Year 3: $65,753 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,174 Year 2: $58,842 Year 3: $59,396 Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $52,787 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $57,030 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $51,827 Year 2: $52,107 Year 3: $55,240 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $45,080 Year 2: $45,305 Year 3: $52,677 Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $48,462 Year 2: $47,729 Year 3: $52,542 Library Science, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $46,140 Year 2: $47,260 Year 3: $49,838 Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $40,755 Year 2: $48,432 Year 3: $49,837	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $76,015 Year 2: $86,696 Year 3: $95,431 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $71,960 Year 2: $76,998 Year 3: $77,293 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,199 Year 2: $70,009 Year 3: $77,197 Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $53,704 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $68,358 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $65,193 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $66,850 Construction Engineering Technologies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $49,992 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $65,815 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $52,607 Year 2: $61,144 Year 3: $65,553 Civil Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $50,759 Year 2: $51,551 Year 3: $57,443 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $53,729 Year 2: $52,897 Year 3: $56,104 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,172 Year 2: $56,281 Year 3: $55,609

Compare Similar Colleges

The list of suggested college comparisons provided below is generated automatically by our system, utilizing statistics gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and various online sources. If you don't find the colleges you wish to compare, please visit our comparison page. There, you can search for the specific colleges and initiate your comparison.