Western Michigan University (WMU) vs Northern Arizona University (NAU)

Western Michigan University (WMU) and Northern Arizona University (NAU) are two public universities located in distinct regions of the United States, each offering unique educational experiences. WMU, situated in Kalamazoo, Michigan, boasts a higher acceptance rate, making it a more accessible option for prospective students. NAU, nestled in Flagstaff, Arizona, stands out with its lower student-to-faculty ratio, fostering a more personalized learning environment. While both universities offer diverse academic programs, WMU excels in fields like engineering and business, while NAU shines in areas such as forestry and environmental sciences. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to delve into further details about these institutions, including acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates, to help you make an informed decision about your higher education journey.

	Northern Arizona University	Western Michigan University
Overview
Location	Flagstaff, Arizona	Kalamazoo, Michigan
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	74.0%	77.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	78.4%	82.8%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $25 Graduate: $65	Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $50
SAT range	N/A	1000 - 1220
ACT range	N/A	21 - 27
Students submitting SAT score		37.0%
Students submitting ACT score		7.0%
Total number of applicants	42,872	18,853
Total number of admissions given out	33,592	15,612
Admitted students who chose to enroll	5,297	2,112
Yield rate	15.8%	13.5%
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: $28,430 Out of state: $43,176	In state: $27,947 Out of state: $31,281
Average net price	$16,059	$19,749
Tuition	In state: $10,650 Out of state: $25,396	In state: $13,334 Out of state: $16,668
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $6,000 Meal plan: $5,338	$10,884
Available payment plans	Guaranteed tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan Other alternative tuition plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	97.0% Average amount $12,922	95.0% Average amount $6,352
Students receiving federal student loan	34.0% Average amount $5,314	49.0% Average amount $5,188
Students taking out private loans	4.0% Average amount $13,306	10.0% Average amount $15,132

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	24,162 Men 37.0% Women 63.0%	14,587 Men 50.1% Women 49.9%
Graduate students	4,549 Men 32.1% Women 67.9%	3,679 Men 37.4% Women 62.6%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	31.9%	23.8%
International students	2.2%	7.3%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	9,853	5,130
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Arizona California Colorado Nevada New Mexico	Michigan Illinois Indiana Wisconsin Ohio

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Health Professions Business Engineering Public Administration and Social Service	Health Professions Education Engineering Business Multidisciplinary Studies
Students to faculty ratio	21:1	16:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	59.0%	56.3%
Dropout rate	40.0%	14.6%
Transferred out	N/A	25.6%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $94,560 Year 2: $101,406 Year 3: $108,112 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $100,716 Year 2: $92,632 Year 3: $96,135 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $80,374 Year 2: $79,081 Year 3: $89,768 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $69,244 Year 2: $76,117 Year 3: $81,532 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,225 Year 2: $74,890 Year 3: $79,106 Construction Management (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,718 Year 2: $68,219 Year 3: $75,432 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $71,725 Year 2: $71,183 Year 3: $71,928 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,840 Year 2: $59,350 Year 3: $70,793 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $58,911 Year 2: $65,042 Year 3: $70,433 Civil Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,712 Year 2: $54,252 Year 3: $68,199	Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $102,212 Year 2: $103,274 Year 3: $105,179 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $77,392 Year 2: $73,801 Year 3: $88,332 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $84,653 Year 3: $87,977 Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,143 Year 2: $65,945 Year 3: $79,982 Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $69,346 Year 2: $70,456 Year 3: $77,922 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $70,069 Year 2: $73,562 Year 3: $77,263 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,557 Year 2: $70,776 Year 3: $75,447 Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,559 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $73,968 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $66,118 Year 2: $63,749 Year 3: $72,465 Engineering-Related Fields (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,803 Year 2: $59,576 Year 3: $69,288

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