Western Colorado University vs Colorado Mesa

Western Colorado University and Colorado Mesa University, both located in the picturesque state of Colorado, offer distinct educational experiences for prospective students. Western Colorado University, nestled in the heart of the Rocky Mountains, boasts a higher acceptance rate, making it a more accessible option for students from diverse backgrounds. Colorado Mesa University, on the other hand, is known for its strong academic reputation and rigorous programs, reflected in its lower acceptance rate. While Western Colorado University excels in fields like education and nursing, Colorado Mesa University shines in business and engineering. Explore the detailed comparison table below to delve into further differences, including student body demographics, graduation rates, and more, to help you make an informed decision about your academic journey.

	Colorado Mesa University	Western Colorado University
Overview
Location	Grand Junction, Colorado	Gunnison, Colorado
Campus setting	City: Small	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	72.0%	74.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	80.2%	90.9%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $30 Graduate: $50	Undergraduate: $30 Graduate: $50
SAT range	948 - 1200	1040 - 1230
ACT range	19 - 26	21 - 26
Students submitting SAT score	45.0%	37.0%
Students submitting ACT score	13.0%	11.0%
Total number of applicants	8,082	3,243
Total number of admissions given out	6,485	2,947
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,855	456
Yield rate	28.6%	15.5%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Not 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: $22,148 Out of state: $35,470	In state: $26,956 Out of state: $38,740
Average net price	$15,324	$17,490
Tuition	In state: $8,020 Out of state: $21,342	In state: $6,816 Out of state: $18,600
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $6,100 Meal plan: $5,165	Room/dormitory: $5,200 Meal plan: $4,790
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	81.0% Average amount $7,228	87.0% Average amount $8,085
Students receiving federal student loan	42.0% Average amount $4,950	56.0% Average amount $4,669
Students taking out private loans	4.0% Average amount $12,590	7.0% Average amount $12,501

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	8,712 Men 45.9% Women 54.1%	3,241 Men 51.4% Women 48.6%
Graduate students	195 Men 34.9% Women 65.1%	448 Men 31.2% Women 68.8%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	16.8%	34.9%
International students	1.1%	0.3%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	Town: Remote
Dormitory capacity	2,661	1,241
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Colorado California Texas Washington Utah	Colorado Texas California Alaska Illinois

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Business Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Law Enforcement and Firefighting Liberal Arts	Education Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Natural Resources and Conservation Business Social Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	18:1	18:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	38.1%	47.6%
Dropout rate	31.0%	32.8%
Transferred out	27.0%	17.2%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Construction Engineering Technologies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,879 Year 2: $63,997 Year 3: $67,005 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $57,281 Year 2: $59,485 Year 3: $64,998 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,101 Year 2: $60,746 Year 3: $63,677 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $51,946 Year 2: $47,260 Year 3: $59,293 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $58,673 Year 3: $58,361 Electrical and Power Transmission Installers (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $43,240 Year 3: $57,344 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,940 Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: $52,944 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $48,215 Year 2: $46,087 Year 3: $52,774 Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $39,153 Year 3: $48,680 Business/Commerce, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,157 Year 2: $39,504 Year 3: $46,603	Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $46,087 Year 3: $50,432 Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $29,076 Year 2: $40,365 Year 3: $45,493 Education, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $42,272 Year 2: $40,488 Year 3: $43,479 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,324 Year 2: $33,281 Year 3: $39,884 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,326 Year 2: $28,405 Year 3: $39,040 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,244 Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: $37,581 Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $18,798 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $36,678 Business/Commerce, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $39,585 Year 3: $35,898 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $26,963 Year 2: $27,947 Year 3: $35,691 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $23,793 Year 2: $27,874 Year 3: $34,114

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