Western Colorado University vs UM Western

Western Colorado University and The University of Montana-Western, both nestled in picturesque mountain towns, offer distinct educational experiences. Western Colorado University, located in Gunnison, Colorado, boasts a higher acceptance rate, making it a more accessible option for students. In contrast, The University of Montana-Western, situated in Dillon, Montana, has a lower acceptance rate, indicating a more selective admissions process. While Western Colorado University excels in fields like business, education, and nursing, The University of Montana-Western shines in areas such as biology, environmental science, and outdoor leadership. Explore the detailed comparison table to delve into further differences, including student body demographics, graduation rates, and more, to determine which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	The University of Montana-Western	Western Colorado University
Overview
Location	Dillon, Montana	Gunnison, Colorado
Campus setting	Town: Remote	Town: Remote
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	73.0%	74.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	33.3%	90.9%
Application fees	$30	Undergraduate: $30 Graduate: $50
SAT range	N/A	1040 - 1230
ACT range	N/A	21 - 26
Students submitting SAT score		37.0%
Students submitting ACT score		11.0%
Total number of applicants	1,278	3,243
Total number of admissions given out	426	2,947
Admitted students who chose to enroll	229	456
Yield rate	53.8%	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)	Not required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $21,456 Out of state: $32,920	In state: $26,956 Out of state: $38,740
Average net price	$12,377	$17,490
Tuition	In state: $4,523 Out of state: $15,913	In state: $6,816 Out of state: $18,600
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $3,244 Meal plan: $4,800	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)	89.0% Average amount $8,492	87.0% Average amount $8,085
Students receiving federal student loan	58.0% Average amount $7,476	56.0% Average amount $4,669
Students taking out private loans	5.0% Average amount $7,955	7.0% Average amount $12,501

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,399 Men 33.0% Women 67.0%	3,241 Men 51.4% Women 48.6%
Graduate students	N/A	448 Men 31.2% Women 68.8%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Low
Out-of-state students	31.4%	34.9%
International students	0.1%	0.3%
Campus local/setting	Town: Remote	Town: Remote
Dormitory capacity	420	1,241
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Montana Washington Idaho Nevada California	Colorado Texas California Alaska Illinois

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Liberal Arts Business Agriculture Military Technologies	Education Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Natural Resources and Conservation Business Social Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	14:1	18:1
Institutional accreditation	Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	41.8%	47.6%
Dropout rate	26.3%	32.8%
Transferred out	28.6%	17.2%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,379 Year 2: $39,009 Year 3: $40,922 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,928 Year 2: $36,437 Year 3: $39,876 Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $36,221 Year 3: $37,419 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,421 Year 2: $32,925 Year 3: $32,976 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $30,771 Year 3: N/A	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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