Western Colorado University vs Washington State University (WSU)

Western Colorado University and Washington State University, located in the picturesque landscapes of Colorado and Washington, respectively, offer distinct educational experiences. Western Colorado University, nestled in the heart of the Rocky Mountains, boasts a close-knit community with a focus on personalized attention and outdoor adventure. In contrast, Washington State University, situated in the vibrant city of Pullman, is a large research university known for its strong academic programs and diverse student body. While both universities offer a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs, they differ in acceptance rates, popular majors, student demographics, and graduation rates. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to discover which institution aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Washington State University	Western Colorado University
Overview
Location	Pullman, Washington	Gunnison, Colorado
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	81.0%	74.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	85.8%	90.9%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $75	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	18,197	3,243
Total number of admissions given out	15,607	2,947
Admitted students who chose to enroll	4,007	456
Yield rate	25.7%	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: $28,767 Out of state: $44,083	In state: $26,956 Out of state: $38,740
Average net price	$11,877	$17,490
Tuition	In state: $10,457 Out of state: $25,773	In state: $6,816 Out of state: $18,600
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,400 Meal plan: $4,350	Room/dormitory: $5,200 Meal plan: $4,790
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	86.0% Average amount $9,993	87.0% Average amount $8,085
Students receiving federal student loan	27.0% Average amount $5,042	56.0% Average amount $4,669
Students taking out private loans	3.0% Average amount $15,454	7.0% Average amount $12,501

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	24,278 Men 45.9% Women 54.1%	3,241 Men 51.4% Women 48.6%
Graduate students	5,565 Men 44.7% Women 55.3%	448 Men 31.2% Women 68.8%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	15.2%	34.9%
International students	5.7%	0.3%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	Town: Remote
Dormitory capacity	7,043	1,241
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Washington California Oregon Idaho Hawaii	Colorado Texas California Alaska Illinois

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Engineering Social Sciences Health Professions Education	Education Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Natural Resources and Conservation Business Social Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	15:1	18:1
Institutional accreditation	Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	59.5%	47.6%
Dropout rate	38.1%	32.8%
Transferred out	N/A	17.2%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $135,393 Year 3: $143,888 Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $110,911 Year 2: $123,178 Year 3: $127,531 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $90,080 Year 2: $100,915 Year 3: $120,737 Engineering-Related Fields (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $111,957 Year 2: $112,073 Year 3: $119,910 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $106,275 Year 2: $105,813 Year 3: $117,478 Veterinary Medicine (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $82,971 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $96,760 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $76,468 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $88,746 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $80,693 Year 2: $75,204 Year 3: $81,535 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $73,112 Year 2: $68,808 Year 3: $80,939 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $69,531 Year 2: $72,881 Year 3: $79,650	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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