Western Washington University (WWU) vs Berkeley

Western Washington University and University of California-Berkeley, two esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Western Washington University, nestled in the picturesque Pacific Northwest, boasts an acceptance rate of 83%, making it a more accessible option for aspiring students. UC-Berkeley, renowned for its academic rigor, has a highly selective admissions process, with an acceptance rate of just 17%. Both universities offer a diverse range of undergraduate programs, with Western Washington University excelling in fields like Business Administration and Education, while UC-Berkeley is known for its strengths in Engineering, Computer Science, and Social Sciences. Explore the detailed comparison table to delve into further distinctions, including student body demographics, graduation rates, and additional factors that may influence your decision in choosing the ideal academic environment for your educational journey.

	University of California-Berkeley	Western Washington University
Overview
Location	Berkeley, California	Bellingham, Washington
Campus setting	City: Midsize	City: Small
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Quarter
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	96.0%	81.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	14.4%	96.1%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $120	Undergraduate: $65 Graduate: $100
SAT range	N/A	1090 - 1310
ACT range	N/A	22 - 29
Students submitting SAT score		16.0%
Students submitting ACT score		3.0%
Total number of applicants	112,843	10,580
Total number of admissions given out	16,295	10,167
Admitted students who chose to enroll	6,931	2,874
Yield rate	42.5%	28.3%
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: $37,920 Out of state: $67,674	In state: $26,634 Out of state: $43,861
Average net price	$17,652	$11,388
Tuition	In state: $11,442 Out of state: $41,196	In state: $7,572 Out of state: $24,799
Room & board	$20,236	$13,079
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	52.0% Average amount $21,406	82.0% Average amount $7,112
Students receiving federal student loan	15.0% Average amount $4,586	29.0% Average amount $4,929
Students taking out private loans	6.0% Average amount $7,122	3.0% Average amount $15,435

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	31,814 Men 45.4% Women 54.6%	14,019 Men 42.6% Women 57.4%
Graduate students	13,222 Men 51.7% Women 48.3%	1,106 Men 36.4% Women 63.6%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	16.9%	N/A
International students	18.0%	1.0%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	9,630	3,985
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	California New Jersey Texas Virginia New York	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Engineering Business Computer and Information Science Legal Profession Health Professions	Education Psychology Business Multidisciplinary Studies Kinesiology & Leisure Studies
Students to faculty ratio	20:1	17:1
Institutional accreditation	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission	Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities

Outcome
Graduation rate	92.8%	67.7%
Dropout rate	6.3%	30.6%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $171,936 Year 3: $191,597 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $122,038 Year 3: $167,052 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $125,250 Year 2: $125,388 Year 3: $161,399 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $126,367 Year 2: $128,868 Year 3: $160,666 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $160,390 Year 2: $142,470 Year 3: $143,984 Information Science/Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $119,358 Year 3: $143,516 Chemistry (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $107,442 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $112,973 Optometry (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $74,750 Year 2: $91,363 Year 3: $104,601 Mechanical Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $95,600 Year 2: $85,760 Year 3: $103,738 Applied Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $71,282 Year 2: $65,387 Year 3: $102,543	Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $69,837 Year 2: $81,333 Year 3: $92,019 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $71,492 Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $78,577 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $60,314 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $76,877 Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $52,624 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $71,599 Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $61,592 Year 2: $60,920 Year 3: $64,540 Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $60,325 Year 3: $64,302 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $46,243 Year 2: $49,572 Year 3: $60,999 Chemistry (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,788 Year 2: $37,748 Year 3: $58,090 Design and Applied Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,818 Year 2: $46,087 Year 3: $57,268 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,065 Year 2: $45,696 Year 3: $57,167

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