Western Washington University (WWU) vs Willamette University

Western Washington University and Willamette University, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Western, a public university located in Bellingham, Washington, boasts an acceptance rate of 84%, while Willamette, a private university in Salem, Oregon, has a more selective admissions process with an acceptance rate of 63%. Western's diverse student body comprises over 15,000 undergraduates, while Willamette fosters a more intimate learning environment with approximately 2,500 undergraduates. Both universities excel in various academic disciplines, with Western known for its strong programs in environmental science and education, and Willamette recognized for its liberal arts and sciences curriculum. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover further distinctions between these two exceptional universities and make an informed decision that aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Western Washington University	Willamette University
Overview
Location	Bellingham, Washington	Salem, Oregon
Campus setting	City: Small	City: Midsize
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Quarter	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	81.0%	80.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	96.1%	79.6%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $65 Graduate: $100
SAT range	1090 - 1310	N/A
ACT range	22 - 29	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	16.0%
Students submitting ACT score	3.0%
Total number of applicants	10,580	3,680
Total number of admissions given out	10,167	2,930
Admitted students who chose to enroll	2,874	260
Yield rate	28.3%	8.9%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $26,634 Out of state: $43,861	$60,106
Average net price	$11,388	$37,400
Tuition	In state: $7,572 Out of state: $24,799	$43,500
Room & board	$13,079	Room/dormitory: $7,150 Meal plan: $6,650
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	82.0% Average amount $7,112	99.0% Average amount $30,413
Students receiving federal student loan	29.0% Average amount $4,929	50.0% Average amount $5,145
Students taking out private loans	3.0% Average amount $15,435	7.0% Average amount $15,973

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	14,019 Men 42.6% Women 57.4%	1,236 Men 42.2% Women 57.8%
Graduate students	1,106 Men 36.4% Women 63.6%	549 Men 49.2% Women 50.8%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	1.0%	2.4%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	3,985	1,228
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Psychology Business Multidisciplinary Studies Kinesiology & Leisure Studies	Social Sciences Legal Profession Business Biological and Biomedical Sciences Natural Resources and Conservation
Students to faculty ratio	17:1	12:1
Institutional accreditation	Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities	Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities

Outcome
Graduation rate	67.7%	72.0%
Dropout rate	30.6%	28.0%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	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	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $66,562 Year 2: $73,530 Year 3: $85,115 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $53,741 Year 2: $49,102 Year 3: $65,240 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,509 Year 2: $39,909 Year 3: $57,544 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $33,011 Year 2: $36,848 Year 3: $48,905 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $20,615 Year 2: $31,133 Year 3: $41,516 Chemistry (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,482 Year 2: $27,204 Year 3: $39,994 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $29,357 Year 2: $28,055 Year 3: $36,208 Anthropology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $21,508 Year 3: $33,257 Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $23,292 Year 2: $32,925 Year 3: $32,785 Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $25,658 Year 3: $29,070

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