Wilkes University vs Cal U of Pa

Wilkes University and California University of Pennsylvania, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Wilkes, a private university nestled in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, boasts a selective admissions process with an acceptance rate of 75%, while Cal U, a public university located in California, Pennsylvania, welcomes a larger proportion of applicants with an acceptance rate of 88%. While Wilkes' student body is predominantly White (79%) and female (60%), Cal U's student population is more diverse, with a significant representation of Black (13%) and Hispanic (10%) students, and a balanced gender ratio. Both universities offer a wide range of undergraduate programs, with Wilkes excelling in fields like Business, Education, and Nursing, and Cal U shining in areas such as Business, Education, and Engineering. With graduation rates of 63% and 58% respectively, both institutions are committed to student success and ensuring their graduates are well-prepared for their chosen

	California University of Pennsylvania	Wilkes University
Overview
Location	California, Pennsylvania	Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
Campus setting	Suburb: Small	City: Small
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	67.0%	75.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	97.1%	94.8%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $35 Graduate: $35	Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $45
SAT range	940 - 1150	1040 - 1250
ACT range	18 - 24	20 - 28
Students submitting SAT score	38.0%	30.0%
Students submitting ACT score	6.0%	5.0%
Total number of applicants	3,933	4,019
Total number of admissions given out	3,818	3,809
Admitted students who chose to enroll	815	556
Yield rate	21.3%	14.6%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $27,904 Out of state: $32,522	$55,207
Average net price	$20,317	$30,155
Tuition	In state: $7,716 Out of state: $11,574	$37,994
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $6,822 Meal plan: $3,900	Room/dormitory: $9,492 Meal plan: $6,206
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	92.0% Average amount $6,250	96.0% Average amount $26,371
Students receiving federal student loan	62.0% Average amount $4,982	84.0% Average amount $5,594
Students taking out private loans	8.0% Average amount $9,920	32.0% Average amount $16,328

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	4,463 Men 43.3% Women 56.7%	2,232 Men 45.5% Women 54.5%
Graduate students	2,046 Men 30.4% Women 69.6%	3,044 Men 22.5% Women 77.5%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	13.0%	26.5%
International students	1.0%	2.4%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Small	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	2,075	1,184
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Pennsylvania Ohio New York Maryland New Jersey	Pennsylvania New Jersey New York Maryland Connecticut

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Health Professions Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Business Law Enforcement and Firefighting	Education Health Professions Liberal Arts Engineering Business
Students to faculty ratio	19:1	13:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	48.4%	61.4%
Dropout rate	23.8%	11.2%
Transferred out	26.0%	26.7%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $78,275 Year 2: $79,284 Year 3: $81,087 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,369 Year 2: $63,402 Year 3: $67,338 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,734 Year 2: $55,693 Year 3: $63,169 Electrical Engineering Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,118 Year 2: $54,109 Year 3: $57,285 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $50,198 Year 2: $48,139 Year 3: $55,763 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $56,913 Year 2: $52,684 Year 3: $54,844 Legal Professions and Studies, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: $51,531 Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $51,279 Year 2: $37,208 Year 3: $50,258 Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $41,266 Year 2: $46,087 Year 3: $49,620 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $42,906 Year 2: $45,589 Year 3: $48,321	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $126,057 Year 2: $133,171 Year 3: $124,927 Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $107,920 Year 2: $110,559 Year 3: $119,036 Engineering, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,305 Year 2: $53,984 Year 3: $65,444 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $61,200 Year 2: $53,219 Year 3: $64,060 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $56,705 Year 2: $52,733 Year 3: $63,832 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,105 Year 2: $65,035 Year 3: $63,464 Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $54,835 Year 2: $52,941 Year 3: $59,300 Education, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $54,977 Year 2: $49,631 Year 3: $56,693 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $53,044 Year 2: $53,099 Year 3: $55,573 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $46,218 Year 2: $44,776 Year 3: $55,534

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