California State University-Monterey Bay (CSUMB) vs Western Colorado University

California State University-Monterey Bay (CSUMB) and Western Colorado University (WCU) are two distinct institutions offering unique educational experiences. CSUMB, located in the vibrant coastal city of Seaside, California, boasts a diverse student body and a strong focus on environmental science and sustainability. In contrast, WCU, nestled in the picturesque town of Gunnison, Colorado, emphasizes outdoor recreation and adventure sports, reflecting its stunning natural surroundings. While both universities share a commitment to academic excellence, they differ in acceptance rates, popular majors, student demographics, and graduation rates. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to discover which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	California State University-Monterey Bay	Western Colorado University
Overview
Location	Seaside, California	Gunnison, Colorado
Campus setting	Suburb: Midsize	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	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	92.8%	90.9%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $70	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	10,026	3,243
Total number of admissions given out	9,305	2,947
Admitted students who chose to enroll	779	456
Yield rate	8.4%	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: $26,430 Out of state: $38,310	In state: $26,956 Out of state: $38,740
Average net price	$6,085	$17,490
Tuition	In state: $5,742 Out of state: $17,622	In state: $6,816 Out of state: $18,600
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $9,642 Meal plan: $4,558	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)	69.0% Average amount $9,097	87.0% Average amount $8,085
Students receiving federal student loan	25.0% Average amount $3,379	56.0% Average amount $4,669
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $11,953	7.0% Average amount $12,501

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	6,692 Men 38.1% Women 61.9%	3,241 Men 51.4% Women 48.6%
Graduate students	811 Men 29.8% Women 70.2%	448 Men 31.2% Women 68.8%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	2.4%	34.9%
International students	4.8%	0.3%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Midsize	Town: Remote
Dormitory capacity	3,565	1,241
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	California Colorado Hawaii Arizona Illinois	Colorado Texas California Alaska Illinois

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Psychology Liberal Arts Computer and Information Science Public Administration and Social Service	Education Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Natural Resources and Conservation Business Social Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	23:1	18:1
Institutional accreditation	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	60.2%	47.6%
Dropout rate	30.1%	32.8%
Transferred out	7.3%	17.2%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $109,260 Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $110,683 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $80,700 Year 2: $79,389 Year 3: $83,389 Educational/Instructional Media Design (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $69,186 Year 2: $71,957 Year 3: $75,206 Education, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $58,031 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $68,691 Social Work (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $61,187 Year 2: $55,964 Year 3: $65,124 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $55,008 Year 2: $60,049 Year 3: $63,971 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $45,999 Year 2: $46,087 Year 3: $52,338 Human Services, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $35,158 Year 2: $36,533 Year 3: $43,406 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $29,259 Year 2: $32,467 Year 3: $40,471 Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,318 Year 2: $33,993 Year 3: $40,347	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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