Castleton University vs West Chester University of Pennsylvania (WCUPA)

Castleton University and West Chester University of Pennsylvania, while both offering a rich educational experience, present distinct characteristics that cater to different student preferences. Castleton, a private institution in Vermont, boasts a tight-knit community with a lower acceptance rate and smaller class sizes, fostering a personalized learning environment. West Chester, a public university in Pennsylvania, offers a more diverse student body and a wider range of academic programs, including graduate degrees. With varying acceptance rates, popular majors, student demographics, and graduation rates, these universities provide unique opportunities for students to pursue their academic and personal goals. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover which university aligns best with your aspirations and preferences.

	Castleton University	West Chester University of Pennsylvania
Overview
Location	Castleton, Vermont	West Chester, Pennsylvania
Campus setting	Town: Distant	Suburb: Large
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	67.0%	85.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	87.3%	89.4%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $40	Undergraduate: $45 Graduate: $50
SAT range	958 - 1158	1070 - 1250
ACT range	16 - 22	23 - 29
Students submitting SAT score	13.0%	27.0%
Students submitting ACT score	1.0%	1.0%
Total number of applicants	2,447	14,020
Total number of admissions given out	2,136	12,528
Admitted students who chose to enroll	391	2,628
Yield rate	18.3%	21.0%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Not required
Recommendation letters	Required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $27,308 Out of state: $44,276	In state: $28,419 Out of state: $40,243
Average net price	$17,970	$14,133
Tuition	In state: $11,832 Out of state: $28,800	In state: $7,716 Out of state: $19,290
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,312 Meal plan: $4,730	Room/dormitory: $5,794 Meal plan: $3,700
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	98.0% Average amount $13,124	100.0% Average amount $4,607
Students receiving federal student loan	75.0% Average amount $5,202	51.0% Average amount $5,238
Students taking out private loans	19.0% Average amount $13,210	11.0% Average amount $11,835

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,744 Men 44.2% Women 55.8%	14,471 Men 40.0% Women 60.0%
Graduate students	625 Men 22.6% Women 77.4%	3,143 Men 31.7% Women 68.3%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Low
Out-of-state students	50.9%	11.4%
International students	3.2%	0.4%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	1,100	5,128
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Vermont New York New Hampshire Connecticut New Jersey	Pennsylvania New Jersey Delaware Maryland New York

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Business Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Multidisciplinary Studies Education	Health Professions Business Education Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Public Administration and Social Service
Students to faculty ratio	14:1	20:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	55.1%	72.8%
Dropout rate	15.3%	7.6%
Transferred out	28.5%	18.4%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,804 Year 2: $63,855 Year 3: $68,139 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $58,221 Year 3: $62,747 Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $43,798 Year 3: $49,942 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,266 Year 2: $37,363 Year 3: $42,872 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,556 Year 2: $31,581 Year 3: $40,781 Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,579 Year 2: $26,585 Year 3: $38,364 Health/Medical Preparatory Programs (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $35,193 Year 2: $33,687 Year 3: $37,105 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $32,109 Year 2: $30,409 Year 3: $35,029 Sociology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $30,047 Year 3: $33,702 History (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: N/A	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $78,514 Year 2: $91,211 Year 3: $102,513 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,034 Year 2: $70,863 Year 3: $83,078 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $68,346 Year 2: $66,653 Year 3: $74,076 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,184 Year 2: $59,253 Year 3: $67,374 Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $52,978 Year 2: $57,589 Year 3: $65,537 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $53,367 Year 2: $53,508 Year 3: $61,456 Business/Managerial Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $53,396 Year 2: $50,856 Year 3: $58,904 Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $53,608 Year 3: $57,532 Special Education and Teaching (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $51,096 Year 2: $58,402 Year 3: $56,740 Music (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $52,107 Year 3: $56,355

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