CWU-Ellensburg vs The Evergreen State

Central Washington University and The Evergreen State College, both located in Washington state, offer distinct educational experiences. Central Washington University, with an acceptance rate of 86%, is a comprehensive public university known for its strong programs in business, education, and nursing. The Evergreen State College, on the other hand, is a public liberal arts college with a unique interdisciplinary curriculum and an acceptance rate of 98%. While Central Washington University boasts a larger student body, with over 10,000 undergraduates, The Evergreen State College fosters a more intimate learning environment with approximately 4,000 undergraduates. Explore the detailed comparison table below to delve into further differences, including popular majors, student body demographics, graduation rates, and more, to determine which institution aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Central Washington University	The Evergreen State College
Overview
Location	Ellensburg, Washington	Olympia, Washington
Campus setting	Town: Distant	Suburb: Midsize
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Quarter	Quarter
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	69.0%	67.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	88.4%	99.5%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $60 Graduate: $75	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $50
SAT range	N/A	1000 - 1200
ACT range	N/A	19 - 27
Students submitting SAT score		13.0%
Students submitting ACT score		7.0%
Total number of applicants	10,767	1,111
Total number of admissions given out	9,523	1,105
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,371	234
Yield rate	14.4%	21.2%
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)	Not required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $22,248 Out of state: $38,776	In state: $26,103 Out of state: $46,746
Average net price	$17,645	$16,155
Tuition	In state: $6,656 Out of state: $23,184	In state: $7,389 Out of state: $28,032
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,645 Meal plan: $7,957	Room/dormitory: $8,547 Meal plan: $4,602
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	80.0% Average amount $7,378	84.0% Average amount $9,659
Students receiving federal student loan	41.0% Average amount $4,834	42.0% Average amount $4,970
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $14,197	0.0% Average amount $21,382

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	9,566 Men 47.0% Women 53.0%	1,849 Men 38.9% Women 61.1%
Graduate students	610 Men 37.4% Women 62.6%	267 Men 32.6% Women 67.4%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	6.7%	30.8%
International students	2.7%	0.3%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	Suburb: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	3,755	991
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Washington California Oregon Hawaii Arkansas	Washington California Oregon Colorado Idaho

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Business Social Sciences Health Professions Visual & Performing Arts	Liberal Arts Multidisciplinary Studies Public Administration and Social Service Natural Resources and Conservation Education
Students to faculty ratio	15:1	14:1
Institutional accreditation	Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities	Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities

Outcome
Graduation rate	53.6%	43.2%
Dropout rate	44.0%	54.5%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Electrical Engineering Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $72,482 Year 3: $86,230 Construction Management (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $73,538 Year 2: $71,168 Year 3: $82,194 Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $68,024 Year 2: $65,486 Year 3: $79,944 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $58,531 Year 2: $61,020 Year 3: $77,665 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,052 Year 2: $52,941 Year 3: $69,645 Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,580 Year 2: $56,979 Year 3: $69,564 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $55,151 Year 3: $62,577 Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $44,170 Year 3: $61,531 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,008 Year 2: $39,369 Year 3: $58,391 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $47,842 Year 2: $50,606 Year 3: $58,240	Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $55,770 Year 3: $61,207 Public Administration (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $59,678 Year 2: $53,984 Year 3: $58,733 Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: $46,321 Biological and Physical Sciences (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $25,468 Year 2: $24,730 Year 3: $30,891 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $24,118 Year 2: $23,558 Year 3: $26,439

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