Fitchburg State vs Western Connecticut State University (WCSU)

Fitchburg State University and Western Connecticut State University, both public universities with rich histories, offer distinct educational experiences. Fitchburg State, located in Massachusetts, boasts a higher acceptance rate, making it a more accessible option for students. Western Connecticut, situated in Danbury, Connecticut, has a smaller student body, fostering a close-knit community. While Fitchburg State excels in fields like Business, Education, and Health Professions, Western Connecticut shines in areas such as Business, Social Sciences, and Psychology. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more about these universities' acceptance rates, popular majors, student demographics, graduation rates, and other key factors, helping you make an informed decision about your academic journey.

	Fitchburg State University	Western Connecticut State University
Overview
Location	Fitchburg, Massachusetts	Danbury, Connecticut
Campus setting	Suburb: Midsize	City: Small
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	68.0%	69.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	85.3%	84.9%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $50	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $50
SAT range	980 - 1180	N/A
ACT range	18 - 25	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	18.0%
Students submitting ACT score	2.0%
Total number of applicants	3,414	4,688
Total number of admissions given out	2,911	3,978
Admitted students who chose to enroll	567	733
Yield rate	19.5%	18.4%
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)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $24,330 Out of state: $30,410	In state: $28,783 Out of state: $42,187
Average net price	$16,862	$15,660
Tuition	In state: $970 Out of state: $7,050	In state: $6,162 Out of state: $18,436
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,990 Meal plan: $3,770	Room/dormitory: $8,020 Meal plan: $5,856
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	88.0% Average amount $6,170	78.0% Average amount $6,312
Students receiving federal student loan	62.0% Average amount $4,912	58.0% Average amount $7,417
Students taking out private loans	9.0% Average amount $12,352	5.0% Average amount $12,388

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	3,349 Men 46.3% Women 53.7%	4,172 Men 47.6% Women 52.4%
Graduate students	3,325 Men 30.7% Women 69.3%	630 Men 25.4% Women 74.6%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	28.6%
International students	2.1%	0.4%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Midsize	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	1,737	1,315
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Mississippi Connecticut New Hampshire Florida New York	Connecticut New York New Jersey Mississippi Maine

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Education Health Professions Visual & Performing Arts Law Enforcement and Firefighting	Business Psychology Health Professions Law Enforcement and Firefighting Visual & Performing Arts
Students to faculty ratio	13:1	11:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	57.1%	52.9%
Dropout rate	14.3%	12.0%
Transferred out	27.0%	31.0%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $66,667 Year 2: $75,518 Year 3: $80,428 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,430 Year 2: $66,897 Year 3: $73,957 Curriculum and Instruction (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $59,071 Year 2: $57,882 Year 3: $63,852 Special Education and Teaching (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $51,546 Year 2: $50,856 Year 3: $54,097 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $47,151 Year 2: $45,715 Year 3: $52,237 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $35,607 Year 2: $38,048 Year 3: $51,244 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,965 Year 2: $41,246 Year 3: $49,224 Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $40,991 Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: $47,433 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,178 Year 2: $34,793 Year 3: $44,801 Human Services, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $33,593 Year 2: $36,166 Year 3: $42,141	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $75,081 Year 2: $75,104 Year 3: $76,468 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $51,332 Year 2: $57,995 Year 3: $70,455 Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,994 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $65,192 Education, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $56,867 Year 3: $58,464 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $49,944 Year 2: $46,321 Year 3: $51,949 Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $43,260 Year 2: $41,464 Year 3: $50,288 Student Counseling and Personnel Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $47,672 Year 2: $46,087 Year 3: $49,639 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,963 Year 2: $45,340 Year 3: $47,607 Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,029 Year 2: $41,441 Year 3: $44,462 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $32,205 Year 2: $35,877 Year 3: $43,291

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