Georgia Southern University vs Western Carolina University (WCU)

Georgia Southern University and Western Carolina University, both esteemed institutions in the southeastern United States, offer distinct educational experiences. Georgia Southern, located in Statesboro, Georgia, boasts a higher acceptance rate (78%) compared to Western Carolina's 68% in Cullowhee, North Carolina. While Georgia Southern's student body is more diverse, with a larger international student population, Western Carolina has a slightly higher graduation rate (62% vs. 59%). Both universities excel in different academic areas; Georgia Southern is known for its strong business and nursing programs, while Western Carolina shines in fields like music and education. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more about these universities' unique offerings and make an informed decision that aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Georgia Southern University	Western Carolina University
Overview
Location	Statesboro, Georgia	Cullowhee, North Carolina
Campus setting	Town: Distant	Town: Distant
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	72.0%	75.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	90.5%	79.4%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $30 Graduate: $50	Undergraduate: $65 Graduate: $65
SAT range	990 - 1200	1060 - 1230
ACT range	18 - 24	19 - 25
Students submitting SAT score	23.0%	12.0%
Students submitting ACT score	16.0%	43.0%
Total number of applicants	18,541	12,308
Total number of admissions given out	16,782	9,775
Admitted students who chose to enroll	5,571	1,729
Yield rate	33.2%	17.7%
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: $23,011 Out of state: $34,065	In state: $19,349 Out of state: $23,349
Average net price	$15,830	$13,082
Tuition	In state: $4,371 Out of state: $15,425	In state: $1,000 Out of state: $5,000
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $6,262 Meal plan: $3,750	Room/dormitory: $6,403 Meal plan: $5,029
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	89.0% Average amount $7,748	73.0% Average amount $5,772
Students receiving federal student loan	49.0% Average amount $5,121	56.0% Average amount $4,850
Students taking out private loans	7.0% Average amount $8,122	9.0% Average amount $9,396

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	23,527 Men 42.1% Women 57.9%	10,145 Men 43.6% Women 56.4%
Graduate students	3,549 Men 28.3% Women 71.7%	1,732 Men 32.1% Women 67.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	6.5%	17.7%
International students	1.5%	1.7%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	Town: Distant
Dormitory capacity	5,722	3,815
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Georgia Florida South Carolina North Carolina Tennessee	North Carolina South Carolina Georgia Florida Tennessee

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Health Professions Engineering Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Computer and Information Science	Health Professions Education Business Public Administration and Social Service Engineering Technologies
Students to faculty ratio	22:1	15:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	53.6%	61.4%
Dropout rate	14.3%	10.2%
Transferred out	29.2%	27.5%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $94,951 Year 2: $92,632 Year 3: $96,937 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $82,820 Year 2: $86,867 Year 3: $89,855 Construction Engineering Technologies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,715 Year 2: $64,608 Year 3: $76,683 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $76,107 Year 2: $65,486 Year 3: $75,334 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $54,688 Year 2: $60,399 Year 3: $73,752 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $70,291 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $73,741 Curriculum and Instruction (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $71,792 Year 2: $72,134 Year 3: $70,800 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $66,135 Year 2: $63,203 Year 3: $69,489 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $61,923 Year 2: $65,506 Year 3: $68,258 Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $52,090 Year 2: $63,749 Year 3: $66,074	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $97,321 Year 2: $103,913 Year 3: $103,661 Human Resources Management and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $55,207 Year 2: $64,990 Year 3: $72,372 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $54,769 Year 2: $53,775 Year 3: $72,367 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $65,460 Year 2: $67,324 Year 3: $68,635 Construction Engineering Technologies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,202 Year 2: $58,221 Year 3: $64,334 Engineering Technology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,173 Year 2: $54,996 Year 3: $63,171 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $64,798 Year 2: $55,286 Year 3: $61,637 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $53,571 Year 2: $55,512 Year 3: $59,030 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $55,835 Year 2: $52,107 Year 3: $58,930 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,362 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $57,003

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