Northwest College vs CWU-Ellensburg

Northwest College and Central Washington University, both esteemed institutions of higher learning in Washington State, offer distinct educational experiences tailored to diverse student aspirations. Northwest College, a community college located in Powell, Wyoming, prides itself on its open admissions policy, welcoming students from all backgrounds and academic levels. Central Washington University, a public university situated in Ellensburg, Washington, boasts a selective admissions process, ensuring a high-quality learning environment. While Northwest College excels in providing affordable tuition and a supportive community college atmosphere, Central Washington University offers a wider range of academic programs, including graduate degrees, and boasts a larger and more diverse student body. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to delve into further details and discover which institution best aligns with your academic goals and personal preferences.

	Central Washington University	Northwest College
Overview
Location	Ellensburg, Washington	Powell, Wyoming
Campus setting	Town: Distant	Town: Remote
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Quarter	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	69.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	88.4%	Open Admission
Application fees	Undergraduate: $60 Graduate: $75
SAT range	N/A	N/A
ACT range	N/A	N/A
Students submitting SAT score
Students submitting ACT score
Total number of applicants	10,767
Total number of admissions given out	9,523
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,371
Yield rate	14.4%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	Not required
High school GPA	Required	N/A
Recommendation letters	Not required	N/A
High school transcript	Not required	N/A
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	N/A

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $22,248 Out of state: $38,776	In state: $20,544 Out of state: $26,844
Average net price	$17,645	$8,114
Tuition	In state: $6,656 Out of state: $23,184	In state: $3,150 Out of state: $9,450
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,645 Meal plan: $7,957	Room/dormitory: $3,090 Meal plan: $3,290
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	93.0% Average amount $8,647
Students receiving federal student loan	41.0% Average amount $4,834	17.0% Average amount $4,879
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $14,197	1.0% Average amount $14,652

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	9,566 Men 47.0% Women 53.0%	1,427 Men 40.2% Women 59.8%
Graduate students	610 Men 37.4% Women 62.6%	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Very Low
Out-of-state students	6.7%	25.7%
International students	2.7%	2.7%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	Town: Remote
Dormitory capacity	3,755	632
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	Wyoming Montana California Colorado Idaho

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Business Social Sciences Health Professions Visual & Performing Arts	Health Professions Liberal Arts Visual & Performing Arts Agriculture Education
Students to faculty ratio	15:1	14:1
Institutional accreditation	Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	53.6%	38.9%
Dropout rate	44.0%	36.7%
Transferred out	N/A	20.1%
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	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $54,781 Year 2: $50,439 Year 3: $53,642 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $17,846 Year 3: $24,183 Design and Applied Arts (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $24,597 Year 2: $20,140 Year 3: $21,449 Precision Metal Working (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $33,814 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A

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Northwest College vs CWU-Ellensburg

Central Washington University

Northwest College

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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