University of North Carolina at Pembroke (UNCP) vs Western Carolina University (WCU)

Nestled in the heart of North Carolina, University of North Carolina at Pembroke (UNCP) and Western Carolina University (WCU) stand as two distinct institutions of higher learning, each offering unique opportunities for students to pursue their academic aspirations. While both universities share a commitment to providing quality education, they differ in several key aspects, including acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates. This side-by-side comparison delves into these differences, providing valuable insights to help prospective students make informed decisions about their educational journey. Explore the comprehensive table below to discover which university aligns best with your academic goals, personal preferences, and future aspirations.

	University of North Carolina at Pembroke	Western Carolina University
Overview
Location	Pembroke, North Carolina	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	73.0%	75.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	91.8%	79.4%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $55 Graduate: $55	Undergraduate: $65 Graduate: $65
SAT range	890 - 1140	1060 - 1230
ACT range	16 - 21	19 - 25
Students submitting SAT score	7.0%	12.0%
Students submitting ACT score	35.0%	43.0%
Total number of applicants	5,578	12,308
Total number of admissions given out	5,123	9,775
Admitted students who chose to enroll	896	1,729
Yield rate	17.5%	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: $15,607 Out of state: $19,607	In state: $19,349 Out of state: $23,349
Average net price	$11,022	$13,082
Tuition	In state: $1,000 Out of state: $5,000	In state: $1,000 Out of state: $5,000
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $6,174 Meal plan: $4,510	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)	83.0% Average amount $6,136	73.0% Average amount $5,772
Students receiving federal student loan	55.0% Average amount $5,275	56.0% Average amount $4,850
Students taking out private loans	0.0% Average amount $0	9.0% Average amount $9,396

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	6,317 Men 37.1% Women 62.9%	10,145 Men 43.6% Women 56.4%
Graduate students	2,001 Men 29.4% Women 70.6%	1,732 Men 32.1% Women 67.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Very Low
Out-of-state students	11.8%	17.7%
International students	1.4%	1.7%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	Town: Distant
Dormitory capacity	2,330	3,815
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	North Carolina South Carolina Virginia Georgia Florida	North Carolina South Carolina Georgia Florida Tennessee

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Education Public Administration and Social Service Multidisciplinary Studies Kinesiology & Leisure Studies	Health Professions Education Business Public Administration and Social Service Engineering Technologies
Students to faculty ratio	15:1	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	43.2%	61.4%
Dropout rate	18.2%	10.2%
Transferred out	36.4%	27.5%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,624 Year 2: $42,998 Year 3: $62,715 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $54,843 Year 2: $52,464 Year 3: $60,066 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,515 Year 2: $57,149 Year 3: $59,927 Public Administration (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $50,102 Year 2: $49,019 Year 3: $58,536 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $39,293 Year 2: $43,674 Year 3: $46,838 Student Counseling and Personnel Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $40,286 Year 2: $42,868 Year 3: $45,211 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,819 Year 2: $39,523 Year 3: $44,116 Social Work (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $41,393 Year 2: $41,087 Year 3: $43,118 Chemistry (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,589 Year 2: $33,281 Year 3: $41,803 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $29,156 Year 2: $35,810 Year 3: $41,610	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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