West Chester University of Pennsylvania (WCUPA) vs Northern Kentucky University (NKU)

West Chester University of Pennsylvania and Northern Kentucky University, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. West Chester, nestled in the vibrant borough of West Chester, Pennsylvania, boasts a higher acceptance rate, welcoming a diverse student body from various backgrounds. Northern Kentucky University, situated in the scenic city of Highland Heights, Kentucky, stands out with its smaller class sizes, fostering a more personalized learning environment. While West Chester excels in fields like Business, Education, and Health Professions, Northern Kentucky University shines in programs such as Engineering, Nursing, and Informatics. Explore the comprehensive comparison table to delve into further details, including graduation rates, tuition fees, and student life aspects, to determine which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.
Northern Kentucky University logo

Northern Kentucky University

West Chester University of Pennsylvania logo

West Chester University of Pennsylvania

Overview

Location Highland Heights, Kentucky West Chester, Pennsylvania
Campus setting Suburb: Large Suburb: Large
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 70.0% 85.0%
Common app member Yes Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission

Acceptance rate 80.3% 89.4%
Application fees
Undergraduate: $40

Graduate: $40
Undergraduate: $45

Graduate: $50
SAT range 983 - 1210 1070 - 1250
ACT range 20 - 26 23 - 29
Students submitting SAT score 7.0% 27.0%
Students submitting ACT score 84.0% 1.0%
Total number of applicants 6,637 14,020
Total number of admissions given out 5,329 12,528
Admitted students who chose to enroll 1,690 2,628
Yield rate 31.7% 21.0%
Test scores (SAT/ACT) N/A N/A
High school GPA Required Not required
Recommendation letters Not required Not required
High school transcript Not required Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL) Not required Not required

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price
In state: $28,010

Out of state: $38,066
In state: $28,419

Out of state: $40,243
Average net price $7,443 $14,133
Tuition
In state: $10,008

Out of state: $20,064
In state: $7,716

Out of state: $19,290
Room & board $11,454
Room/dormitory: $5,794

Meal plan: $3,700
Available payment plans
  • Tuition payment plan
  • Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

99.0%
Average amount $10,343
100.0%
Average amount $4,607
Students receiving federal student loan 43.0%
Average amount $4,988
51.0%
Average amount $5,238
Students taking out private loans 3.0%
Average amount $10,090
11.0%
Average amount $11,835

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students 10,814
Men 39.8% Women 60.2%
14,471
Men 40.0% Women 60.0%
Graduate students 5,165
Men 25.9% Women 74.1%
3,143
Men 31.7% Women 68.3%
Racial/ethnic diversity
Very Low
Low
Out-of-state students N/A 11.4%
International students 2.0% 0.4%
Campus local/setting Suburb: Large Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity 1,376 5,128
First year students are required to live on campus? No No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from Ohio Indiana Florida Maryland Pennsylvania New Jersey Delaware Maryland New York

Academics

Popular study areas
  • Health Professions
  • Business
  • Education
  • Public Administration and Social Service
  • Visual & Performing Arts
  • Health Professions
  • Business
  • Education
  • Kinesiology & Leisure Studies
  • Public Administration and Social Service
Students to faculty ratio 17:1 20:1
Institutional accreditation Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome

Graduation rate 47.8% 72.8%
Dropout rate 49.3% 7.6%
Transferred out N/A 18.4%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)
Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $94,408
  • Year 3: $98,497
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $92,665
  • Year 2: $90,245
  • Year 3: $95,400
Human Resources Management and Services (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $74,690
  • Year 2: $101,406
  • Year 3: $91,600
Business/Commerce, General (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $86,069
  • Year 2: $81,333
  • Year 3: $79,768
Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $64,058
  • Year 2: $67,420
  • Year 3: $74,689
Construction Management (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $61,266
  • Year 2: $63,005
  • Year 3: $72,692
Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $53,922
  • Year 2: $59,071
  • Year 3: $66,724
Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $62,135
  • Year 2: $59,534
  • Year 3: $65,990
Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $46,914
  • Year 2: $56,867
  • Year 3: $62,291
Law (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $41,900
  • Year 2: $50,856
  • Year 3: $61,904
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $78,514
  • Year 2: $91,211
  • Year 3: $102,513
Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $58,034
  • Year 2: $70,863
  • Year 3: $83,078
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $68,346
  • Year 2: $66,653
  • Year 3: $74,076
Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $56,184
  • Year 2: $59,253
  • Year 3: $67,374
Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $52,978
  • Year 2: $57,589
  • Year 3: $65,537
Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $53,367
  • Year 2: $53,508
  • Year 3: $61,456
Business/Managerial Economics (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $53,396
  • Year 2: $50,856
  • Year 3: $58,904
Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $53,608
  • Year 3: $57,532
Special Education and Teaching (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $51,096
  • Year 2: $58,402
  • Year 3: $56,740
Music (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $52,107
  • Year 3: $56,355

Compare Similar Colleges

The list of suggested college comparisons provided below is generated automatically by our system, utilizing statistics gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and various online sources. If you don't find the colleges you wish to compare, please visit our comparison page. There, you can search for the specific colleges and initiate your comparison.
Northern Kentucky University NKU vs University of Central Arkansas University of Central Arkansas
Northern Kentucky University NKU vs University of Colorado Colorado Springs University of Colorado Colorado Springs
Northern Kentucky University NKU vs University of Northern Colorado University of Northern Colorado
Northern Kentucky University NKU vs University of North Florida University of North Florida
Northern Kentucky University NKU vs Columbus State University Columbus State University
Northern Kentucky University NKU vs Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville
Northern Kentucky University NKU vs Purdue University Fort Wayne Purdue University Fort Wayne
Northern Kentucky University NKU vs Eastern Kentucky University Eastern Kentucky University
Northern Kentucky University NKU vs Murray State University Murray State University
Northern Kentucky University NKU vs Western Kentucky University Western Kentucky University
Northern Kentucky University NKU vs Nicholls State University Nicholls State University
Northern Kentucky University NKU vs University of Louisiana at Monroe University of Louisiana at Monroe
Northern Kentucky University NKU vs Southeastern Louisiana University Southeastern Louisiana University
Northern Kentucky University NKU vs University of Southern Maine University of Southern Maine
Northern Kentucky University NKU vs Central Michigan University Central Michigan University
Northern Kentucky University NKU vs Michigan State University Michigan State University
Northern Kentucky University NKU vs Northwest Missouri State University Northwest Missouri State University
Northern Kentucky University NKU vs Stockton University Stockton University
Northern Kentucky University NKU vs Bowling Green State University-Main Campus Bowling Green State University-Main Campus
Northern Kentucky University NKU vs Case Western Reserve University Case Western Reserve University
Northern Kentucky University NKU vs Miami University-Oxford Miami University-Oxford
Northern Kentucky University NKU vs Ohio University-Main Campus Ohio University-Main Campus
Northern Kentucky University NKU vs University of Toledo University of Toledo
Northern Kentucky University NKU vs Wright State University-Main Campus Wright State University-Main Campus
Northern Kentucky University NKU vs Wright State University-Lake Campus Wright State University-Lake Campus
Northern Kentucky University NKU vs Xavier University Xavier University
Northern Kentucky University NKU vs The University of Tennessee-Martin The University of Tennessee-Martin
Northern Kentucky University NKU vs Florida Gulf Coast University Florida Gulf Coast University
West Chester University of Pennsylvania WCUPA vs University of Colorado Colorado Springs University of Colorado Colorado Springs
West Chester University of Pennsylvania WCUPA vs Northern Kentucky University Northern Kentucky University
West Chester University of Pennsylvania WCUPA vs Salisbury University Salisbury University
West Chester University of Pennsylvania WCUPA vs Towson University Towson University
West Chester University of Pennsylvania WCUPA vs Westfield State University Westfield State University
West Chester University of Pennsylvania WCUPA vs Grand Valley State University Grand Valley State University
West Chester University of Pennsylvania WCUPA vs College of Staten Island CUNY College of Staten Island CUNY
West Chester University of Pennsylvania WCUPA vs Appalachian State University Appalachian State University
West Chester University of Pennsylvania WCUPA vs Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania
West Chester University of Pennsylvania WCUPA vs Bucknell University Bucknell University
West Chester University of Pennsylvania WCUPA vs California University of Pennsylvania California University of Pennsylvania
West Chester University of Pennsylvania WCUPA vs Cedar Crest College Cedar Crest College
West Chester University of Pennsylvania WCUPA vs Cheyney University of Pennsylvania Cheyney University of Pennsylvania
West Chester University of Pennsylvania WCUPA vs Clarion University of Pennsylvania Clarion University of Pennsylvania
West Chester University of Pennsylvania WCUPA vs Dickinson College Dickinson College
West Chester University of Pennsylvania WCUPA vs Drexel University Drexel University
West Chester University of Pennsylvania WCUPA vs East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania
West Chester University of Pennsylvania WCUPA vs Edinboro University of Pennsylvania Edinboro University of Pennsylvania
West Chester University of Pennsylvania WCUPA vs Franklin and Marshall College Franklin and Marshall College
West Chester University of Pennsylvania WCUPA vs Haverford College Haverford College
West Chester University of Pennsylvania WCUPA vs King's College King's College
West Chester University of Pennsylvania WCUPA vs Kutztown University of Pennsylvania Kutztown University of Pennsylvania
West Chester University of Pennsylvania WCUPA vs Lafayette College Lafayette College
West Chester University of Pennsylvania WCUPA vs Lock Haven University Lock Haven University
West Chester University of Pennsylvania WCUPA vs Mansfield University of Pennsylvania Mansfield University of Pennsylvania
West Chester University of Pennsylvania WCUPA vs Millersville University of Pennsylvania Millersville University of Pennsylvania
West Chester University of Pennsylvania WCUPA vs University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown
West Chester University of Pennsylvania WCUPA vs Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania
West Chester University of Pennsylvania WCUPA vs Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania
West Chester University of Pennsylvania WCUPA vs Swarthmore College Swarthmore College
West Chester University of Pennsylvania WCUPA vs Temple University Temple University
West Chester University of Pennsylvania WCUPA vs Villanova University Villanova University
West Chester University of Pennsylvania WCUPA vs The University of Texas at Tyler The University of Texas at Tyler
West Chester University of Pennsylvania WCUPA vs James Madison University James Madison University
West Chester University of Pennsylvania WCUPA vs Marshall University Marshall University
West Chester University of Pennsylvania WCUPA vs University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
West Chester University of Pennsylvania WCUPA vs University of Wisconsin-La Crosse University of Wisconsin-La Crosse
West Chester University of Pennsylvania WCUPA vs DeVry University-Pennsylvania DeVry University-Pennsylvania