Western Carolina University (WCU) vs Wake Forest University (WFU)

Western Carolina University and Wake Forest University, both esteemed institutions in North Carolina, offer distinct educational experiences. Western Carolina, nestled in the picturesque mountains, boasts an acceptance rate of 79%, making it more accessible to a wider range of students. Wake Forest, renowned for its academic rigor, has a highly selective admissions process with an acceptance rate of 33%. While Western Carolina excels in fields like nursing, education, and business, Wake Forest shines in areas such as business, biology, and psychology. Western Carolina's student body is predominantly composed of North Carolina residents, while Wake Forest attracts a more diverse population from across the nation and the world. Both universities boast impressive graduation rates, with Western Carolina at 62% and Wake Forest at 89%. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more about these universities and make an informed decision that aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Wake Forest University	Western Carolina University
Overview
Location	Winston-Salem, North Carolina	Cullowhee, North Carolina
Campus setting	City: Midsize	Town: Distant
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	94.0%	75.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	25.2%	79.4%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $85 Graduate: $80	Undergraduate: $65 Graduate: $65
SAT range	N/A	1060 - 1230
ACT range	N/A	19 - 25
Students submitting SAT score		12.0%
Students submitting ACT score		43.0%
Total number of applicants	15,156	12,308
Total number of admissions given out	3,816	9,775
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,412	1,729
Yield rate	37.0%	17.7%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Not required
High school transcript	Required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$79,886	In state: $19,349 Out of state: $23,349
Average net price	$24,643	$13,082
Tuition	$58,708	In state: $1,000 Out of state: $5,000
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $10,144 Meal plan: $7,870	Room/dormitory: $6,403 Meal plan: $5,029
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	33.0% Average amount $53,244	73.0% Average amount $5,772
Students receiving federal student loan	17.0% Average amount $4,985	56.0% Average amount $4,850
Students taking out private loans	3.0% Average amount $32,719	9.0% Average amount $9,396

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	5,472 Men 45.7% Women 54.3%	10,145 Men 43.6% Women 56.4%
Graduate students	3,475 Men 42.4% Women 57.6%	1,732 Men 32.1% Women 67.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	17.7%
International students	9.8%	1.7%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	Town: Distant
Dormitory capacity	4,152	3,815
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	North Carolina South Carolina Georgia Florida Tennessee

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Health Professions Legal Profession Education Biological and Biomedical Sciences	Health Professions Education Business Public Administration and Social Service Engineering Technologies
Students to faculty ratio	10:1	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	90.2%	61.4%
Dropout rate	9.5%	10.2%
Transferred out	N/A	27.5%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $169,430 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $155,438 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $96,143 Year 2: $96,587 Year 3: $105,398 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $73,169 Year 2: $80,510 Year 3: $96,761 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $86,086 Year 2: $76,836 Year 3: $93,939 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $70,098 Year 2: $71,015 Year 3: $89,902 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $61,076 Year 2: $65,145 Year 3: $79,400 Business/Commerce, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $65,533 Year 2: $66,653 Year 3: $76,702 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $58,731 Year 2: $60,811 Year 3: $72,065 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,100 Year 2: $55,693 Year 3: $70,717 Medicine (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $56,086 Year 2: $57,411 Year 3: $65,270	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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