Western Connecticut State University (WCSU) vs CCSU-New Britain

Western Connecticut State University and Central Connecticut State University, both esteemed public universities in Connecticut, offer distinct educational experiences. Western, nestled in Danbury, boasts a smaller student body, fostering a close-knit community feel, while Central, located in New Britain, offers a more diverse student population and a wider range of academic programs. With acceptance rates of 79% and 75% respectively, both universities welcome a substantial number of applicants. While Western excels in fields like nursing and education, Central shines in business and engineering. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more about these universities' unique strengths, including graduation rates, financial aid opportunities, and campus life, to make an informed decision that aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Central Connecticut State University	Western Connecticut State University
Overview
Location	New Britain, Connecticut	Danbury, Connecticut
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	City: Small
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%	69.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	74.8%	84.9%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $50	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $50
SAT range	950 - 1180	N/A
ACT range	19 - 26	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	52.0%
Students submitting ACT score	1.0%
Total number of applicants	6,285	4,688
Total number of admissions given out	4,703	3,978
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,093	733
Yield rate	23.2%	18.4%
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	In state: $27,572 Out of state: $40,976	In state: $28,783 Out of state: $42,187
Average net price	$14,425	$15,660
Tuition	In state: $6,162 Out of state: $18,436	In state: $6,162 Out of state: $18,436
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,174 Meal plan: $5,200	Room/dormitory: $8,020 Meal plan: $5,856
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	90.0% Average amount $6,526	78.0% Average amount $6,312
Students receiving federal student loan	48.0% Average amount $5,113	58.0% Average amount $7,417
Students taking out private loans	7.0% Average amount $10,404	5.0% Average amount $12,388

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	7,748 Men 53.5% Women 46.5%	4,172 Men 47.6% Women 52.4%
Graduate students	1,905 Men 35.9% Women 64.1%	630 Men 25.4% Women 74.6%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	5.6%	28.6%
International students	1.6%	0.4%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	2,512	1,315
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Connecticut Mississippi New York New Jersey Rhode Island	Connecticut New York New Jersey Mississippi Maine

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Business Health Professions Computer and Information Science Engineering Technologies	Business Psychology Health Professions Law Enforcement and Firefighting Visual & Performing Arts
Students to faculty ratio	14:1	11:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	54.7%	52.9%
Dropout rate	14.3%	12.0%
Transferred out	27.2%	31.0%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $187,984 Year 2: $198,307 Year 3: $194,357 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $79,864 Year 2: $87,604 Year 3: $98,038 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $66,439 Year 2: $70,456 Year 3: $97,145 Educational Administration and Supervision (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: $78,617 Year 2: $82,685 Year 3: $86,267 Computer Engineering Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $54,056 Year 2: $60,839 Year 3: $79,520 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,268 Year 2: $68,422 Year 3: $79,440 Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,906 Year 2: $63,997 Year 3: $78,042 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $68,873 Year 2: $69,617 Year 3: $76,973 Construction Management (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $65,468 Year 2: $65,131 Year 3: $76,161 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $73,686 Year 2: $68,139 Year 3: $71,268	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $75,081 Year 2: $75,104 Year 3: $76,468 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $51,332 Year 2: $57,995 Year 3: $70,455 Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,994 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $65,192 Education, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $56,867 Year 3: $58,464 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $49,944 Year 2: $46,321 Year 3: $51,949 Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $43,260 Year 2: $41,464 Year 3: $50,288 Student Counseling and Personnel Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $47,672 Year 2: $46,087 Year 3: $49,639 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,963 Year 2: $45,340 Year 3: $47,607 Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,029 Year 2: $41,441 Year 3: $44,462 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $32,205 Year 2: $35,877 Year 3: $43,291

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