Western Michigan University (WMU) vs Portland State

Western Michigan University (WMU) and Portland State University (PSU) are two distinct institutions of higher learning, each offering unique opportunities and experiences to their students. WMU, located in Kalamazoo, Michigan, boasts a higher acceptance rate (79%) compared to PSU's 73%, making it a more accessible option for prospective students. Both universities offer a diverse range of undergraduate programs, with WMU excelling in fields like engineering, business, and health sciences, while PSU shines in areas such as urban studies, sustainability, and social sciences. While WMU's student body is predominantly White (68%), PSU's student population is more diverse, with a significant proportion of Asian (22%) and Hispanic (16%) students. In terms of graduation rates, WMU has a slight edge over PSU, with a four-year graduation rate of 33% compared to PSU's 29%. To help you make an informed decision about your higher education journey
Portland State University logo

Portland State University

Western Michigan University logo

Western Michigan University

Overview

Location Portland, Oregon Kalamazoo, Michigan
Campus setting City: Large City: Small
College type 4 year 4 year
Control/business model Public Public
Calendar system Quarter Semester
Degrees offered Undergraduate and Graduate Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate 76.0% 77.0%
Common app member Yes Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission

Acceptance rate 98.4% 82.8%
Application fees
Undergraduate: $60

Graduate: $67
Undergraduate: $40

Graduate: $50
SAT range 1000 - 1250 1000 - 1220
ACT range 17 - 24 21 - 27
Students submitting SAT score 9.0% 37.0%
Students submitting ACT score 8.0% 7.0%
Total number of applicants 6,859 18,853
Total number of admissions given out 6,751 15,612
Admitted students who chose to enroll 1,741 2,112
Yield rate 25.8% 13.5%
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: $28,296

Out of state: $47,196
In state: $27,947

Out of state: $31,281
Average net price $13,015 $19,749
Tuition
In state: $8,685

Out of state: $27,585
In state: $13,334

Out of state: $16,668
Room & board
Room/dormitory: $7,179

Meal plan: $4,548
$10,884
Available payment plans
  • Tuition payment plan
  • Tuition payment plan
  • Other alternative tuition plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

70.0%
Average amount $9,424
95.0%
Average amount $6,352
Students receiving federal student loan 40.0%
Average amount $4,437
49.0%
Average amount $5,188
Students taking out private loans 3.0%
Average amount $16,901
10.0%
Average amount $15,132

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students 17,753
Men 43.8% Women 56.2%
14,587
Men 50.1% Women 49.9%
Graduate students 5,105
Men 35.5% Women 64.5%
3,679
Men 37.4% Women 62.6%
Racial/ethnic diversity
Moderate
Low
Out-of-state students 20.4% 23.8%
International students 5.0% 7.3%
Campus local/setting City: Large City: Small
Dormitory capacity 2,352 5,130
First year students are required to live on campus? No No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from Oregon California Washington Hawaii Colorado Michigan Illinois Indiana Wisconsin Ohio

Academics

Popular study areas
  • Education
  • Engineering
  • Business
  • Public Administration and Social Service
  • Computer and Information Science
  • Health Professions
  • Education
  • Engineering
  • Business
  • Multidisciplinary Studies
Students to faculty ratio 19:1 16:1
Institutional accreditation Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities Higher Learning Commission

Outcome

Graduation rate 53.8% 56.3%
Dropout rate 18.3% 14.6%
Transferred out 23.4% 25.6%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)
Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $97,974
  • Year 2: $95,073
  • Year 3: $103,264
Finance and Financial Management Services (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $71,050
  • Year 2: $78,971
  • Year 3: $95,745
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $84,403
  • Year 2: $86,867
  • Year 3: $95,669
Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $76,452
  • Year 2: $80,186
  • Year 3: $93,529
Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $72,696
  • Year 2: $71,575
  • Year 3: $81,800
Health and Medical Administrative Services (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $58,166
  • Year 2: $63,005
  • Year 3: $78,147
Civil Engineering (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $66,319
  • Year 2: $64,791
  • Year 3: $73,804
Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $62,670
  • Year 2: $62,479
  • Year 3: $72,114
Public Administration (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $56,109
  • Year 2: $59,214
  • Year 3: $67,065
Civil Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $61,483
  • Year 2: $57,860
  • Year 3: $65,846
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $102,212
  • Year 2: $103,274
  • Year 3: $105,179
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $77,392
  • Year 2: $73,801
  • Year 3: $88,332
Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $84,653
  • Year 3: $87,977
Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $59,143
  • Year 2: $65,945
  • Year 3: $79,982
Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Doctoral Degrees)
  • Year 1: $69,346
  • Year 2: $70,456
  • Year 3: $77,922
Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $70,069
  • Year 2: $73,562
  • Year 3: $77,263
Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $67,557
  • Year 2: $70,776
  • Year 3: $75,447
Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $63,559
  • Year 2: $69,338
  • Year 3: $73,968
Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $66,118
  • Year 2: $63,749
  • Year 3: $72,465
Engineering-Related Fields (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $57,803
  • Year 2: $59,576
  • Year 3: $69,288

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.
Portland State University Portland State vs University of Arkansas at Little Rock University of Arkansas at Little Rock
Portland State University Portland State vs Arkansas State University Arkansas State University
Portland State University Portland State vs San Diego State University San Diego State University
Portland State University Portland State vs University of Colorado Colorado Springs University of Colorado Colorado Springs
Portland State University Portland State vs University of Northern Colorado University of Northern Colorado
Portland State University Portland State vs Colorado State University Pueblo Colorado State University Pueblo
Portland State University Portland State vs University of Central Florida University of Central Florida
Portland State University Portland State vs Florida Atlantic University Florida Atlantic University
Portland State University Portland State vs Boise State University Boise State University
Portland State University Portland State vs Brigham Young University-Idaho Brigham Young University-Idaho
Portland State University Portland State vs Illinois State University Illinois State University
Portland State University Portland State vs Ball State University Ball State University
Portland State University Portland State vs Indiana University-Purdue University-Indianapolis Indiana University-Purdue University-Indianapolis
Portland State University Portland State vs University of New Orleans University of New Orleans
Portland State University Portland State vs University of Louisiana at Lafayette University of Louisiana at Lafayette
Portland State University Portland State vs Eastern Michigan University Eastern Michigan University
Portland State University Portland State vs Oakland University Oakland University
Portland State University Portland State vs University of Missouri-Kansas City University of Missouri-Kansas City
Portland State University Portland State vs University of Missouri-St Louis University of Missouri-St Louis
Portland State University Portland State vs Missouri State University-Springfield Missouri State University-Springfield
Portland State University Portland State vs University of Nebraska at Omaha University of Nebraska at Omaha
Portland State University Portland State vs Rutgers University-Camden Rutgers University-Camden
Portland State University Portland State vs College of Staten Island CUNY College of Staten Island CUNY
Portland State University Portland State vs University of North Carolina at Charlotte University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Portland State University Portland State vs University of North Carolina at Greensboro University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Portland State University Portland State vs Bowling Green State University-Main Campus Bowling Green State University-Main Campus
Portland State University Portland State vs Cleveland State University Cleveland State University
Portland State University Portland State vs Miami University-Oxford Miami University-Oxford
Portland State University Portland State vs Ohio University-Main Campus Ohio University-Main Campus
Portland State University Portland State vs University of Toledo University of Toledo
Portland State University Portland State vs Wright State University-Main Campus Wright State University-Main Campus
Portland State University Portland State vs Indiana University of Pennsylvania-Main Campus Indiana University of Pennsylvania-Main Campus
Portland State University Portland State vs Texas State University Texas State University
Portland State University Portland State vs University of Vermont University of Vermont
Portland State University Portland State vs Old Dominion University Old Dominion University
Portland State University Portland State vs University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Portland State University Portland State vs DeVry University-California DeVry University-California
Portland State University Portland State vs DeVry University-Nevada DeVry University-Nevada
Western Michigan University WMU vs Northern Arizona University Northern Arizona University
Western Michigan University WMU vs California State Polytechnic University-Pomona California State Polytechnic University-Pomona
Western Michigan University WMU vs California State University-Fullerton California State University-Fullerton
Western Michigan University WMU vs University of Northern Colorado University of Northern Colorado
Western Michigan University WMU vs Eastern Illinois University Eastern Illinois University
Western Michigan University WMU vs Illinois State University Illinois State University
Western Michigan University WMU vs Northern Illinois University Northern Illinois University
Western Michigan University WMU vs Southern Illinois University-Carbondale Southern Illinois University-Carbondale
Western Michigan University WMU vs Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville
Western Michigan University WMU vs Western Illinois University Western Illinois University
Western Michigan University WMU vs Ball State University Ball State University
Western Michigan University WMU vs Indiana State University Indiana State University
Western Michigan University WMU vs University of Northern Iowa University of Northern Iowa
Western Michigan University WMU vs Central Michigan University Central Michigan University
Western Michigan University WMU vs Eastern Michigan University Eastern Michigan University
Western Michigan University WMU vs Ferris State University Ferris State University
Western Michigan University WMU vs Grand Valley State University Grand Valley State University
Western Michigan University WMU vs Michigan State University Michigan State University
Western Michigan University WMU vs University of Michigan-Dearborn University of Michigan-Dearborn
Western Michigan University WMU vs Northern Michigan University Northern Michigan University
Western Michigan University WMU vs Saginaw Valley State University Saginaw Valley State University
Western Michigan University WMU vs University of Minnesota-Duluth University of Minnesota-Duluth
Western Michigan University WMU vs University of Missouri-St Louis University of Missouri-St Louis
Western Michigan University WMU vs Appalachian State University Appalachian State University
Western Michigan University WMU vs East Carolina University East Carolina University
Western Michigan University WMU vs Wright State University-Main Campus Wright State University-Main Campus
Western Michigan University WMU vs Portland State University Portland State University
Western Michigan University WMU vs Texas State University Texas State University
Western Michigan University WMU vs University of Vermont University of Vermont
Western Michigan University WMU vs Old Dominion University Old Dominion University
Western Michigan University WMU vs University of Wisconsin-Whitewater University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
Western Michigan University WMU vs University of Wisconsin-Green Bay University of Wisconsin-Green Bay
Western Michigan University WMU vs University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh