Western Colorado University vs MSU-Northern

Western Colorado University and Montana State University-Northern, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer unique educational experiences to students seeking a transformative college journey. While they share commonalities, such as a commitment to academic excellence and student success, they also possess distinct characteristics that set them apart. This side-by-side comparison delves into the intricacies of each university, highlighting key differences in acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates. By exploring these aspects, prospective students can gain valuable insights into the distinctive qualities of each institution, enabling them to make informed decisions about their academic pursuits and find the ideal fit for their individual aspirations and goals.

	Montana State University-Northern	Western Colorado University
Overview
Location	Havre, Montana	Gunnison, Colorado
Campus setting	Town: Remote	Town: Remote
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%	74.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	100.0%	90.9%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $30 Graduate: $30	Undergraduate: $30 Graduate: $50
SAT range	N/A	1040 - 1230
ACT range	N/A	21 - 26
Students submitting SAT score		37.0%
Students submitting ACT score		11.0%
Total number of applicants	604	3,243
Total number of admissions given out	604	2,947
Admitted students who chose to enroll	189	456
Yield rate	31.3%	15.5%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)		N/A
High school GPA	N/A	Not required
Recommendation letters	N/A	Not required
High school transcript	N/A	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	N/A	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $18,255 Out of state: $30,965	In state: $26,956 Out of state: $38,740
Average net price	$10,954	$17,490
Tuition	In state: $4,496 Out of state: $17,096	In state: $6,816 Out of state: $18,600
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $2,470 Meal plan: $4,050	Room/dormitory: $5,200 Meal plan: $4,790
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	92.0% Average amount $6,857	87.0% Average amount $8,085
Students receiving federal student loan	45.0% Average amount $4,649	56.0% Average amount $4,669
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $11,383	7.0% Average amount $12,501

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,008 Men 57.8% Women 42.2%	3,241 Men 51.4% Women 48.6%
Graduate students	42 Men 23.8% Women 76.2%	448 Men 31.2% Women 68.8%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	34.9%
International students	N/A	0.3%
Campus local/setting	Town: Remote	Town: Remote
Dormitory capacity	300	1,241
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	Colorado Texas California Alaska Illinois

Academics
Popular study areas	Automotive Technology Education Health Professions Agriculture Liberal Arts	Education Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Natural Resources and Conservation Business Social Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	14:1	18:1
Institutional accreditation	Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	31.3%	47.6%
Dropout rate	67.3%	32.8%
Transferred out	N/A	17.2%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $65,917 Year 2: $66,461 Year 3: $64,057 Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,578 Year 2: $55,286 Year 3: $61,754 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $57,860 Year 3: $61,499 Student Counseling and Personnel Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $51,607 Year 3: $52,750 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,870 Year 2: $39,369 Year 3: $36,394 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $32,097 Year 2: $32,925 Year 3: $33,261 Electrical Engineering Technologies/Technicians (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: N/A Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $33,282 Year 2: $36,134 Year 3: N/A Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $35,060 Year 3: N/A	Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $46,087 Year 3: $50,432 Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $29,076 Year 2: $40,365 Year 3: $45,493 Education, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $42,272 Year 2: $40,488 Year 3: $43,479 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,324 Year 2: $33,281 Year 3: $39,884 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,326 Year 2: $28,405 Year 3: $39,040 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,244 Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: $37,581 Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $18,798 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $36,678 Business/Commerce, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $39,585 Year 3: $35,898 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $26,963 Year 2: $27,947 Year 3: $35,691 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $23,793 Year 2: $27,874 Year 3: $34,114

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