Wilkes University vs Cedar Crest College

Wilkes University and Cedar Crest College, both esteemed institutions of higher learning in Pennsylvania, offer distinct educational experiences. Wilkes, a private university in Wilkes-Barre, boasts a higher acceptance rate (78%) compared to Cedar Crest's 68%. While Cedar Crest, a private liberal arts college in Allentown, has a smaller student body, it offers a more diverse range of undergraduate programs, including popular majors like nursing, business, and psychology. Wilkes, on the other hand, excels in engineering, biology, and criminal justice. Both institutions boast impressive graduation rates, with Wilkes at 75% and Cedar Crest at 72%. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more key differences and make an informed decision about your academic journey.

	Cedar Crest College	Wilkes University
Overview
Location	Allentown, Pennsylvania	Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
Campus setting	City: Midsize	City: Small
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	75.0%	75.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	68.8%	94.8%
Application fees	$50	Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $45
SAT range	1020 - 1210	1040 - 1250
ACT range	20 - 29	20 - 28
Students submitting SAT score	33.0%	30.0%
Students submitting ACT score	4.0%	5.0%
Total number of applicants	1,233	4,019
Total number of admissions given out	848	3,809
Admitted students who chose to enroll	168	556
Yield rate	19.8%	14.6%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Not required
High school transcript	Required	Required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$58,610	$55,207
Average net price	$23,501	$30,155
Tuition	$41,991	$37,994
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,750 Meal plan: $6,769	Room/dormitory: $9,492 Meal plan: $6,206
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	99.0% Average amount $30,039	96.0% Average amount $26,371
Students receiving federal student loan	84.0% Average amount $5,564	84.0% Average amount $5,594
Students taking out private loans	22.0% Average amount $13,506	32.0% Average amount $16,328

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,053 Men 6.2% Women 93.8%	2,232 Men 45.5% Women 54.5%
Graduate students	387 Men 14.2% Women 85.8%	3,044 Men 22.5% Women 77.5%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	27.4%	26.5%
International students	3.3%	2.4%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	552	1,184
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Pennsylvania New Jersey Maryland Delaware New York	Pennsylvania New Jersey New York Maryland Connecticut

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Business Education Family and Consumer Sciences Public Administration and Social Service	Education Health Professions Liberal Arts Engineering Business
Students to faculty ratio	9:1	13:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	63.7%	61.4%
Dropout rate	22.4%	11.2%
Transferred out	13.4%	26.7%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,377 Year 2: $64,406 Year 3: $65,730 Education, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $46,752 Year 2: $46,869 Year 3: $50,703 Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition Services (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: $49,958 Year 2: $45,696 Year 3: $49,457 Social Work (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $33,565 Year 3: $40,802 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $28,443 Year 3: $28,616 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $32,925 Year 3: N/A Criminology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $33,993 Year 3: N/A Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $29,141 Year 3: N/A Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $44,021 Year 3: N/A	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $126,057 Year 2: $133,171 Year 3: $124,927 Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $107,920 Year 2: $110,559 Year 3: $119,036 Engineering, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,305 Year 2: $53,984 Year 3: $65,444 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $61,200 Year 2: $53,219 Year 3: $64,060 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $56,705 Year 2: $52,733 Year 3: $63,832 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,105 Year 2: $65,035 Year 3: $63,464 Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $54,835 Year 2: $52,941 Year 3: $59,300 Education, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $54,977 Year 2: $49,631 Year 3: $56,693 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $53,044 Year 2: $53,099 Year 3: $55,573 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $46,218 Year 2: $44,776 Year 3: $55,534

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