Western Carolina University: Statistics

Updated:

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Position Category
#1579 of 14,131 In the World
#436 of 2,597 In North America
#391 of 2,496 In the United States
#12 of 65 In North Carolina
#293 of 1,012 For Special Education
Top50% For 71 other topics
Subject rankings

Quick Review

Acceptance rate
79%
Average SAT
1145
Average ACT
22
Aid receiving
86%
Undergraduates
10,145
Graduates
1,732
Male:Female Ratio
41:59
Control
Public
Highest Degree
Doctor's degree
Website
wcu.edu

Western Carolina University Acceptance rate and admissions statistics

Western Carolina University has an acceptance rate of 79% and is in the middle in terms of the difficulty of admission among universities in the United States. The university reports the admission statistics without distinguishing between local and international students.

Total Men Women
Acceptance Rate 79% 79% 80%
Applicants 12,308 4,714 7,594
Admissions 9,775 3,714 6,061
Freshmen enrolled full time 1,701 761 940
Freshmen enrolled part time 28 9 19

3,568 students enrolled in some distance education courses.

2,820 enrolled exclusively in distance education.

SAT scores

Among admitted applicants
205 or 12%
submitted SAT

25% of them
had 1060
or below

75% of them
had 1230
or below

Typical SAT scores of first-years in Western Carolina University are 1060-1230 (middle 50% range).

ACT scores

Among admitted applicants
740 or 43%
submitted ACT

25% of them
had 19
or below

75% of them
had 25
or below

Typical ACT scores of first-years in Western Carolina University are 19-25 (middle 50% range).

Admissions requirements

College-preparatory program Required
Secondary school GPA Required
Secondary school record Required
TOEFL Required
Secondary school rank Recommended
Recommendations Considered but not required
SAT/ACT Considered but not required
Formal demonstration of competencies Neither required nor recommended
Other Tests Neither required nor recommended

Enrollment demographics by race or ethnicity

White 9224 (78%)
Hispanic 891 (8%)
Black or African American 722 (6%)
Two or more races 387 (3%)
Nonresident Alien 206 (2%)
Race or Ethnicity unknown 163 (1%)
Asian 158 (1%)
American Indian or Alaska Native 51 (0.4%)
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander 10 (0.1%)

Costs per year: Tuition, Housing, Fees

The final cost of attendance varies for each student based on household income, residency, program, and other factors.

Average aid awarded
$5,772
Students receiving aid
86%

Tuition and fees

UndergraduatesGraduates
Tuition in-district $1,000$4,435
Tuition in-state $1,000$4,435
Tuition out-of-state $5,000$14,842
Fee in-district $3,367$3,045
Fee in-state $3,367$3,045
Fee out-of-state $3,367$3,045

Room and board costs

Dormitory capacity 3,815
Combined charge for room and board $11,432
Room charge $6,403
Meal charge $5,029

Western Carolina University majors

Western Carolina University has granted 2,337 bachelor's degrees across 64 programs, 544 master's across 25 programs, and 65 doctorate degrees across 3 programs. Below is a table with majors that lead to degrees at Western Carolina University.

Major Bachelor Master Doctoral
Business Administration and Management, General 222 24
Registered Nursing & Registered Nurse 167 45
Criminal Justice & Safety Studies 145
Psychology, General 110 12
Biology & Biological Sciences, General 91 5
Social Work 41 54
Public Administration 76 10
Communication Sciences and Disorders, General 55 29
Emergency Medical Technology & Technician (EMT Paramedic) 81
Health Services & Allied Health & Health Sciences, General 72
Accounting 45 21
Engineering Technologies & Technicians, General 63
Construction Engineering Technology & Technician 37 21
Marketing & Marketing Management, General 57
Marketing, Other 31 24
Elementary Education and Teaching 54
English Language and Literature, General 42 10
Sport and Fitness Administration & Management 28 22
Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Facilities Management, General 46
Anthropology, General 45
Kindergarten & Preschool Education and Teaching 43
Education, General 41
Management Information Systems, General 41
History, General 33 6
Speech Communication and Rhetoric 39
Health & Health Care Administration & Management 38
College Student Counseling and Personnel Services 37
Educational Leadership and Administration, General 21 16
Fine & Studio Arts, General 33 4
Business Administration, Management and Operations, Other 36
Human Resources Management & Personnel Administration, General 35
Hospitality Administration & Management, General 33
Electrical and Electronics Engineering 32
Physical Therapy & Therapist 32
Music Performance, General 31
Chemistry, General 22 7
Engineering, General 29
Finance, General 28
Therapeutic Recreation & Recreational Therapy 27
Drama and Dramatics & Theatre Arts, General 24
Interior Design 24
Forensic Chemistry 23
Athletic Training & Trainer 22
Environmental Health 21
Environmental & Natural Resources Management and Policy, General 21
Spanish Language and Literature 21
Special Education and Teaching, General 21
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods, Other 21
Environmental Science 20
Political Science and Government, General 20
Electrical, Electronic, and Communications Engineering Technology & Technician 19
Mathematics, General 18
Computer Science 17
Music Teacher Education 17
Nursing Practice 17
Sociology, General 17
Educational, Instructional, and Curriculum Supervision 14
Art & Art Studies, General 12
Radio, Television, and Digital Communication, Other 12
Dietetics & Dietitian 11
Entrepreneurship & Entrepreneurial Studies 11
Physical Education Teaching and Coaching 11
Music, General 10
English & Language Arts Teacher Education 9
Junior High & Intermediate & Middle School Education and Teaching 9
Geology & Earth Science, General 8
Philosophy 8
Science Teacher Education & General Science Teacher Education 8
Social Studies Teacher Education 7
International & Globalization Studies 6
Liberal Arts and Sciences & Liberal Studies 6
Industrial Technology & Technician 5
Art Teacher Education 3
Counselor Education & School Counseling and Guidance Services 2
Mathematics Teacher Education 1
Spanish Language Teacher Education 1
Grand Total 2,337 544 65

Western Carolina University has a graduation rate of 61%, which is among the 39% highest for universities in the US.

Total Men Women
Graduation rate 61% 58% 64%
  • Full-time retention rate - 75%
  • Part-time retention rate - 48%

Publications & Citations

Western Carolina University has published 4,480 scientific papers with 61,936 citations received. The research profile covers a range of fields, including Liberal Arts & Social Sciences, Political Science, Psychology, Law, Environmental Science, Sociology, Computer Science, Medicine, Biology, and Philosophy.

Publications
4,480
Citations
61,936

Publication / Citation count by topic

Liberal Arts & Social Sciences
3,087 / 44,668
Political Science
2,026 / 23,035
Psychology
1,905 / 33,612
Law
1,884 / 22,154
Environmental Science
1,818 / 28,250
Sociology
1,814 / 30,336
Computer Science
1,788 / 29,715
Medicine
1,768 / 24,389
Biology
1,735 / 31,182
Philosophy
1,398 / 22,766
Engineering
1,367 / 15,836
Business
1,313 / 17,240
Physics
1,226 / 15,322
Mathematics
1,211 / 19,281
Geography and Cartography
1,070 / 17,607
Economics
990 / 10,167
History
919 / 12,274
Chemistry
909 / 13,556
Geology
857 / 17,038
Social Psychology
841 / 21,426
Ecology
819 / 14,017
Quantum and Particle physics
739 / 8,695
Archaeology
712 / 11,599
Statistics
668 / 13,396
Education Majors
658 / 7,280
Psychiatry
650 / 11,071
Development Studies
641 / 5,130
Linguistics
639 / 9,409
Paleontology
631 / 13,094
Management
588 / 10,620
Art & Design
575 / 5,477
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
545 / 7,119
Math Teachers
539 / 6,522
Child Psychology
526 / 10,191
Genetics
488 / 11,525
Health Science
465 / 4,507
Pathology
444 / 6,707
Marketing
437 / 6,043
Biochemistry
411 / 7,302
Anthropology
405 / 13,118

Annual publication & citation counts

Year Publications Citations
1990 28 155
1991 37 158
1992 35 134
1993 41 147
1994 40 192
1995 48 177
1996 45 181
1997 68 242
1998 63 276
1999 74 309
2000 70 346
2001 55 417
2002 54 487
2003 66 550
2004 64 531
2005 82 743
2006 84 831
2007 123 971
2008 133 1144
2009 139 1417
2010 176 1618
2011 157 1961
2012 159 2359
2013 190 2733
2014 162 3186
2015 197 3334
2016 202 3342
2017 203 3557
2018 217 3804
2019 213 4553
2020 245 5396
2021 279 6577
2022 215 5883
Academic rankings

Western Carolina University alumni

  1. David Sedaris

    David Sedaris
    Born in
    United States Flag United States
    Years
    1956-.. (age 67)
    Occupations
    essayistwritercomedian
    Biography

    David Raymond Sedaris is an American humorist, comedian, author, and radio contributor. He was publicly recognized in 1992 when National Public Radio broadcast his essay "Santaland Diaries.” He published his first collection of essays and short stories, Barrel Fever, in 1994. His next book, Naked (1997), became his first of a series of New York Times Bestsellers, and his 2000 collection Me Talk Pretty One Day won the Thurber Prize for American Humor.

  2. Rich Hall

    Rich Hall
    Born in
    United States Flag United States
    Years
    1954-.. (age 69)
    Occupations
    television actorfilm producercomedy writeractorscreenwriter
    Biography

    Richard Travis Hall is an American comedian, writer, documentary maker and musician, first coming to prominence as a sketch comedian in the 1980s. He wrote and performed for a range of American networks, in series such as Fridays, Not Necessarily the News (popularising the "sniglet" neologism), and Saturday Night Live.

  3. Geno Segers

    Geno Segers
    Born in
    United States Flag United States
    Years
    1976-.. (age 47)
    Occupations
    television actorvoice actoractorrugby league playerstage actor
    Biography

    Lonnie G. "Geno" Segers Jr. is an American actor known for his roles as Chayton Littlestone in the Cinemax original series Banshee, Dwayne in NBC's Perfect Harmony, Mason Makoola in the Disney XD television series Pair of Kings, Kincaid on MTV's Teen Wolf and also as co-host of Fort Boyard: Ultimate Challenge for two seasons.

  4. Kevin Martin

    Kevin Martin
    Born in
    United States Flag United States
    Years
    1983-.. (age 40)
    Occupations
    basketball player
    Biography

    Kevin Dallas Martin Jr. is an American retired professional basketball player who played 12 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for Western Carolina University, where in his junior year, he averaged 24.9 points per game, which ranked second in the nation. After three years at Western Carolina, he entered the 2004 NBA draft and was selected with the 26th overall pick by the Sacramento Kings.

All 18 notable alumni

General info

Alternative names WCU
Founded 1889
Motto No Matter Your Choice, Decide to Succeed
Colors purple, gold
Academic calendar August to August (August - December; January-May; May-August)
Total FTE staff 1,607
Carnegie classification Master's Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs

Location and contacts

Address Highway 107
Cullowhee, North Carolina, 28723-9646
United States
City population 8,000
Phone 8282277100

Western Carolina University in social media