Western Carolina University: Statistics
Updated:

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 |
Quick Review
- Acceptance rate
- 79%
- 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
Undergraduates | Graduates | |
---|---|---|
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% |
|
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.
Publication / Citation count by topic
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 |
Western Carolina University alumni
-
David Sedaris
- 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.
-
Rich Hall
- 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.
-
Geno Segers
- 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.
-
Kevin Martin
- 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.





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 |