Western Carolina University
Cullowhee, NC · Public · Town (distant) · WCU · Western
Public institution in Cullowhee, NC · 9,867 undergraduates · 87% acceptance rate · $49,458 median earnings 10 years after entry.
- Top 6%In-state tuition & fees
- Top 9%Out-of-state tuition & fees
- Top 12%Undergraduates
- Top 16%Cost of attendance
Stats
College Scorecard figures, each with where this school sits nationally among institutions that report the same measure. A dash means the school does not report it.
Cost
- Average net price
- $12,579485th cheapest of 1,985 reporting
- In-state tuition & fees
- $4,532122nd cheapest of 2,042 reporting
- Out-of-state tuition & fees
- $8,532176th cheapest of 2,042 reporting
- Cost of attendance
- $19,057316th cheapest of 1,985 reporting
- Median graduate debt
- $21,868878th lowest of 1,880 reporting
Outcomes
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $49,4581,102nd highest of 1,969 reporting
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $43,0851,017th highest of 1,964 reporting
- Graduation rate (4-year)
- 59.1%809th highest of 2,031 reporting
- Full-time retention
- 75.5%942nd highest of 1,853 reporting
Admissions
- Acceptance rate
- 86.7%1,126th most selective of 1,608 reporting
- Average SAT
- 1151521st highest of 1,024 reporting
- Median ACT
- 22605th highest of 954 reporting
Campus
- Undergraduates
- 9,867260th largest of 2,162 reporting
- Student-faculty ratio
- 16.0:11,471st smallest of 2,159 reporting
- Pell Grant share
- 32.9%1,062nd highest of 2,140 reporting
Nearest large-hub airport: 127 mi (CLT)
On 1 of our 111 lists
Every published ranking this school appears on, with its rank there.
Applying
- EANov 1
- RDFeb 1
- Common App member
- Yes
- Application fee
- $65
- Personal essay
- Optional / not required
- Writing supplement
- No
Deadlines and essay flags come from the Common App Requirements Grid, joined by school name. Always confirm against the school’s own admissions page before applying.
Best-paying fields of study
Median earnings one and two years after graduating, by field. Showing 12 of 55 reported programs.
| Field | Level | 1 yr | 2 yr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical, Electronics and Communications EngineeringEngineering | bachelors | $63,600 | $62,012 |
| Public Administration | bachelors | $58,221 | $52,107 |
| Engineering Technology, GeneralEngineering Technology | bachelors | $57,770 | $54,996 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingHealth Professions | bachelors | $57,705 | $57,318 |
| Construction Engineering TechnologiesEngineering Technology | bachelors | $55,061 | $58,221 |
| Electrical Engineering Technologies/TechniciansEngineering Technology | bachelors | $55,036 | $42,682 |
| Computer Science | bachelors | $50,856 | $53,775 |
| Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment ProfessionsHealth Professions | bachelors | $49,918 | $49,227 |
| Management Information Systems and ServicesBusiness | bachelors | $43,240 | $40,821 |
| Security Science and TechnologyHomeland Security & Law Enforcement | bachelors | $40,068 | $40,017 |
| Accounting and Related ServicesBusiness | bachelors | $39,153 | $37,856 |
| Finance and Financial Management ServicesBusiness | bachelors | $38,289 | $39,369 |
Campus facts
- Founded in 1889source
- Athletic nickname: "Catamounts"source
- Mascot: Pawssource
- Bob Waters Field at E. J. Whitmire Stadium seats about 13,742source
- Competes in Southern Conferencesource
- School colors: Purple and Goldsource
- Campus size: about 589 acressource
- Formerly known as "Cullowhee Academy"source
- Formerly known as "(1889–1905)"source
- Formerly known as "Cullowhee Normal & Industrial School"source
- Formerly known as "(1905–1925)"source
- Formerly known as "Cullowhee State Normal School"source
- Formerly known as "(1925–1929)"source
- Formerly known as "Western Carolina Teachers College"source
- Formerly known as "(1929–1953)"source
- Formerly known as "Western Carolina College"source
- Formerly known as "(1953–1967)"source
- Athletic conference: FCSsource
- Fight song: ""Western Carolina Fight Song""source
- Notable alum: Ariana DeBosesource
- Notable alum: David Sedarissource
Athletics — 9 sports
NCAA Division I-FCS · NCAA Division I
Athletic scholarships allowed · Athletic aid $3,417,328 (M $2,098,022 · W $1,319,306)
- Baseball
- Basketball
- Football
- Golf
- Soccer
- Softball
- Tennis
- Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
- Volleyball
Self-reported EADA participants (2024-2025). Athletic aid is institution-level, not per sport.
Key links
- Official websitewcu.edu
- College ScorecardFederal source for every figure above (UNITID 200004)
- Compare colleges in NCRe-score with your weights
- The Most Selective Colleges in North CarolinaEvery eligible four-year in this state, ranked by published admission rate
- Showdown: Western Carolina University vs North Carolina A & T State UniversityHigher-or-lower on real Scorecard metrics — round 1 is these two
- Sports directoryAll 9 EADA programs at this school
- Build an admissions plan8th–12th grade actions for this college — sports, activities, timeline
- MethodologyWhat these figures do and do not capture
- How to read a school page end to endStats, standings, lists, athletics, news — one profile, many jobs. Know which panel answers which question.
- Sticker price is a trapPublished tuition is a starting rumor. Net price is closer to what families actually pay.
- What acceptance rate actually measuresSelectivity is a competition statistic — not a quality score, and not your personal odds.
- A plan from eighth grade — without fake certaintySchool-anchored milestones, sports scarcity honesty, and EC playbooks — not invented admit odds.