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Western Carolina University

Students comparing Western Carolina University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

CompareOfficial site
Cullowhee, North Carolina10,024 undergraduatesMean consensus percentile 41Public universityResearch universityU.S. News ranked

The short answer

Western Carolina University: U.S. News ranks it #257 on National Universities (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #190 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #398 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #323 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 3.5 stars. It enrolls 10,024 undergraduates, admits 81.8% of applicants, and posts a 60.3% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $8,630; aid recipients pay $13,315 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $49,458.

The six numbers that matter most

Acceptance rate
81.8%

Above the dataset median of 76%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Average net price
$13,315

37% below the $20,984 published price

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardAverage for full-time first-time aid recipients, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median earnings, 10 yrs
$49,458

Below the dataset median of $54,053

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian earnings 10 years after entry, working and not enrolled, College Scorecard June 2026 release

6-year graduation rate
60.3%

Above the dataset median of 56%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent six-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median debt at graduation
$21,868

Above the dataset median of $23,250

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian federal loan debt of completers, College Scorecard June 2026 release

SAT middle 50%
1080–1270

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardSum of reported reading and math section percentiles for the most recent entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release. Section percentiles added together approximate, but do not exactly equal, the composite score range.

Where Western Carolina ranks, and why the answers differ

Each publisher's position, the list it belongs to, and how many institutions it was drawn from.

SourceListRank
US News2026National Universities#257of 436National universities
Forbes2026America's Top CollegesNot ranked by this source
Washington Monthly2026Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars#190of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)
WSJ2026Best Colleges in the U.S.#398of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)
Niche2026Best Colleges (Overall)B+#323of 2,605Overall (Niche)
Money2026Best Value Colleges3.5 starsListedBest value (Money)
Princeton Review2026Best Colleges (Overall)Not ranked by this source
QS2026World University RankingsNot ranked by this source

Methodology sensitivity: Western Carolina's position moves 67 percentile points depending on which published list you read. That is a wide spread, so which list you consult substantially changes the impression you get. How we compute this

Ranking positions are the editorial property of their publishers and are reproduced here with attribution for comparison and commentary. Follow each source link for its full list and methodology.

About Western Carolina

Western Carolina University is a public institution in Cullowhee, North Carolina. Federal data show 79.1% first-year retention and a 16:1 student-faculty ratio. Figures on this page come from College Scorecard and IPEDS; publisher rankings shown here are transcribed from named sources and checked in our dataset.

Strengths and honest considerations

Strengths

  • Cost and outcome metrics on this profile come directly from federal collections, not self-reported marketing sheets.
  • Net price $13,315 reflects what aid recipients actually paid in the most recent federal reporting year.

Considerations

  • This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
  • Compare $20,984 sticker cost against $13,315 net price before ruling a school in or out on price alone.
  • Publishers we have not loaded yet, or lists that omit this school, show as “not ranked by this source” — that is expected.

Who this school genuinely fits

Students comparing Western Carolina University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

What it costs

Published price, then what families actually pay after grants and scholarships.

In-state tuition & fees
$4,630

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Out-of-state tuition & fees
$8,630

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Room & board
$12,354

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Published cost of attendance comes to roughly $20,984 a year, but the average family pays $13,315 — a 37% difference. 34.6% of undergraduates receive Pell grants, the federal marker of low family income.

Net price varies enormously by income band, so run Western Carolina's net price calculator for your own household before drawing conclusions. Why net price is the only cost number that matters.

Programs and academics

Most popular majors

  1. 1Business
  2. 2Biology
  3. 3Psychology
  4. 4Computer Science
  5. 5Economics

Standout programs

    Student-faculty ratio
    16:1

    IPEDS / National Center for Education StatisticsIPEDS 2023 fall enrollment

    First-year retention
    79.1%

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent first-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Undergraduate enrollment
    10,024

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Western Carolina: questions families ask

    Out-of-state tuition is $8,630 and on-campus room and board is $12,354, for a published total of $20,984 before aid. The average net price for first-time full-time students receiving aid is $13,315.

    The most recent federal admissions rate reported to the Department of Education is 81.8%. Test policy as reported in IPEDS: see the admissions section on this page for the institution's own category.

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