Comparison tool
Rankings across 8 publishers plus admissions, cost, debt and outcome data for Western Carolina University, Murray State University, Salisbury University. Every figure is sourced and dated.
| Metric | Western CarolinaCullowhee, NC | Murray StateMurray, KY | Salisbury UniversitySalisbury, MD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acceptance rate | 81.8% | 85.7% | 87.5% |
| SAT middle 50% | 1080–1270 | 940–1170 | 1180–1320 |
| Average net price | $13,31534.6% on Pell grants | $9,09633.3% on Pell grants | $17,74325.9% on Pell grants |
| Published tuition & fees | $4,630 in-state · $8,630 outMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release | $9,900 in-state · $19,836 outMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release | $11,084 in-state · $22,174 outMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release |
| 6-year graduation rate | 60.3% | 61.3% | 68.2% |
| First-year retention | 79.1% | 75.6% | 77.7% |
| Undergraduates on Pell grants | 34.6% | 33.3% | 25.9% |
| Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry | $49,458 | $44,737 | $61,515 |
| Median federal debt at graduation | $21,868 | $20,500 | $21,000 |
| Student-faculty ratio | 16:1 | 16:1 | 13:1 |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 10,024 | 6,688 | 6,057 |
| Consensus percentile | 41Lower is better | 41Lower is better | 40Lower is better |
| Methodology sensitivity | 67 ptsHow far published lists disagree, in percentile points | 76 ptsHow far published lists disagree, in percentile points | 49 ptsHow far published lists disagree, in percentile points |
Highlighted cells mark the most favourable value in that row where a direction is meaningful. No highlight appears for metrics like enrollment or SAT range, where “better” depends entirely on what you want.
“Not ranked by this source” means that publisher’s list does not include the school — not missing data and not a poor rank.
| Source | Western Carolina | Murray State | Salisbury University |
|---|---|---|---|
| US News | #257 of 436National universitiesNational Universities · 2026 | #20 of 135Regional univ. (South)Regional Universities (South) · 2026 | #49 of 170Regional univ. (North)Regional Universities (North) · 2026 |
| Forbes | Not ranked by this source | Not ranked by this source | #277 of 500Top colleges (Forbes)America's Top Colleges · 2026 |
| Washington Monthly | #190 of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars · 2026 | #765 of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars · 2026 | #292 of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars · 2026 |
| WSJ | #398 of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)Best Colleges in the U.S. · 2026 | #440 of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)Best Colleges in the U.S. · 2026 | #343 of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)Best Colleges in the U.S. · 2026 |
| Niche | #323 of 2,605Overall (Niche)Best Colleges (Overall) · 2026 | #310 of 2,605Overall (Niche)Best Colleges (Overall) · 2026 | #770 of 2,605Overall (Niche)Best Colleges (Overall) · 2026 |
| Money | Listed | Listed | Listed |
| Princeton Review | Not ranked by this source | Not ranked by this source | Listed |
| QS | Not ranked by this source | Not ranked by this source | Not ranked by this source |
Students comparing Western Carolina University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.
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.
Full profileStudents comparing Murray State University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.
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.
Full profileStudents comparing Salisbury University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.
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.
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