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West Chester University of Pennsylvania (WCUPA) is one of 14 public schools within the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. Every year, the school serves around 17,500 students a year, of which around 14,600 are undergraduate students, making the institution the sixth largest university in the state of Pennsylvania. West Chester University has a storied history, first beginning as a private, state-aided institution in 1812. In 1869, the state of Pennsylvania began taking a larger presence in public education and renamed the school West Chester Normal School and in 1913, Wester Chester became one of a few normal schools that transitioned out of private ownership and into direct ownership by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
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Overview of West Chester University of Pennsylvania (WCUPA)
Currently, West Chester offers a wide array of majors, including degree programs normally offered for the bachelor of arts, bachelor of science, bachelor of fine arts, and a bachelor of music. West Chester has also partnered with Pennsylvania State University, Columbia University, and Philadelphia University to offer a 3-2 program combining liberal arts, physics, and engineering. In recent years, Forbes has ranked West Chester 141 out of all the public universities in the United States, and US News has ranked the school as 10th best out of regional public schools.
General Information
School Type | Public |
---|---|
Campus Setting | Suburb: Large |
Campus Housing | Yes |
Student Faculty Ratio | 19:1 |
Graduation Rate | 77% |
Year Founded | 1871 |
Student Enrollment
Total Students17,669
14,615
3,054
Undergraduate Student
Male 7,244
Female 10,425
Graduate Student
Male 1,252
Female 1,802
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Top Rankings For West Chester University of Pennsylvania
WCUPA Acceptance Rate and Admissions
APPLICATIONS15,077
ACCEPTANCE11,308
Acceptance Rate75%
Enrollment 2,827
Admissions | |
---|---|
Application Fee | $45 |
High School GPA | Recommended |
High School Rank | Recommended |
High School Transcripts | Required |
College Prep Courses | Required |
Recommendations | Recommended |
SAT/ACT | Required |
TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) | Recommended |
Application Deadline | Rolling |
Common Application Accepted | Yes |
WCUPA Tuition Cost & Financial Aid
Given that West Chester is a public university in the state of Pennsylvania, the cost to attendees differs depending on the student’s residency status. In general, the school is fairly affordable. For in-state residents, the 2018-2019 full cost of attendance was around $27,000, while for out-of-state students, the full cost of attendance was a little less than $39,000. The good news is that most students do not pay the full cost of attendance because of the number of scholarships and financial support that students have access to. Around 81% of West Chester students receive some type of financial aid, with the average grant aid received being around $5,900 and the average student loan amount coming in at around $9,500. In total, the net price of attendance for West Chester was $19,348 for the 2018-2019 school year, which is manageable for many students.
Average net price | 2018-2019 |
---|---|
Net Price | $19,348 |
Average Total Aid | $5,908 |
Students Receiving Financial Aid | 81% |
Room & Board | $13,174 |
Sticker Price
- Tuition In-State - $10,421
- Tuition Out-of-State - $22,245
- Books and Supplies - $1,200
- Room & Board - $13,174
- Other - $2,520
Academics
West Chester University is a selective school, with a 75% college acceptance rate, making it popular with students both in-state and out-of-state who are looking for a public school with strong academic offerings. In particular, West Chester University boasts a 19 to 1 student-to-faculty ratio, meaning that the majority of classes are medium sized. This is a large draw to a university that serves as many students as West Chester because smaller class sizes allow students and professors to interact more with one another for a heightened sense of community that makes the university seem smaller in size than it actually is.
Students who are interested in attending West Chester University can be excited about the institution’s high retention and graduation rates. The university’s first-year retention rate for full-time students pursuing a bachelor’s degree is 86%, and the overall graduation rate of the university is 77%. These rates show that students who attend West Chester for the first time enjoy their experience and most tend to return. Furthermore, the school’s graduation rate shows that the university is committed to supporting its students throughout their college experience and that graduating with a bachelor’s degree from this school is the norm.
Retention
Rate
4 year
Graduation
Rate
6 year
Graduation
Rate
Student Population Total
Student Population 17,669
14,615
3,054
Most Popular Programs & Majors
(# of Diplomas Awarded by Subject)
All Business Majors | 736 Total Graduates / 24% |
---|---|
Sales, Distribution, and Marketing Operations, General | 210 Graduates |
Business Administration and Management, General | 203 Graduates |
Finance, General | 151 Graduates |
Accounting | 123 Graduates |
Health Professions and Related Programs | 507 Total Graduates / 16% |
Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse | 143 Graduates |
Dietetics/Dietitian | 100 Graduates |
Audiology/Audiologist and Speech-Language Pathology/Pathologist | 96 Graduates |
Public Health, General | 59 Graduates |
English Language and Literature/Letters | 256 Total Graduates / 8% |
Rhetoric and Composition | 175 Graduates |
English Language and Literature, General | 81 Graduates |
All Education Majors | 246 Total Graduates / 8% |
Early Childhood Education and Teaching | 200 Graduates |
Junior High/Intermediate/Middle School Education and Teaching | 41 Graduates |
Special Education and Teaching, General | 5 Graduates |
All Psychology Majors | 236 Total Graduates / 8% |
Psychology, General | 236 Graduates |
All Other Diplomas | 37% |
Outcome & Salary
West Chester University only offers bachelor’s degrees or higher post-secondary degrees like master’s or doctorate degrees. Among full-time, first-time degree-seeking students, 73% graduated with a bachelor’s degree. Part-time students seeking a degree for the first time had a more difficult time, with 30% graduating with a bachelor’s degree. Of these graduates, popular subject areas included majoring in a business-related subject, with more than 700 students out of a class of around 3,000 studying a field related to accounting, finance, or business management. Another popular area of study that graduates pursued was health professions, with more than 500 graduates who have majored in this area.
Graduates Salary | |
---|---|
College Grads Early Career Salary | $50,300 |
College Grads Average Salary | $60,065 |
College Grads Mid Career Salary | $92,800 |
Return on Investment (ROI) | |
---|---|
10 Year Salary Earnings Potential | $600,650 |
20 Year Salary Earnings Potential | $1,528,650 |
Cost of Education (Net Price) 4 Year | $77,392 |
10 Year Projected ROI | $523,258 |
20 Year Projected ROI | $1,451,258 |
No College Education Salary Comparison | |
---|---|
National Average Salary | $38,792 |
10 Year Projected Income | $387,920 |
20 Year Projected Income | $775,840 |
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