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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.


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

Undergraduate
14,615
Graduate
3,054

Undergraduate Student

Male 7,244
7,244
Female 10,425
10,425

Graduate Student

Male 1,252
1,252
Female 1,802
1,802

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WCUPA Acceptance Rate and Admissions


APPLICATIONS15,077

Male 5,393
Female 9,684

ACCEPTANCE11,308

Male 3,937
Female 7,457

Acceptance Rate75%

Male 73%
Female 77%

Enrollment 2,827

Male 1,070
Female 1,757
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.

Student Population Total


Student Population 17,669

Undergraduate
14,615
Graduate
3,054
Evening Classes : No
Online Learning : Yes

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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