Western Carolina University

University overview

Editorial View

Location, editorial summary, and verified institutional context.

Western Carolina University is listed on CollegesRef with verified admissions, cost, and outcomes data. Use the sidebar to explore each section or run Colleges Like This to find similar schools.

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Admissions

Verified Data

Selectivity, enrollment funnel, and reported test score ranges from verified federal data.

Institution type

Public

Carnegie

A Doctoral and Professional Degree University (which undergraduates attend)

Setting

Distant town

Admit rate (79%)

Yield estimate (17%)

Applicants

12,308

Admits

9,775

First-time enrollment cohort

1,701

SAT ERW: 540–620

SAT Math: 520–610

ACT: 19–25

Academics

Verified Data

Enrollment scale, calendar structure, and outcome-linked academic signals.

Total students

10,145

10,145 students

Calendar

semester

Academic calendar

Graduation rate

61%

Reported outcomes

Retention rate

75%

First-year retention

Carnegie classification

A Doctoral and Professional Degree University (which undergraduates attend)

Cost and affordability

Verified Data

Tuition, net price, and aid signals sourced from federal reporting where available.

Average net price

$13,082

After grants and scholarships for in-state students where reported.

In-state tuition$82

Out-of-state tuition$11,921

Institutional grant participation100%

Pell share37%

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Campus life

Verified Data

Culture percentile bands describe student life intensity across common fit dimensions.

Campus culture bands are not yet available for Western Carolina University. Theme attributes and athletics may still appear under Special Features.

Rankings and recognition

Verified Data

CollegesRef does not invent magazine-style ranks. This section surfaces verified classification data and editorial context only.

Carnegie classification

A Doctoral and Professional Degree University (which undergraduates attend)

Institutional classification used for academic peer grouping.

Athletics

NCAA Division I

NCAA division where available from verified imports.

Editorial spotlight

Profile in progress

CollegesRef editorial review pending for this institution.

Outcomes and after college

Verified Data

Verified outcomes from imported federal datasets. Editorial interpretation may supplement these facts elsewhere on the profile.

Median earnings

N/A

Median earnings where reported by federal outcomes data.

Retention rate

75%

First-year student retention.

Graduation rate

61%

Students graduating within 150% of normal time.

Student reviews

Editorial View

User-submitted reviews are not fabricated for launch. This report card summarizes verified data signals until moderated student voices are available.

Data report card

Admissions selectivityD

Graduation outcomesC

RetentionB

Editorial depthIn progress

Western Carolina University

Verified student review content is not published yet. Explore admissions, cost, and outcomes sections for evidence-backed context.

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Special features

Verified Data

Curated theme attributes and athletics context that distinguish campus character.

No curated theme attributes are on file for Western Carolina University yet.

Athletics

NCAA Division I

Sources and data freshness

Verified Data

Legacy CLGS importLast verified 2026-06-29T07:08:22+00:00

CollegesRef separates verified federal and institutional data from editorial interpretation. Personalized AI matching is available via Colleges Like This.

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