University of Central Arkansas (UCA) vs Winona State

Nestled in the heart of Arkansas, the University of Central Arkansas (UCA) and Winona State University (WSU) in Minnesota stand as two distinct academic havens, each offering a unique educational experience. While both institutions share a commitment to academic excellence, they differ in several key aspects. UCA boasts a higher acceptance rate, welcoming a more diverse student body, while WSU maintains a slightly higher graduation rate. UCA's popular majors lean towards business, education, and health professions, whereas WSU's strengths lie in liberal arts, business, and education. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to delve into further details and discover which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.
University of Central Arkansas logo

University of Central Arkansas

Winona State University logo

Winona State University

Overview

Location Conway, Arkansas Winona, Minnesota
Campus setting City: Small Town: Distant
College type 4 year 4 year
Control/business model Public Public
Calendar system Semester Semester
Degrees offered Undergraduate and Graduate Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate 71.0% 75.0%
Common app member No No
Religious affiliation

Admission

Acceptance rate 92.4% 76.9%
Application fees
Undergraduate: $25

Graduate: $45
Undergraduate: $20

Graduate: $20
SAT range 980 - 1160 970 - 1280
ACT range 19 - 26 19 - 25
Students submitting SAT score 3.0% 2.0%
Students submitting ACT score 94.0% 67.0%
Total number of applicants 6,057 5,335
Total number of admissions given out 5,595 4,103
Admitted students who chose to enroll 1,854 1,098
Yield rate 33.1% 26.8%
Test scores (SAT/ACT) N/A N/A
High school GPA Required Required
Recommendation letters Not required Not required
High school transcript Not required Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL) Required Not required

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price
In state: $25,219

Out of state: $32,089
In state: $22,994

Out of state: $29,494
Average net price $14,042 $17,283
Tuition
In state: $6,870

Out of state: $13,740
In state: $8,100

Out of state: $14,600
Room & board
Room/dormitory: $4,326

Meal plan: $3,570
Room/dormitory: $6,100

Meal plan: $3,170
Available payment plans
  • Tuition payment plan
  • Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

92.0%
Average amount $7,693
85.0%
Average amount $4,883
Students receiving federal student loan 51.0%
Average amount $5,106
60.0%
Average amount $5,090
Students taking out private loans 5.0%
Average amount $10,426
21.0%
Average amount $10,358

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students 8,244
Men 39.0% Women 61.0%
5,748
Men 33.1% Women 66.9%
Graduate students 1,861
Men 26.6% Women 73.4%
797
Men 19.9% Women 80.1%
Racial/ethnic diversity
Low
Very Low
Out-of-state students 7.9% N/A
International students 3.8% 1.8%
Campus local/setting City: Small Town: Distant
Dormitory capacity 3,675 2,115
First year students are required to live on campus? No No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from Arkansas Texas Oklahoma Tennessee Alabama N/A

Academics

Popular study areas
  • Health Professions
  • Education
  • Business
  • Kinesiology & Leisure Studies
  • Visual & Performing Arts
  • Health Professions
  • Business
  • Education
  • Biological and Biomedical Sciences
  • Computer and Information Science
Students to faculty ratio 15:1 16:1
Institutional accreditation Higher Learning Commission Higher Learning Commission

Outcome

Graduation rate 49.4% 63.0%
Dropout rate 19.1% 8.0%
Transferred out 29.7% 28.5%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $92,284
  • Year 2: $92,358
  • Year 3: $96,070
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degrees)
  • Year 1: $72,491
  • Year 2: $70,736
  • Year 3: $76,640
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $61,696
  • Year 2: $67,548
  • Year 3: $65,753
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $56,174
  • Year 2: $58,842
  • Year 3: $59,396
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $52,787
  • Year 2: $57,318
  • Year 3: $57,030
Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $51,827
  • Year 2: $52,107
  • Year 3: $55,240
Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $45,080
  • Year 2: $45,305
  • Year 3: $52,677
Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $48,462
  • Year 2: $47,729
  • Year 3: $52,542
Library Science, Other (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $46,140
  • Year 2: $47,260
  • Year 3: $49,838
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $40,755
  • Year 2: $48,432
  • Year 3: $49,837
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $98,750
  • Year 2: $105,678
  • Year 3: $108,093
Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $58,844
  • Year 2: $63,335
  • Year 3: $70,104
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $64,934
  • Year 2: $65,101
  • Year 3: $68,563
Materials Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $66,265
  • Year 2: $63,217
  • Year 3: $67,302
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $64,791
  • Year 3: $63,622
Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $46,397
  • Year 2: $49,136
  • Year 3: $54,230
Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $44,501
  • Year 2: $42,402
  • Year 3: $52,022
Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $36,367
  • Year 2: $38,289
  • Year 3: $51,055
Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $33,993
  • Year 3: $50,209
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $42,074
  • Year 2: $43,928
  • Year 3: $50,102

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