Washington State University (WSU) vs University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF)

Envision yourself immersed in the vibrant college towns of Pullman, Washington, or Fairbanks, Alaska, home to Washington State University (WSU) and the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF), respectively. While both universities offer a wealth of opportunities, they possess distinct characteristics that may influence your academic journey. WSU boasts a higher acceptance rate, welcoming a more diverse student body, while UAF offers a smaller, close-knit community. Explore their contrasting popular majors, from WSU's strength in agriculture and engineering to UAF's focus on natural resources and public administration. Discover the nuances in their graduation rates and uncover which institution aligns best with your aspirations. Delve into the comprehensive comparison table to unveil further insights and make an informed decision that sets you on the path to success.

	University of Alaska Fairbanks	Washington State University
Overview
Location	Fairbanks, Alaska	Pullman, Washington
Campus setting	Suburb: 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	68.0%	81.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	64.7%	85.8%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $75	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $75
SAT range	1110 - 1360	N/A
ACT range	17 - 27	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	12.0%
Students submitting ACT score	16.0%
Total number of applicants	1,402	18,197
Total number of admissions given out	907	15,607
Admitted students who chose to enroll	678	4,007
Yield rate	74.8%	25.7%
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	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $25,548 Out of state: $39,684	In state: $28,767 Out of state: $44,083
Average net price	$9,379	$11,877
Tuition	In state: $5,616 Out of state: $19,200	In state: $10,457 Out of state: $25,773
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,150 Meal plan: $5,390	Room/dormitory: $7,400 Meal plan: $4,350
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	90.0% Average amount $8,808	86.0% Average amount $9,993
Students receiving federal student loan	21.0% Average amount $5,312	27.0% Average amount $5,042
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $13,596	3.0% Average amount $15,454

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	5,844 Men 38.4% Women 61.6%	24,278 Men 45.9% Women 54.1%
Graduate students	982 Men 38.7% Women 61.3%	5,565 Men 44.7% Women 55.3%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	17.1%	15.2%
International students	2.4%	5.7%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Small	Town: Distant
Dormitory capacity	1,554	7,043
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Alaska Washington California Oregon Florida	Washington California Oregon Idaho Hawaii

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Education Law Enforcement and Firefighting Health Professions Engineering	Business Engineering Social Sciences Health Professions Education
Students to faculty ratio	12:1	15:1
Institutional accreditation	Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities	Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities

Outcome
Graduation rate	38.4%	59.5%
Dropout rate	39.6%	38.1%
Transferred out	18.1%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Petroleum Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $75,889 Year 3: $89,097 Civil Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,843 Year 2: $63,997 Year 3: $79,303 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,735 Year 2: $68,219 Year 3: $73,558 Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $63,997 Year 3: $62,935 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $46,188 Year 2: $43,798 Year 3: $53,812 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,355 Year 2: $30,771 Year 3: $44,672 Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: $33,666 Year 2: $44,942 Year 3: $43,923 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $32,119 Year 3: $34,458 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $26,635 Year 2: $31,314 Year 3: $32,564 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $27,241 Year 2: $26,739 Year 3: $32,435	Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $135,393 Year 3: $143,888 Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $110,911 Year 2: $123,178 Year 3: $127,531 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $90,080 Year 2: $100,915 Year 3: $120,737 Engineering-Related Fields (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $111,957 Year 2: $112,073 Year 3: $119,910 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $106,275 Year 2: $105,813 Year 3: $117,478 Veterinary Medicine (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $82,971 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $96,760 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $76,468 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $88,746 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $80,693 Year 2: $75,204 Year 3: $81,535 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $73,112 Year 2: $68,808 Year 3: $80,939 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $69,531 Year 2: $72,881 Year 3: $79,650

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