West Chester Univeristy
For students who want to stay close to home—and save a whole bunch of money on their college tuition—this local campus provides the perfect solution. Outstanding programs in education, health and music foster new generations of aspiring teachers, medical practitioners and artists. And the historic borough of West Chester is as accessible as the school’s professors, creating an intimate living-and-learning environment.
The numbers: 13,297 full-time undergrads … 1610 median SAT (comparable to a 23 ACT) … $8,850 in-state annual tuition, $18,784 out-of-state annual tuition, $8,850 annual room and board … more than 80 bachelor’s programs … ranked 74th among northern universities by U.S. News … 49.9% acceptance rate. Extra credit: Prospective undergrads can apply directly to WCU’s Honors College. Over four years, students can enroll in unique honors seminars, independent courses of study and special classes, and the honors program’s student association organizes a variety of service events throughout the year—all of it culminating in a capstone project with a community organization or research lab. Compare to: Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, Towson University, Shippensburg University. Contact: 700 S. High St., West Chester, Pa., (610) 436-1000, wcupa.edu.
