More selective than 61% of Pennsylvania colleges we cover.
College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $28,394. College Scorecard.
Higher than 71% of Pennsylvania colleges we cover and 79% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 46% of Pennsylvania colleges we cover and 72% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
WCU acceptance rate & admissions
Of 16,467 applicants, West Chester University of Pennsylvania admitted 13,042 and 3,087 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class). The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1100–1270 on the SAT or 24–28 on the ACT.
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
WCU tuition, cost & net price
What families actually pay per year, by income
Average net price after grants and scholarships for Pennsylvania residents who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.
College Scorecard, latest reported year (in-state, federal aid recipients)
Sticker price (before aid)
IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard
College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal
State aid: Pennsylvania residents with financial need may receive a PA State Grant: up to $6,000 a year in 2026-27 at approved colleges, depending on need and the college. Not included in the prices above. Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA), PA State Grant
What WCU costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of West Chester University of Pennsylvania took 4.3 years on average to finish, so the yearly price adds up to the total below. Payback compares former students' earnings with what high school graduates earn in Pennsylvania. The figures follow your residency and income choices above.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $17,018 | $73,007 | 2.9 years |
| $30–48k | $17,414 | $74,706 | 2.9 years |
| $48–75k | $20,417 | $87,589 | 3.4 years |
| $75–110k | $24,715 | $106,027 | 4.2 years |
| $110k+ | $27,160 | $116,516 | 4.6 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.3 years, the average time graduates took (53% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of former students 10 years after starting ($61,258) minus $35,797 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in PA (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $25,461 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method
College Scorecard (net price, earnings); IPEDS Graduation Rates (time to finish); U.S. Census Bureau ACS (high school earnings). Calculated by EducationGuide.
WCU majors, earnings & careers
West Chester University of Pennsylvania offers 50 bachelor's majors across 10 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Health & Medicine · 10
- Humanities & Languages · 10
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 8
- Business & Finance · 6
- Science & Math · 6
- Arts & Design · 3
- Education · 3
- Engineering · 2
- Communications & Media · 1
- Technology & Computing · 1
Highest-earning majors at WCU
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Nursing | $98,013 | — |
Quick list of all 50 majors
- Accounting—
- Allied Health (Imaging / Therapy / Tech)—
- Anthropology—
- Biochemistry—
- Biology—
- Biomedical Engineering—
- Business Administration—
- Business Economics—
- Chemistry—
- City / Urban, Community, and Regional Planning—
- Communications—
- Community Organization and Advocacy—
- Computer and Information Sciences—
- Criminal Justice—
- Dietetics—
- Education (Elementary / Secondary)—
- Education (Subject Teaching)—
- English—
- Ethnic / Gender Studies—
- Finance—
- General Sales, Merchandising and Related Marketing Operations—
- Geography—
- Geology / Earth Science—
- German—
- Health Sciences—
- History—
- International Business—
- Kinesiology / Exercise Science—
- Liberal Arts / General Studies—
- Linguistics—
- Mathematics—
- Music—
- Nursing$98,013
- Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration—
- Philosophy—
- Physics—
- Political Science—
- Pre-Med / Pre-Health—
- Psychology—
- Public Health—
- Rehabilitation / Therapy Sciences—
- Slavic, Baltic and Albanian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics—
- Social Work—
- Sociology—
- Spanish / French / Romance Languages—
- Special Education—
- Speech-Language Pathology / Communication Disorders—
- Studio Art—
- Theatre—
- Writing—
— means too few graduates to report earnings.
College Scorecard field of study, latest release
All majors by area with earnings 1 and 4 years out, and debt →Nursing → Registered nurse
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 5.6% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Communications → Public relations specialist
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 1.8% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Philadelphia
Overall prices in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD area.
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
2 bedrooms $1,860. Housing costs 13% above the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 49 inches of rain a year, 31 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
Highest: river flooding (relatively high); winter weather (very high).
FEMA National Risk Index, Chester County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Chester County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare WCU with similar schools
Similar public colleges in Pennsylvania by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.
| School | Acceptance | You'd pay | Graduation | Earnings, 10 yrs | Price gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Chester University of Pennsylvania | 78% | $23,331 | 71% | $61,258 | This school |
| Temple University | 80% | $28,198 | 75% | $63,727 | |
| Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania | 71% | $19,608 | 66% | $53,032 | |
| Millersville University of Pennsylvania | 86% | $20,787 | 58% | $55,246 | |
| Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania | 93% | $15,699 | 54% | $52,416 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
West Chester University of Pennsylvania would cost you $4,867 less per year than Temple University, on average.
- Lower sticker price at West Chester University of Pennsylvania, mostly from lower tuition & fees (−$12,236).
- Temple University gives aided families $7,642 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, Pennsylvania resident | WCU | Temple University | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $10,775 | $23,011 | −$12,236 |
| Books & supplies | $1,200 | $1,240 | −$40 |
| Housing & meals | $12,474 | $16,968 | −$4,494 |
| Personal & travel | $4,740 | $4,466 | +$274 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$795 | −$4,782 | +$3,987 |
| Sticker price | $28,394 | $40,903 | −$12,509 |
| Average grants | −$5,063 | −$12,705 | +$7,642 |
| You pay | $23,331 | $28,198 | −$4,867 |
“+” means WCU costs more; “−” means it costs less. Grants are the sticker price minus the net price. Cost items: IPEDS, on-campus budget. Sticker and net price: College Scorecard, latest reported year; the adjustment reconciles the two. Net price is an average for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, not a quote.
Common questions about WCU
What is the WCU acceptance rate?
West Chester University of Pennsylvania accepts 78% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 13,042 of 16,467 applicants were admitted. The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1100–1270 on the SAT or 24–28 on the ACT.
How much does West Chester University of Pennsylvania cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $28,394 a year for in-state students. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $23,331 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $17,018 and families earning $110k+ pay $27,160.
How much do WCU graduates earn?
Former West Chester University of Pennsylvania students earn a median $61,258 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the WCU graduation rate?
71% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 83% return for their second year.
How long does a WCU degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at West Chester University of Pennsylvania costs about $87,589 after grants ($20,417 a year for 4.3 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $61,258 ten years after starting, $25,461 more than high school graduates in Pennsylvania ($35,797), so the cost is repaid in 3.4 years of that gain, before taxes and interest (EducationGuide calculation).
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Sources on this page: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS); Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections); Bureau of Economic Analysis; HUD; NOAA; FEMA; Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By); Wikidata. “Colleges we cover” means colleges awarding bachelor's degrees to at least 100 undergraduates. Averages are not quotes; confirm costs with the school. How we score
Data: download this school's data (JSON) · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “West Chester University of Pennsylvania: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/west-chester-university-of-pennsylvania (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).