West Chester University of Pennsylvania Overview
Located in West Chester, Pennsylvania, West Chester University of Pennsylvania is a public institution. West Chester is a good match for students who enjoy the safety and convenience of the suburbs.
What Is West Chester University of Pennsylvania Known For?
- The 4% student loan default rate at WCUPA is better than the national rate of 10.1%. That's a good sign that you may be able to pay off student loans easier than your peers at other schools can.
- The doctor's degree is the highest award offered at WCUPA.
- In 2017-2018, 71% of the faculty were full-time.
- Students who graduate from WCUPA with a bachelor's degree make about $48,400 a year. That's 19% more than those who graduate from other schools.
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West Chester University of Pennsylvania Rankings
WCUPA landed the #312 spot in our 2022 ranking of best colleges. We analyzed 2,587 colleges and universities across the nation to determine this ranking. This puts it in the top 15% of all schools in the nation. It is also ranked #27 out of 134 schools in Pennsylvania.
Our rankings are based on an outcomes-based approach rather than subjective ones used by other media outlets. As such, we utilize data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) and the College Scorecard, among other sources. Visit our rankings and methodology section to learn more.
WCUPA has also been awarded the following overall awards by our latest rankings.
Rank | Ranking Name | Share |
---|---|---|
#80 | Best Doctor’s Degree Schools | Tweet It - Post It |
Program Level Awards
These are highlights of some of the most noteworthy awards granted to specific programs at WCUPA.
Awards From Around the Web
The following table lists some notable awards WCUPA has earned from around the web.
Rank | Ranking Name | Source |
---|---|---|
#9 | Best Dietetics & Clinical Nutrition Services Schools | College Factual |
#28 | Best Special Education Schools | College Factual |
#54 | Best Teacher Education Grade Specific Schools | College Factual |
#66 | Best Homeland Security, Law Enforcement & Firefighting Schools | College Factual |
#111 | Best Education Schools | College Factual |
#120 | Best Teaching Schools | Teaching Degree Search |
Where Is West Chester University of Pennsylvania?

Contact details for WCUPA are given below.
Contact Details | |
---|---|
Address: | University Avenue And High Street, West Chester, PA 19383 |
Phone: | 610-436-1000 |
Facebook: | https://www.facebook.com/WCUPA |
Twitter: | https://twitter.com/wcuofpa |
How Do I Get Into WCUPA?
You can apply to WCUPA online at: https://www.wcupa.edu/_admissions/sch_adm/applynow/
Admission Requirements for WCUPA
Submission | Required? |
---|---|
High School GPA | recommended |
High School Rank | recommended |
High School Transcript | required |
College Prep Program | required |
Recommendations | neither required nor recommended |
SAT or ACT Scores | required |
TOEFL | recommended |
How Hard Is It To Get Into WCUPA?
Approximately 35% of accepted students are men and 65% are women. The acceptance rate for men is 83%, and the acceptance rate for women is 88%.
Average Test Scores
About 90% of students accepted to WCUPA submitted their SAT scores. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing scores ranged between 510 and 600. Math scores were between 500 and 580.
Can I Afford West Chester University of Pennsylvania?
The net price is calculated by adding tuition, room, board and other costs and subtracting financial aid.
Student Loan Debt
While almost two-thirds of students nationwide take out loans to pay for college, the percentage may be quite different for the school you plan on attending. At WCUPA, approximately 70% of students took out student loans averaging $9,316 a year. That adds up to $37,264 over four years for those students.
The student loan default rate at WCUPA is 4.4%. This is significantly lower than the national default rate of 10.1%, which is a good sign that you'll be able to pay back your student loans.
West Chester University of Pennsylvania Undergraduate Student Diversity

There are also 3,007 graduate students at the school.
Gender Diversity
Of the 13,056 full-time undergraduates at WCUPA, 40% are male and 60% are female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity
The racial-ethnic breakdown of West Chester University of Pennsylvania students is as follows.

Race/Ethnicity | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Asian | 329 |
Black or African American | 1,389 |
Hispanic or Latino | 769 |
White | 9,772 |
International Students | 31 |
Other Races/Ethnicities | 766 |
Geographic Diversity
Pennsylvania students aren't the only ones who study at West Chester University of Pennsylvania. At this time, 14 states are represented by the student population at the school.
Over 51 countries are represented at WCUPA. The most popular countries sending students to the school are India, China, and Norway.
Online Learning at West Chester University of Pennsylvania
The following chart shows how the online learning population at WCUPA has changed over the last few years.

This school is the 28th most popular in Pennsylvania for online learning according to the online graduations recorded by the Department of Education for the academic year 2019-2020.
Online Affordability Rankings of WCUPA
The following table shows how WCUPA is ranked for affordability for both in-state and out-of-state students among colleges and universities that are not mostly online.
Major | Tuition for In-State Students | Tuition for Out-of-State Students |
---|---|---|
Education Philosophy | #4 | #7 |
Linguistics & Comparative Literature | #4 | #4 |
Food, Nutrition & Related Services | #13 | #10 |
Foreign Languages & Linguistics | #13 | #16 |
Family, Consumer & Human Sciences | #58 | #40 |
Human Resource Management | #64 | #90 |
Online Affordability Rankings of WCUPA Rankings
The following table shows how WCUPA is ranked for affordability for both in-state and out-of-state students among colleges and universities that are mostly online.
Major | Tuition for In-State Students | Tuition for Out-of-State Students |
---|---|---|
Education Philosophy | #1 | #1 |
Food, Nutrition & Related Services | #4 | #10 |
Family, Consumer & Human Sciences | #16 | #16 |
Human Resource Management | #28 | #137 |
Special Education | #38 | #55 |
Teacher Education Grade Specific | #40 | #49 |
Online Growth Rankings of WCUPA
The average growth rate over the last four years of online students at West Chester University of Pennsylvania was 263.3%. This is the #237 largest growth rate of all schools that are mostly online. This refers to all students at WCUPA regardless of major.
The following table shows the 1-year growth rate of WCUPA majors that offer at least one online course. This table only includes majors with positive growth.
Major | 1-Year Growth Rate |
---|---|
Communication & Journalism | 88% |
Education Philosophy | 13% |
Family, Consumer & Human Sciences | 13% |
Food, Nutrition & Related Services | 13% |
Geography & Cartography | 51% |
Human Resource Management | 73% |
Instructional Media Design | 47% |
Public Administration | 18% |
Public Administration & Social Service | 10% |
Social Sciences | 10% |
Teacher Education Subject Specific | 4% |
The table below shows how the average growth rate over 4 years at WCUPA ranks compared to all other mostly online schools that offer a specific major. Note that the majors may or may not be offered online at WCUPA.
When we speak of partially online, we are referring to schools whose online population is less than 50% of its total student body. Mostly online refers to those with online populations greater than or equal to 50%.
West Chester University of Pennsylvania Undergraduate Concentrations
The table below shows the number of awards for each concentration.
References
*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.
- College Factual
- National Center for Education Statistics
- Image Credit: By Smallbones under License
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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