Pacific Lutheran University (PLU) vs. Central Washington University (CWU)

Compare two schools with tuition, admission, test scores, and more academic characteristics.

  • Pacific Lutheran University (PLU) is a private school while Central Washington University (CWU) is a public school.
  • Both schools are located in Washington.
  • PLU has more expensive tuition of $50,964 than CWU ($26,771).
  • PLU has tighter acceptance rate of 75.39% than CWU (86.34%).
  • CWU is larger with 9,257 students than PLU (2,633 students).
Pacific Lutheran University

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Central Washington University
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#5 in Washington
Rankings#17 in Washington
Private, 4-yearsSchool TypePublic, 4-years
Tacoma, WALocationEllensburg, WA
PLUKnown asCWU
1 Year Certificate
Bachelor's
Post-Bachelor Certificate
Master's
Post-Master Certificate
Doctorate (Professional Practice)
Offered Degrees1 Year Certificate
Bachelor's
Master's
Post-Master Certificate
Master's College and University (medium programs)Carnegie ClassificationMaster's College and University (larger programs)
Tuition & Fees
$50,964Undergraduate$9,192 Washington residents
$26,771 out-of-state
$33,051Graduate$12,892 Washington residents
$27,263 out-of-state
$33,815Financial Aid$8,562
Admission
$55Application Fee$60 undergraduate
$75 graduate
75.39%Acceptance Rate86.34%
22.62%Yield28.74%
1,335 SAT, 29 ACTTest Scores
Student Population
2,633Total Students9,257
2,301Undergraduate8,743
332Graduate514
39Online Enrollment2,498
Graduation Rate & Outcomes
71%Graduation Rate52%
Transfer-out Rate
78%Retention Rate68%
$53,500Average Earning after Graduation$50,100
Special Learning Opportunities and Student Services
Online Degree/Certificate Program Offered for GraduateDistance Learning (Online Classes)Online Degree/Certificate Program Offered for Both Undergraduate and Graduate
ROTC
Study Abroad
Weekend/Evening College
Teacher Certifiate
Special OpportunitiesROTC
Study Abroad
Teacher Certifiate
✔ (Dormitory Capacity: 1,454)
$5,142 average annual costs
On-Campus Living✔ (Dormitory Capacity: 4,249)
$7,700 average annual costs
Not offered or not ReportedMeal PlanNot offered or not Reported
Faculties and Staffs
11 to 1Students to Faculty Ratio14 to 1
198 Full-time
103 Part-time
Number of Faculties397 Full-time
210 Part-time
564 Full-time
221 Part-time
Number of Staffs1,278 Full-time
265 Part-time
$71,577 for Faculties
$56,491 Part-time
Average Salary$80,980 for Faculties
$62,944 Part-time
All data used in our site is from IPEDS (The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System), U.S. Department of Education, academic year 2022-2023