Skip to content
AlmaSpire

Danbury, CT · Public · 3,511 undergraduates · urban

Western Connecticut State University

Less selective

The Westside campus’s Visual and Performing Arts Center gives theatre, music, art and communication a prominent institutional home.

Campus image / The News-Times

Institutional profile

Established Solid in mobility, and solid in student experience.
Academic Emerging Affordability Solid Career Solid Mobility Solid Experience Solid
Academic standing Emerging
Affordability Solid
Career outcomes Solid
Mobility Solid
Student experience Solid
Admission
81.4% admitted

5,457 applicants in the reported year

Price by income
Resident and nonresident prices differ

Compare recent average annual costs by household income

Completion
55.8%

$59,115 median earnings 10 years after enrollment

What sets Western Connecticut State University apart

Academic design

Students study through the Ancell School of Business, Macricostas School of Arts and Sciences, School of Professional Studies and School of Visual, Performing and Communication Arts. Programs combine theory with practical experience and career preparation.

Campus pattern

WCSU operates the Midtown and Westside campuses in Danbury, a western Connecticut city within reach of the New York metropolitan area. Student life is spread across both campuses rather than concentrated on a single compact quad.

Defining feature

The Westside campus’s Visual and Performing Arts Center gives theatre, music, art and communication a prominent institutional home.

Can I get in?

81.4% admitted

Applicants to selected music, theatre or visual-arts programs should check for program-specific audition or portfolio requirements.

Recent applicant pool

5,457

About 81 in every 100 applicants were admitted.

Admission rate 81.4%
Entering class

Academic range

SAT middle 50%840–1150
6401340
ACT middle 50%20–27
1532

Of admitted students, 4% submitted an SAT, and 1% submitted an ACT. Very few of the admitted class reported a score at all, so the SAT and ACT ranges describe those students rather than the class.

Entered with a 4.0 GPA1%

In the season card

Where your GPA sits in the entering class

The full entering-class GPA distribution for Western Connecticut State University, in nine bands from 4.0 down, with your own record marked on it.

See where I land

In the season card

What Western Connecticut State University weighs when it reads a file

See how this college describes the role of grades, testing, essays, recommendations, activities, and demonstrated interest.

  • Course rigor  
  • GPA  
  • Test scores  
  • Essay  
  • Recommendations  
  • Extracurriculars  
  • Demonstrated interest  
See what counts here

What moves the application

The evidence that separates a strong file

01

Show preparation for this curriculum

Students study through the Ancell School of Business, Macricostas School of Arts and Sciences, School of Professional Studies and School of Visual, Performing and Communication Arts. Programs combine theory with practical experience and career preparation.

02

Make the fit specific

The Westside campus’s Visual and Performing Arts Center gives theatre, music, art and communication a prominent institutional home.

03

Account for the tradeoff

Applicants to selected music, theatre or visual-arts programs should check for program-specific audition or portfolio requirements.

How to apply

Rounds, route, and required materials

Applicants to selected music, theatre or visual-arts programs should check for program-specific audition or portfolio requirements.

Regular Decisionrolling
Fee and waiver$50 application fee

Fee waiver: accepted

Major and program admission

Some fields have their own entry path.

The college admit rate above covers the university as a whole. These requirements apply only to the named program.

Teacher preparationAdmits separately

What this program asks for, and when it closes.

NursingAdmits separately

What this program asks for, and when it closes.

Can I afford it?

Compare annual cost by household income.

Start with the average net price for your income range, then set that estimate beside your other realistic options.

Published annual cost$32,841
Average annual cost after aid, in-state$18,000
Affordability profileSolid

In the season card

Average annual cost by household income at Western Connecticut State University

Compare recent average net prices across five federal income ranges and estimate a 4-year cost for yours.

  • $0–30k 
  • $30–48k 
  • $48–75k 
  • $75–110k 
  • $110k+ 
Open the price by income

Is it worth it?

Completion, debt, and earnings

The Westside campus’s Visual and Performing Arts Center gives theatre, music, art and communication a prominent institutional home.

Complete within 8 years55.8%

Degree completion across the reported entering cohort

Return after year one71.7%

First-year students who return for year two

Median federal debtWhat students owe on the way out

And what that comes to against what they earn.

Median earnings$59,115

Reported 10 years after enrollment

Academic portfolio

Largest bachelor’s fields

How many students finish in each field, and median earnings four years after completing the program.

Business Administration, Management and Operations

Recent graduates81
Median earnings

Admits separately

Criminal Justice and Corrections

Recent graduates76
Median earnings$66,510

Psychology, General

Recent graduates68
Median earnings$50,410

Marketing

Recent graduates46
Median earnings$68,490

Admits separately

What is campus life like?

Western Connecticut State University beyond the classroom

WCSU operates the Midtown and Westside campuses in Danbury, a western Connecticut city within reach of the New York metropolitan area. Student life is spread across both campuses rather than concentrated on a single compact quad.

Academics

A defining academic feature

Students study through the Ancell School of Business, Macricostas School of Arts and Sciences, School of Professional Studies and School of Visual, Performing and Communication Arts. Programs combine theory with practical experience and career preparation.

Campus setting

What shapes an ordinary week

WCSU operates the Midtown and Westside campuses in Danbury, a western Connecticut city within reach of the New York metropolitan area. Student life is spread across both campuses rather than concentrated on a single compact quad.

Distinctive edge

What changes the experience

The Westside campus’s Visual and Performing Arts Center gives theatre, music, art and communication a prominent institutional home.

3,511 undergraduatesNew Englandurban settingCampus housing available