Western Colorado University
Overview
At a Glance
School type
Public, 4-year or above
School Size & Setting
Remote | Town
Students-to-Faculty Ratio
30:1
Religious affliation
Not applicable
General Information
Address
Western Colorado University
1 Western Way, Gunnison, Colorado 81231
See on MapPhone
(970) 943-2119
Website
www.western.edu/Mission Statement
Western State Colorado University fulfills its statutory mission by promoting intellectual maturity and personal growth in its students and graduates citizens prepared to assume constructive roles in local, national, and global communities. Western helps its students to develop the skills and commitments needed to continue learning for the rest of their lives and strives to elucidate the connections unifying academic domains which have traditionally existed separately: the sciences, the liberal arts, and professional programs. The University provides students with a solid foundation of skills in written and spoken communication, problem solving, critical thinking, and creativity. Our programs encourage a breadth and depth of knowledge, which will serve as a foundation for a professional career or graduate study, and an appreciation of values appropriate to a liberally educated individual. Western's distinctive character emerges from its unity among academic and professional disciplines, its high standards of scholarship, and its unique environment in the mountains of western Colorado.
Read Morecost & financial aid
Annual tuition & fees
Undergraduate
In state
$10,813Out of state
$22,837Graduate
In state
$15,550Out of state
$16,050Financial Aid: Undergraduates
Received financial aid
94%Type of aid | % of students receiving aid | Average amount |
---|---|---|
Federal grants | 87.0% | $2,773 |
State/local grants | 24.0% | $3,253 |
Institutional grants | 84.0% | $6,214 |
Loans | 49.0% | $6,052 |
Other Estimated Costs
Housing
$10,286 per year
Books & Supplies
$1,350 per year
Personal Expenses
$3,186 per year
Financial aid resources
Learn about different ways to cover costs, incluing financial aid, GI Bills, grants and scholarships
Applying for financial AidReview this step-by-step guide on everything you need to do to complete your application.
Academics
Most Popular Undergraduate majors
- Business Administration and Management, General
- Biology/Biological Sciences, General
- Exercise Science and Kinesiology
- Psychology, General
- Fine/Studio Arts, General
Undergraduate Majors X
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BIOLOGICAL AND BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES
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Biology/Biological Sciences, General
- A general program of biology at the introductory, basic level or a program in biology or the biological sciences that is undifferentiated as to title or content. Includes instruction in general biology and programs covering a variety of biological specializations. See other colleges that offer this major
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BUSINESS, MANAGEMENT, MARKETING, AND RELATED SUPPORT SERVICES
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Business Administration and Management, General
- A program that generally prepares individuals to plan, organize, direct, and control the functions and processes of a firm or organization. Includes instruction in management theory, human resources management and behavior, accounting and other quantitative methods, purchasing and logistics, organization and production, marketing, and business decision-making. See other colleges that offer this major
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Accounting
- A program that prepares individuals to practice the profession of accounting and to perform related business functions. Includes instruction in accounting principles and theory, financial accounting, managerial accounting, cost accounting, budget control, tax accounting, legal aspects of accounting, auditing, reporting procedures, statement analysis, planning and consulting, business information systems, accounting research methods, professional standards and ethics, and applications to specific for-profit, public, and non-profit organizations. See other colleges that offer this major
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Business/Corporate Communications, General
- A program that prepares individuals to function in an organization as a composer, editor, and proofreader of business or business-related communications. See other colleges that offer this major
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COMPUTER AND INFORMATION SCIENCES AND SUPPORT SERVICES
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Computer and Information Sciences, General
- A general program that focuses on computing, computer science, and information science and systems. Such programs are undifferentiated as to title and content and are not to be confused with specific programs in computer science, information science, or related support services. See other colleges that offer this major
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EDUCATION
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Elementary Education and Teaching
- A program that prepares individuals to teach students in the elementary grades, which may include kindergarten through grade eight, depending on the school system or state regulations. Includes preparation to teach all elementary education subject matter. See other colleges that offer this major
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ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE/LETTERS
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English Language and Literature, General
- A general program that focuses on the English language, including its history, structure and related communications skills; and the literature and culture of English-speaking peoples. See other colleges that offer this major
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FOREIGN LANGUAGES, LITERATURES, AND LINGUISTICS
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Spanish Language and Literature
- A program that focuses on the Spanish language and related dialects. Includes instruction in philology; Modern Castillan; Latin American and regional Spanish dialects; and applications in business, science/technology, and other settings. See other colleges that offer this major
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HISTORY
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History, General
- A program that focuses on the general study and interpretation of the past, including the gathering, recording, synthesizing and criticizing of evidence and theories about past events. Includes instruction in historiography; historical research methods; studies of specific periods, issues and cultures; and applications to areas such as historic preservation, public policy, and records administration. See other colleges that offer this major
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LIBERAL ARTS AND SCIENCES, GENERAL STUDIES AND HUMANITIES
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Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies
- A program that is a structured combination of the arts, biological and physical sciences, social sciences, and humanities, emphasizing breadth of study. Includes instruction in independently designed, individualized, or regular programs. See other colleges that offer this major
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MATHEMATICS AND STATISTICS
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Mathematics, General
- A general program that focuses on the analysis of quantities, magnitudes, forms, and their relationships, using symbolic logic and language. Includes instruction in algebra, calculus, functional analysis, geometry, number theory, logic, topology and other mathematical specializations. See other colleges that offer this major
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PARKS, RECREATION, LEISURE, FITNESS, AND KINESIOLOGY
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Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies
- A program that focuses on the principles underlying recreational and leisure activities, and the practices involved in providing indoor and outdoor recreational facilities and services for the general public. See other colleges that offer this major
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Exercise Science and Kinesiology
- A scientific program that focuses on the anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, and biophysics of human movement, and applications to exercise and therapeutic rehabilitation. Includes instruction in biomechanics, motor behavior, motor development and coordination, motor neurophysiology, performance research, rehabilitative therapies, the development of diagnostic and rehabilitative methods and equipment, and related analytical methods and procedures in applied exercise and therapeutic rehabilitation. See other colleges that offer this major
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PHYSICAL SCIENCES
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Chemistry, General
- A general program that focuses on the scientific study of the composition and behavior of matter, including its micro- and macro-structure, the processes of chemical change, and the theoretical description and laboratory simulation of these phenomena. See other colleges that offer this major
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Geology/Earth Science, General
- A program that focuses on the scientific study of the earth; the forces acting upon it; and the behavior of the solids, liquids and gases comprising it. Includes instruction in historical geology, geomorphology, and sedimentology, the chemistry of rocks and soils, stratigraphy, mineralogy, petrology, geostatistics, volcanology, glaciology, geophysical principles, and applications to research and industrial problems. See other colleges that offer this major
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PSYCHOLOGY
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Psychology, General
- A general program that focuses on the scientific study of individual and collective behavior, the physical and environmental bases of behavior, and the analysis and treatment of behavior problems and disorders. Includes instruction in the principles of the various subfields of psychology, research methods, and psychological assessment and testing methods. See other colleges that offer this major
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SOCIAL SCIENCES
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Anthropology, General
- A program that focuses on the systematic study of human beings, their antecedents and related primates, and their cultural behavior and institutions, in comparative perspective. Includes instruction in biological/physical anthropology, primatology, human paleontology and prehistoric archeology, hominid evolution, anthropological linguistics, ethnography, ethnology, ethnohistory, socio-cultural anthropology, psychological anthropology, research methods, and applications to areas such as medicine, forensic pathology, museum studies, and international affairs. See other colleges that offer this major
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Economics, General
- A general program that focuses on the systematic study of the production, conservation and allocation of resources in conditions of scarcity, together with the organizational frameworks related to these processes. Includes instruction in economic theory, micro- and macroeconomics, comparative economic systems, money and banking systems, international economics, quantitative analytical methods, and applications to specific industries and public policy issues. See other colleges that offer this major
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Political Science and Government, General
- A general program that focuses on the systematic study of political institutions and behavior. Includes instruction in political philosophy, political theory, comparative government and politics, political parties and interest groups, public opinion, political research methods, studies of the government and politics of specific countries, and studies of specific political institutions and processes. See other colleges that offer this major
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Sociology, General
- A program that focuses on the systematic study of human social institutions and social relationships. Includes instruction in social theory, sociological research methods, social organization and structure, social stratification and hierarchies, dynamics of social change, family structures, social deviance and control, and applications to the study of specific social groups, social institutions, and social problems. See other colleges that offer this major
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VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS
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Fine/Studio Arts, General
- A program that prepares individuals to generally function as creative artists in the visual and plastic media. Includes instruction in the traditional fine arts media (drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, CAD/CAM) and/or modern media (ceramics, textiles, intermedia, photography, digital images), theory of art, color theory, composition and perspective, anatomy, the techniques and procedures for maintaining equipment and managing a studio, and art portfolio marketing. See other colleges that offer this major
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Music, General
- A general program that focuses on the introductory study and appreciation of music and the performing arts. Includes instruction in music, dance, and other performing arts media. See other colleges that offer this major
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Most Popular Graduate programs
- Education, General
- Business Administration and Management, General
- Creative Writing
- Exercise Physiology and Kinesiology
- Ecology
Graduate ProgramsX
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BIOLOGICAL AND BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES
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Exercise Physiology and Kinesiology
- A program that focuses on the scientific study of the physiological processes involved in physical or motor activity, including sensorimotor interactions, response mechanisms, and the effects of injury, disease, and disability. Includes instruction in muscular and skeletal anatomy; molecular and cellular basis of muscle contraction; fuel utilization; neurophysiology of motor mechanics; systemic physiological responses (respiration, blood flow, endocrine secretions, and others); fatigue and exhaustion; muscle and body training; physiology of specific exercises and activities; physiology of injury; and the effects of disabilities and disease. See other colleges that offer this major
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Ecology
- A program that focuses on the scientific study of the relationships and interactions of small-scale biological systems, such as organisms, to each other, to complex and whole systems, and to the physical and other non-biological aspects of their environments. Includes instruction in biogeochemistry; landscape and/or marine/aquatic dynamics; decomposition; global and regional elemental budgets; biotic and abiotic regulation of nutrient cycles; ecophysiology; ecosystem resilience, disturbance, and succession; community and habitat dynamics; organismal interactions (co-evolution, competition, predation); paleoecology; and evolutionary ecology. See other colleges that offer this major
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BUSINESS, MANAGEMENT, MARKETING, AND RELATED SUPPORT SERVICES
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Business Administration and Management, General
- A program that generally prepares individuals to plan, organize, direct, and control the functions and processes of a firm or organization. Includes instruction in management theory, human resources management and behavior, accounting and other quantitative methods, purchasing and logistics, organization and production, marketing, and business decision-making. See other colleges that offer this major
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EDUCATION
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Education, General
- A program that focuses on the general theory and practice of learning and teaching, the basic principles of educational psychology, the art of teaching, the planning and administration of educational activities, school safety and health issues, and the social foundations of education. See other colleges that offer this major
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Special Education and Teaching, General
- A general program that focuses on the design and provision of teaching and other educational services to children or adults with special learning needs or disabilities, and that may prepare individuals to function as special education teachers in a collaborative or team environment. Includes instruction in diagnosing learning disabilities, developing individual education plans, teaching and supervising special education students, special education counseling, and applicable laws and policies. See other colleges that offer this major
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ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE/LETTERS
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Creative Writing
- A program that focuses on the process and techniques of original composition in various literary forms such as the short story, poetry, the novel, and others. Includes instruction in technical and editorial skills, criticism, and the marketing of finished manuscripts. See other colleges that offer this major
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VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS
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Fine and Studio Arts Management
- A program that prepares individuals to organize and manage fine and studio art organizations, operations, and facilities. Includes instruction in business and financial management; marketing and fundraising; personnel management and labor relations; event promotion and management; public relations and arts advocacy; arts law; and applications to specific arts activities such as galleries, museums, studios, foundations, and community organizations. See other colleges that offer this major
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Admissions
Undergraduate acceptance rate
Acceptance rate
91.85%- Apply 3,116
- Accepted 2,862
- Attend 439
Application Fee
Undergraduate
$30Graduate
$50Undergraduate application requirements
High school transcript
Not applicableHigh school GPA
Not applicableRecommendation letter
Not applicableAdmissions test
Not applicable
(SAT or ACT)TOEFL
Required
(international students)Completion of college
Not applicable
prep programDemonstration of
Not applicable
competencies
Average Test Scores
SAT Math
ACT Composite
SAT Reading
Student Life
Student Demographics
Female Students
51%Male Students
49%Student Ethnicities
- Caucasian59.39%
- Hispanic/Latino20.83%
- Not Specified7.36%
- Black4.74%
- Two Or More Ethnicities3.28%
- Asian2.73%
- American Indian/Alaska Native1.13%
- Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander0.54%
Student body breakdown
Total students enrolled
5,740
Undergraduate students
5,124
Graduate students
616
Full Time Students
54%Part Time Students
46%Student services
- Meal plan
- Counseling services
- Remedial services
- Work-study
- Placement services
- Study abroad
- Weekend/evening classes
- On-campus day care for student's children
Top five largest sports teams
Male sports:
- Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
- Football
- Wrestling
- Basketball
- Soccer
Female sports:
- Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
- Soccer
- Swimming and Diving (combined)
- Volleyball
- Basketball
Full List of Athletics X
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Male
- Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
- Football
- Wrestling
- Basketball
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Female
- Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
- Soccer
- Swimming and Diving (combined)
- Volleyball
- Basketball