Western Carolina University College Portrait
Western Carolina UniversityCullowhee, NC 28723
828-227-7317
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- Students
Find out more about the characteristics of students who attend WCU.
- Admissions
See how many students applied, accepted, and enrolled at WCU. Learn more about students’ high school preparation and test scores.
- College Costs & Financial Aid
Learn about costs to attend WCU and how much financial aid is typically awarded.
- College Cost Estimator
Estimate your cost to attend WCU in a few simple steps.
- Classes and Campus Life
Learn more about professors, where students live, and campus safety at WCU.
- Student Experiences
Discover ways to be actively involved in your education at WCU – inside and outside the classroom.
- Majors, Graduation and Next Steps
See which majors are most popular at WCU and what recent graduates plan to do after earning their bachelor's degree.
- Student Success & Progress
Discover how many students who start at WCU finish their bachelor's degree and how long it takes.
- Student Learning Outcomes
Figure out what learning gains to expect in critical thinking, writing, and other important subjects at WCU.
- Carnegie Foundation recognizes WCU for community engagement
Student Learning at Western Carolina University
All colleges and universities use multiple approaches to measure student learning. Many of these are specific to particular disciplines, many are coordinated with accrediting agencies, and many are based on outcomes after students have graduated.
Western Carolina University is committed to creating engaged learning opportunities that incorporate teaching, research, and service through residential, distance education and international experiences.� The University is proud of its nationally and regionally recognized educational programs with particular strengths in teacher education, health sciences, and experiential learning.� At WCU, quality of academic and co-curricular programs and services is a core value and measurement of institutional quality is ensured through a continuous program of assessment that provides meaningful information for planning and decision-making.� The link below will direct you to the WCU Office of Assessment website� where you can browse assessment information related to a range of academic programs and student services.
Learning Assessment Examples
Pilot Project to Measure Core Learning Outcomes
Colleges and universities participating in the College Portrait measure the typical improvement in students' abilities to think, reason, and write using one of three tests. This is part of a pilot project to better understand and compare what students learn between their freshman and senior years at different colleges and universities.
- Results from the Collegiate Learning Assessment
The Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA) measures critical thinking, analytic reasoning, problem solving, and written communication using a performance task and an analytic writing task. The scores from the tasks are reported separately below.
Test Administration Process
Test Information
Performance Task Results for First-time, Full-time Students
The increase in learning on the performance task is above what would be expected at an institution testing students of similar academic abilities.
Freshman Score: 1056
Senior Score: 1184
CLA score range: 400 to no maximum score.
Average ACT scores for tested students
Freshman Score: 21
Senior Score: 21
Average EEA scores for tested students
Freshman Score: 1101
Senior Score: 1091
Analytic Writing Task Results for First-time, Full-time Students
The increase in learning on the analytic writing task is below what would be expected at an institution testing students of similar academic abilities.
Freshman Score: 1089
Senior Score: 1131
CLA score range: 400 to no maximum score.
Average ACT scores for tested students
Freshman Score: 22
Senior Score: 21
Average EEA scores for tested students
Freshman Score: 1052
Senior Score: 1046