Quad

Head-to-head

Salisbury
Western Michigan

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    Western Michigan has 2.1× as many undergrads as Salisbury

    Undergrads
  2. 2

    Salisbury graduates 8 pts more of its students than Western Michigan (70% vs. 61%)

    Graduation rate
  3. 3

    Salisbury grads earn $8K more ten years out than Western Michigan's ($61,515 vs. $53,562)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs
  4. 4

    Western Michigan's grants cover 33% of its full price on average, vs. 25% at Salisbury

    Aid generosity
  5. 5

    Salisbury's yield is 5 pts higher than Western Michigan's

    Yield rate
  6. 6

    Western Michigan costs about $2.4K less per year on average than Salisbury ($21,273 vs. $23,627, all students)

    Average cost, all students

The shape of each school

Each axis is a national rank among 4-year colleges; further out = more of it.

SelectivityTest scoresSizePell shareFirst-genDiversity

Hollow dots at the center mean that measure isn't reported.

Who's hardest to get into

Western Michigan admits 85%, Salisbury 88%; Salisbury's yield is higher, at 19%.

Acceptance rate
Salisbury88%
Western Michigan85%
Quad's selectivity
  • SalisburyAccessible
  • Western MichiganAccessible
SAT middle 50%Axis 1100–1600
Salisbury
1190–1300
Western MichiganTest-blind
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • SalisburyRigor and GPA very important51%
  • Western MichiganGPA, school record, and prep program required

Who's on each campus

Western Michigan has 2.1× as many undergrads as Salisbury and has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
Salisbury6.1K
Western Michigan12.6K
Pell Grant share
Salisbury26%
Western Michigan27%

Majors and faculty

Speech Communication and Rhetoric leads at Salisbury, and Aeronautics/Aviation/Aerospace Science and Technology at Western Michigan.

Students per faculty member
Salisbury14 to 1
Western Michigan16 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • SalisburySpeech Communication and Rhetoric9%
  • Western MichiganAeronautics/Aviation/Aerospace Science and Technology, General6%

What each costs

Western Michigan costs about $2.4K less a year than Salisbury on average, and its grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
Salisbury$23.6K
Western Michigan$21.3K
Aid generosity
Salisbury25%
Western Michigan33%

What each pays off

Salisbury's former students earn more, a median $61.5K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 60% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
Salisbury$61.5K
Western Michigan$53.6K
Graduation rate
Salisbury70%
Western Michigan61%

How each has changed

Applications grew at Western Michigan but held steady at Salisbury; Salisbury got less selective while Western Michigan held steady.

Applications, 10-year change
  • SalisburySteady+1%
  • Western MichiganGrowing+55%
All the numbersEvery figure for these colleges in one table, with differences highlighted.
Sources for this comparisonEvery dataset and year behind the numbers in this comparison; tap any ⓘ for one number's source

Sources:Salisbury University (Fall 2025), Fall 2025;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, most recent release;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;Salisbury University Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2027 applicants;Salisbury University Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2024;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard, 2023–24;IPEDS Graduation Rates survey (Pell Grant and subsidized loan recipients), Entered fall 2018;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)

Figures are the newest each college has published; years can differ between colleges. Each value's ⓘ shows its source and year. Why