Acceptance Rate
37%
Avg. SAT
1540
75th percentile
“Where Cleveland's gritty innovation meets top-tier STEM labs and cultural gems, perfect for the ambitious tinkerer who thrives on collaboration.”
Cleveland, OH
Location
Large City
Campus Setting
Case Western Reserve University emerged in 1967 from the shotgun merger of two Cleveland powerhouses: the engineering-focused Case Institute of Technology, founded in 1880 by industrialists betting on applied science, and Western Reserve University, established in 1826 as a frontier liberal arts college with deep medical roots. You'll find yourself in University Circle, a 550-acre haven of 40 museums, orchestras, and hospitals amid Cleveland's post-industrial landscape—think world-class institutions like the Cleveland Museum of Art and Clinic next door, but steps from the city's Rust Belt realities of vacant lots and economic struggles. Students who shine here are driven doers, often STEM-bound with a collaborative streak, drawn to the school's pragmatic, inventive personality that prizes hands-on problem-solving over ivory-tower theory. Tradeoffs hit hard: Cleveland's brutal winters and urban edge demand resilience, and the high tuition stings without aid, but the area's affordability outside campus makes city life accessible.
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Admissions
Acceptance Rate
Test Policy
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Average GPA
Application Fee
Academics
Student-Faculty Ratio
Programs Offered
Full-Time Faculty
Women Faculty
Research Spending
Degree Levels Offered
Dive into classrooms where professors with NASA ties lead seminars capped at 20, fostering debates that spill into late-night lab sessions—expect the 9:1 student-faculty ratio to mean mentors who know your name and push undergrads into research from day one, like sequencing DNA at the nearby Lerner Research Institute. The engineering and nursing programs dominate, with polymers science—the world's first dedicated department—churning out experts for materials that power everything from phone screens to medical implants, while biomedical engineering ranks among the nation's elite for undergrad research output. Intellectual life buzzes with interdisciplinary mashups, but brace for the grind: weed-out courses in STEM weed out the faint-hearted, and while humanities hold their own, they play second fiddle to tech-heavy pursuits.
Student Body
Total Enrollment
6,528 undergrad • 5,947 grad
Undergraduate
Graduate
International
White
39%
Black / African American
7%
Hispanic / Latino
9%
Asian
20%
Other / Multi-racial
26%
Campus Life
Campus Setting
Cleveland, OH
Varsity Athletics
NCAA Athletics
A typical week unfolds in Thwing Hall's chaotic buzz—grab coffee amid club fairs, hit labs till dusk, then unwind at a Greeks-sponsored trivia night or improv show, all before biking to a Cleveland Cavaliers game. Campus hums with 200+ organizations, from robotics teams dominating national comps to a cappella groups echoing through suite-style dorms that mix freshmen with upperclassmen for instant networks; traditions like the quirky Float Your Boat regatta on Doan Brook turn engineers into amateur shipbuilders amid spring mud. The vibe skews collaborative and low-drama, less party-hard than peer-pressure-free, but social scenes cluster in the safe University Circle bubble—venturing into wider Cleveland requires street smarts, and those endless gray winters test even the most extroverted souls.
Housing
On-Campus Housing
Housing Capacity
Meal Plan Available
Average Room & Board
Athletics
Athletic Association
University Athletic Association
ROTC & Veteran Support
Army
Yes
Navy
No
Air Force
Yes
Veteran’s Programs Available
Yellow Ribbon Program (Post-9/11 GI Bill)
Yes
Dedicated point of contact for veteran support services
Yes
Member of DoD Voluntary Educational Partnership MOU
Yes
Cost & Aid
In-State Tuition
Out-of-State Tuition
Room & Board
Estimated Cost
Financial Aid
Students Receiving Aid
Receiving Pell Grants
Average Grant
Average Federal Loan
Net Annual Cost by Household Income
Household Income
Avg. Net Cost
$0 – $30K
$18,240
$30K – $48K
$20,149
$48K – $75K
$21,047
$75K – $110K
$30,752
$110K+
$47,859
Apply for Financial Aid
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Outcomes & Earnings
Retention Rate
92%
4 Years Graduation Rate
68%
6 Years Graduation Rate
85%
Median 10-Year Earnings
$87,989
92% of first-time, full-time students complete their freshman year at Case Western Reserve University and return in the fall. 68% of first-time, full-time students graduate in 4 years, and 85% graduate within 6 years.
Graduation Rate
4-year grads
68%
4-6 years
17%
Non-grad
15%
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Key Statistics
Type
Private
Tuition
$61,040
Acceptance
37%
Undergrads
6,528
4-Year Grad Rate
68%
Endowment
$2.6B
Cleveland, OH 44106
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