Abilene Christian vs Calvin University

Abilene Christian University (ACU) and Calvin University share a commitment to faith-based education, yet they offer distinct experiences for their students. ACU, located in Abilene, Texas, is a private Christian university affiliated with the Churches of Christ, while Calvin, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, is a private Christian university affiliated with the Christian Reformed Church. With an acceptance rate of 75%, ACU welcomes a diverse student body, while Calvin's acceptance rate of 58% reflects its more selective admissions process. Both universities offer a range of undergraduate programs, with ACU excelling in nursing, business, and education, and Calvin excelling in engineering, computer science, and the social sciences. Explore the comparison table to discover more about these institutions, including their graduation rates, student demographics, and additional details that can help you make an informed decision about your higher education journey.

	Abilene Christian University	Calvin University
Overview
Location	Abilene, Texas	Grand Rapids, Michigan
Campus setting	City: Midsize	City: Midsize
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	4-1-4
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	79.0%	86.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Churches of Christ	Protestant

Admission
Acceptance rate	70.1%	75.1%
Application fees	$65	$35
SAT range	1050 - 1270	1120 - 1340
ACT range	22 - 28	24 - 30
Students submitting SAT score	35.0%	61.0%
Students submitting ACT score	28.0%	24.0%
Total number of applicants	8,208	3,986
Total number of admissions given out	5,755	2,992
Admitted students who chose to enroll	833	736
Yield rate	14.5%	24.6%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$55,500	$52,840
Average net price	$29,734	$27,120
Tuition	$39,250	$37,990
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,878 Meal plan: $5,750	$10,800
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan Other alternative tuition plan	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $23,662	95.0% Average amount $24,410
Students receiving federal student loan	53.0% Average amount $5,275	43.0% Average amount $4,987
Students taking out private loans	16.0% Average amount $18,262	7.0% Average amount $16,620

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	3,138 Men 39.2% Women 60.8%	3,068 Men 47.1% Women 52.9%
Graduate students	1,774 Men 28.1% Women 71.9%	189 Men 38.1% Women 61.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	14.8%	N/A
International students	3.3%	11.7%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	2,153	2,453
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Texas Oklahoma California Arizona Tennessee	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Education Business Psychology Kinesiology & Leisure Studies	Health Professions Business Education Engineering Theology
Students to faculty ratio	13:1	12:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	60.2%	77.3%
Dropout rate	38.8%	7.6%
Transferred out	N/A	14.7%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $60,955 Year 2: $64,068 Year 3: $76,106 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,092 Year 2: $58,522 Year 3: $66,013 Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $60,144 Year 2: $53,358 Year 3: $65,252 Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $54,661 Year 3: $59,374 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $41,079 Year 2: $49,631 Year 3: $53,274 Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $55,118 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $52,550 Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $40,619 Year 2: $39,009 Year 3: $50,422 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,737 Year 2: $44,170 Year 3: $46,207 Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,484 Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: $45,767 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,141 Year 2: $44,747 Year 3: $43,080	Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $50,594 Year 2: $61,020 Year 3: $73,154 Engineering, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,088 Year 2: $65,188 Year 3: $71,772 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $55,940 Year 2: $57,564 Year 3: $62,400 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,498 Year 2: $57,770 Year 3: $60,645 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,593 Year 2: $45,980 Year 3: $53,866 Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $54,275 Year 2: $60,878 Year 3: $51,938 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,034 Year 2: $32,382 Year 3: $44,640 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,528 Year 2: $35,060 Year 3: $39,008 Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,756 Year 2: $31,133 Year 3: $37,976 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,469 Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: $36,953

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