Abilene Christian vs Vanguard University of Southern California

Abilene Christian University (ACU) and Vanguard University of Southern California (Vanguard) are two private Christian universities that offer a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs. While both institutions share a commitment to providing a faith-based education, they differ in several key aspects. ACU, located in Abilene, Texas, has a larger student body and a higher acceptance rate compared to Vanguard, which is situated in Costa Mesa, California. ACU offers a broader selection of majors, including popular fields such as business, nursing, and education, while Vanguard specializes in majors related to the arts, humanities, and social sciences. Additionally, ACU has a higher graduation rate than Vanguard. To help you make an informed decision about your higher education journey, we have compiled a comprehensive comparison table that delves into these differences and more. Explore the table to discover which university better aligns with your academic goals and personal preferences.

	Abilene Christian University	Vanguard University of Southern California
Overview
Location	Abilene, Texas	Costa Mesa, California
Campus setting	City: Midsize	City: Midsize
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	79.0%	75.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation	Churches of Christ	Protestant

Admission
Acceptance rate	70.1%	69.0%
Application fees	$65	Undergraduate: $45 Graduate: $45
SAT range	1050 - 1270	980 - 1200
ACT range	22 - 28	19 - 25
Students submitting SAT score	35.0%	12.0%
Students submitting ACT score	28.0%	5.0%
Total number of applicants	8,208	2,917
Total number of admissions given out	5,755	2,013
Admitted students who chose to enroll	833	500
Yield rate	14.5%	24.8%
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	$60,800
Average net price	$29,734	$20,427
Tuition	$39,250	$37,000
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,878 Meal plan: $5,750	Room/dormitory: $6,588 Meal plan: $5,430
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan Other alternative tuition plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $23,662	100.0% Average amount $27,535
Students receiving federal student loan	53.0% Average amount $5,275	95.0% Average amount $5,626
Students taking out private loans	16.0% Average amount $18,262	3.0% Average amount $15,362

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	3,138 Men 39.2% Women 60.8%	1,975 Men 31.5% Women 68.5%
Graduate students	1,774 Men 28.1% Women 71.9%	293 Men 31.4% Women 68.6%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	14.8%	N/A
International students	3.3%	0.2%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	2,153	1,049
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	Psychology Business Education Health Professions Kinesiology & Leisure Studies
Students to faculty ratio	13:1	17:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	60.2%	61.5%
Dropout rate	38.8%	37.7%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
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	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $116,679 Year 3: $134,779 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $91,857 Year 2: $91,300 Year 3: $89,882 Curriculum and Instruction (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $59,124 Year 3: $60,756 Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $54,112 Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: $47,596 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,217 Year 2: $40,697 Year 3: $45,892 Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $34,348 Year 3: $42,899 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,413 Year 2: $33,043 Year 3: $39,397 Pastoral Counseling and Specialized Ministries (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: $37,493 Radio, Television, and Digital Communication (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $25,194 Year 3: $35,701 Education, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: N/A Year 3: $35,495

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Abilene Christian vs Vanguard University of Southern California

Abilene Christian University

Vanguard University of Southern California

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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