American University vs Shenandoah U

American University and Shenandoah University, both located in Virginia, offer distinct educational experiences. American University, a private research university in Washington, D.C., boasts a diverse student body and a strong focus on liberal arts and international studies. Shenandoah University, a private university in Winchester, Virginia, emphasizes healthcare professions and offers a range of undergraduate and graduate programs. With different acceptance rates, popular majors, student demographics, and graduation rates, these universities cater to different student needs and aspirations. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover which university aligns best with your academic goals and personal preferences.

	American University	Shenandoah University
Overview
Location	Washington, District of Columbia	Winchester, Virginia
Campus setting	City: Large	City: Small
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	90.0%	76.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Methodism	Methodism

Admission
Acceptance rate	64.1%	74.4%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $75 Graduate: $61	Undergraduate: $30 Graduate: $30
SAT range	1280 - 1440	N/A
ACT range	29 - 33	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	28.0%
Students submitting ACT score	18.0%
Total number of applicants	19,650	2,616
Total number of admissions given out	12,594	1,945
Admitted students who chose to enroll	2,372	509
Yield rate	18.8%	26.2%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$70,512	$49,610
Average net price	$28,622	$29,077
Tuition	$52,542	$33,140
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $10,096 Meal plan: $6,314	$11,020
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	64.0% Average amount $27,332	100.0% Average amount $19,733
Students receiving federal student loan	38.0% Average amount $4,933	94.0% Average amount $5,736
Students taking out private loans	4.0% Average amount $25,877	15.0% Average amount $19,715

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	8,463 Men 37.2% Women 62.8%	2,416 Men 38.2% Women 61.8%
Graduate students	6,389 Men 37.1% Women 62.9%	1,871 Men 22.3% Women 77.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	47.2%
International students	10.6%	1.2%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	4,080	1,185
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	Virginia Maryland Pennsylvania West Virginia North Carolina

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Legal Profession Social Sciences Public Administration and Social Service Education	Health Professions Education Visual & Performing Arts Business Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	12:1	11:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	78.7%	64.0%
Dropout rate	20.9%	18.4%
Transferred out	N/A	17.5%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Taxation (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $93,187 Year 2: $97,907 Year 3: $111,993 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $89,205 Year 2: $99,458 Year 3: $107,216 Economics (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $62,457 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $93,099 Public Administration (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $69,734 Year 2: $74,953 Year 3: $85,544 Public Policy Analysis (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $59,308 Year 2: $60,771 Year 3: $80,276 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $60,267 Year 2: $63,203 Year 3: $78,002 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $61,356 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $76,697 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $66,014 Year 3: $76,448 International Relations and National Security Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $59,460 Year 2: $63,692 Year 3: $73,342 Curriculum and Instruction (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $63,600 Year 3: $72,861	Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $111,275 Year 2: $118,737 Year 3: $125,770 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $52,265 Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $113,374 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $103,402 Year 2: $100,108 Year 3: $104,182 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $93,531 Year 2: $77,401 Year 3: $86,370 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $73,152 Year 2: $76,083 Year 3: $82,110 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,690 Year 2: $62,911 Year 3: $61,865 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $65,799 Year 2: $65,131 Year 3: $60,303 Education, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $53,356 Year 2: $53,045 Year 3: $55,231 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,313 Year 2: $39,585 Year 3: $47,322 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $42,932

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