American University vs Villanova University

American University and Villanova University, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. American University, located in the heart of Washington, D.C., boasts a diverse student body and a strong focus on public affairs and international studies. Villanova University, situated in the vibrant Philadelphia suburbs, excels in business, engineering, and nursing programs. With acceptance rates of 35% and 30%, respectively, both universities are highly selective. While American University's student body is more diverse, with 28% international students, Villanova's student body is predominantly white (73%). Explore the comprehensive comparison table to delve into further details, including popular majors, graduation rates, and additional factors that may influence your decision.

	American University	Villanova University
Overview
Location	Washington, District of Columbia	Villanova, Pennsylvania
Campus setting	City: Large	Suburb: Large
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%	96.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Methodism	Catholic

Admission
Acceptance rate	64.1%	25.2%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $75 Graduate: $61	Undergraduate: $80 Graduate: $50
SAT range	1280 - 1440	1350 - 1490
ACT range	29 - 33	31 - 34
Students submitting SAT score	28.0%	28.0%
Students submitting ACT score	18.0%	17.0%
Total number of applicants	19,650	24,410
Total number of admissions given out	12,594	6,162
Admitted students who chose to enroll	2,372	1,772
Yield rate	18.8%	28.8%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$70,512	$77,806
Average net price	$28,622	$33,123
Tuition	$52,542	$58,290
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $10,096 Meal plan: $6,314	Room/dormitory: $8,236 Meal plan: $7,150
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	52.0% Average amount $43,106
Students receiving federal student loan	38.0% Average amount $4,933	34.0% Average amount $5,267
Students taking out private loans	4.0% Average amount $25,877	7.0% Average amount $29,933

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	8,463 Men 37.2% Women 62.8%	7,032 Men 45.6% Women 54.4%
Graduate students	6,389 Men 37.1% Women 62.9%	3,838 Men 46.6% Women 53.4%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	80.7%
International students	10.6%	3.6%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	4,080	5,400
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	New Jersey Pennsylvania New York Connecticut Maryland

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Legal Profession Social Sciences Public Administration and Social Service Education	Business Engineering Health Professions Legal Profession Public Administration and Social Service
Students to faculty ratio	12:1	11:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	78.7%	91.3%
Dropout rate	20.9%	1.5%
Transferred out	N/A	7.2%
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	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $114,668 Year 2: $165,766 Year 3: $171,511 Taxation (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $124,137 Year 2: $100,740 Year 3: $121,765 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $106,590 Year 2: $109,095 Year 3: $118,365 Business/Managerial Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $70,687 Year 2: $90,856 Year 3: $106,587 Real Estate (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $70,782 Year 2: $71,351 Year 3: $91,484 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $72,757 Year 2: $73,579 Year 3: $88,419 Human Resources Management and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $84,583 Year 2: $80,218 Year 3: $88,254 Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $71,297 Year 2: $71,947 Year 3: $86,990 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $73,492 Year 2: $72,214 Year 3: $85,108 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $71,115 Year 2: $74,576 Year 3: $84,596

Compare Similar Colleges

The list of suggested college comparisons provided below is generated automatically by our system, utilizing statistics gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and various online sources. If you don't find the colleges you wish to compare, please visit our comparison page. There, you can search for the specific colleges and initiate your comparison.

American University

University of Arizona