Ave Maria vs Vanguard University of Southern California

Ave Maria University and Vanguard University of Southern California, both rooted in Christian values, offer distinct educational experiences. Ave Maria, located in Florida, boasts a higher acceptance rate and a smaller student body, fostering a close-knit community. Vanguard, situated in California, attracts a more diverse student population and offers a wider range of undergraduate programs, including popular majors like Business and Psychology. While Ave Maria excels in the sciences, Vanguard shines in the social sciences. Both universities prioritize spiritual growth and service, but their unique strengths and demographics may appeal to different students. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover which university better aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Ave Maria University	Vanguard University of Southern California
Overview
Location	Ave Maria, Florida	Costa Mesa, California
Campus setting	Rural: Distant	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	76.0%	75.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation	Catholic	Protestant

Admission
Acceptance rate	64.0%	69.0%
Application fees		Undergraduate: $45 Graduate: $45
SAT range	N/A	980 - 1200
ACT range	N/A	19 - 25
Students submitting SAT score		12.0%
Students submitting ACT score		5.0%
Total number of applicants	3,705	2,917
Total number of admissions given out	2,373	2,013
Admitted students who chose to enroll	377	500
Yield rate	15.9%	24.8%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	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	$41,977	$60,800
Average net price	$18,643	$20,427
Tuition	$23,521	$37,000
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,562 Meal plan: $5,528	Room/dormitory: $6,588 Meal plan: $5,430
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $21,230	100.0% Average amount $27,535
Students receiving federal student loan	55.0% Average amount $5,696	95.0% Average amount $5,626
Students taking out private loans	9.0% Average amount $11,852	3.0% Average amount $15,362

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,259 Men 45.1% Women 54.9%	1,975 Men 31.5% Women 68.5%
Graduate students	43 Men 69.8% Women 30.2%	293 Men 31.4% Women 68.6%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	1.3%	0.2%
Campus local/setting	Rural: Distant	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	1,244	1,049
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Business Theology Social Sciences Education	Psychology Business Education Health Professions Kinesiology & Leisure Studies
Students to faculty ratio	18:1	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	60.9%	61.5%
Dropout rate	39.1%	37.7%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $32,648 Year 2: $33,993 Year 3: $36,766 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $29,250 Year 3: $34,401 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $26,800 Year 2: $30,988 Year 3: $30,767 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,762 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Theological and Ministerial Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,775 Year 2: $28,598 Year 3: N/A Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $48,041 Year 3: N/A	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

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.

Ave Maria vs Vanguard University of Southern California

Ave Maria University

Vanguard University of Southern California

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

Compare Similar Colleges

Find Colleges By State

Resources

About