Buena Vista University vs Concordia University-Wisconsin (CUW)

Buena Vista University and Concordia University-Wisconsin, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Buena Vista, a private university in Storm Lake, Iowa, boasts a 90% acceptance rate, while Concordia, a private Lutheran university in Mequon, Wisconsin, has a slightly lower acceptance rate of 86%. Buena Vista's student body is more diverse, with 23% of students identifying as minorities compared to Concordia's 13%. Both universities offer a range of popular majors, including Business, Education, and Nursing, but Buena Vista also features unique programs like Exercise Science and Music Industry. Concordia's graduation rate stands at 63%, while Buena Vista's is slightly higher at 65%. To help you make an informed decision, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison table highlighting these and other key differences between the two universities. Explore the table to discover which institution aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Buena Vista University	Concordia University-Wisconsin
Overview
Location	Storm Lake, Iowa	Mequon, Wisconsin
Campus setting	Town: Remote	Suburb: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	4-1-4	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	73.0%	80.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation	Presbyterian	Evangelical

Admission
Acceptance rate	66.0%	68.6%
Application fees
SAT range	963 - 1140	N/A
ACT range	18 - 25	20 - 26
Students submitting SAT score	8.0%
Students submitting ACT score	57.0%	55.0%
Total number of applicants	1,749	3,544
Total number of admissions given out	1,154	2,431
Admitted students who chose to enroll	237	514
Yield rate	20.5%	21.1%
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	$53,162	$48,502
Average net price	$18,532	$25,830
Tuition	$37,518	$31,660
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,114 Meal plan: $5,256	$11,744
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $31,137	100.0% Average amount $21,746
Students receiving federal student loan	72.0% Average amount $5,750	56.0% Average amount $5,241
Students taking out private loans	29.0% Average amount $5,551	20.0% Average amount $12,871

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,506 Men 36.5% Women 63.5%	2,914 Men 38.3% Women 61.7%
Graduate students	453 Men 16.3% Women 83.7%	2,290 Men 25.1% Women 74.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Low
Out-of-state students	39.4%	N/A
International students	0.5%	6.0%
Campus local/setting	Town: Remote	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	836	1,750
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Iowa Texas Nebraska Minnesota Arizona	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Business Psychology Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Computer and Information Science	Health Professions Business Education Biological and Biomedical Sciences Public Administration and Social Service
Students to faculty ratio	11:1	12:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	62.8%	59.2%
Dropout rate	36.8%	40.2%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Curriculum and Instruction (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $58,501 Year 2: $58,943 Year 3: $61,003 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,278 Year 2: $47,260 Year 3: $52,709 Student Counseling and Personnel Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $45,249 Year 2: $45,455 Year 3: $48,387 Human Resources Management and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,936 Year 2: $43,426 Year 3: $46,768 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,901 Year 2: $47,494 Year 3: $46,501 Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,530 Year 2: $35,416 Year 3: $45,327 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,042 Year 2: $40,089 Year 3: $45,181 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,301 Year 2: $39,369 Year 3: $44,742 Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,198 Year 2: $35,416 Year 3: $43,790 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,262 Year 2: $37,819 Year 3: $37,074	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $120,549 Year 3: $128,689 Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $112,115 Year 2: $119,061 Year 3: $124,250 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $103,174 Year 2: $110,432 Year 3: $106,468 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $95,640 Year 2: $96,738 Year 3: $97,589 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $71,302 Year 2: $72,083 Year 3: $76,400 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $64,215 Year 2: $72,462 Year 3: $73,671 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,865 Year 2: $62,154 Year 3: $68,307 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,595 Year 2: $52,941 Year 3: $63,046 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $60,475 Year 2: $62,546 Year 3: $62,321 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $56,493 Year 2: $55,383 Year 3: $58,804

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