California Institute of Technology vs University of Virginia-Main Campus (UVA)

California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and University of Virginia-Main Campus (UVA) stand as two distinct beacons of higher education, each offering a unique blend of academic excellence and vibrant campus life. Caltech, renowned for its rigorous STEM programs and groundbreaking research, boasts an acceptance rate of 7.7%, making it one of the most selective universities in the nation. UVA, on the other hand, offers a more comprehensive range of undergraduate and graduate programs, with an acceptance rate of 26.4%. While Caltech's student body is predominantly male (62%) and Asian (42%), UVA's student population is more diverse, with a gender distribution of 50% male and 50% female, and a racial makeup of 62% White, 10% Asian, and 9% Black or African American. Both institutions boast impressive graduation rates, with Caltech's 91% rate slightly edging out UVA's

	California Institute of Technology	University of Virginia-Main Campus
Overview
Location	Pasadena, California	Charlottesville, Virginia
Campus setting	City: Midsize	Suburb: Small
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Public
Calendar system	Quarter	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	99.0%	97.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	3.9%	20.7%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $75 Graduate: $100	Undergraduate: $75 Graduate: $85
SAT range	N/A	1380 - 1500
ACT range	N/A	32 - 35
Students submitting SAT score		52.0%
Students submitting ACT score		21.0%
Total number of applicants	13,026	47,971
Total number of admissions given out	510	9,951
Admitted students who chose to enroll	270	3,889
Yield rate	52.9%	39.1%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	Not required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$82,122	In state: $36,314 Out of state: $70,696
Average net price	$30,162	$20,401
Tuition	$56,364	In state: $16,010 Out of state: $49,710
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $10,398 Meal plan: $7,350	Room/dormitory: $7,110 Meal plan: $5,550
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Guaranteed tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	54.0% Average amount $47,556	46.0% Average amount $19,612
Students receiving federal student loan	5.0% Average amount $5,333	25.0% Average amount $4,845
Students taking out private loans	15.0% Average amount $4,732	6.0% Average amount $11,030

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	987 Men 55.3% Women 44.7%	17,294 Men 43.7% Women 56.3%
Graduate students	1,410 Men 66.7% Women 33.3%	8,711 Men 46.9% Women 53.1%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	92.2%	35.2%
International students	29.4%	8.8%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	Suburb: Small
Dormitory capacity	1,572	7,645
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	California Texas Georgia Maryland Florida	Virginia New York Maryland Pennsylvania New Jersey

Academics
Popular study areas	Engineering Physical Science Computer and Information Science Biological and Biomedical Sciences Mathematics and Statistics	Business Health Professions Engineering Social Sciences Education
Students to faculty ratio	3:1	15:1
Institutional accreditation	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	92.9%	93.7%
Dropout rate	4.6%	2.3%
Transferred out	1.7%	3.6%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $155,297 Year 3: N/A Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $129,693 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $83,177 Year 3: N/A Chemistry (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $59,996 Year 2: $89,875 Year 3: N/A	Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $185,710 Year 2: $162,255 Year 3: $193,013 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $157,071 Year 2: $155,263 Year 3: $176,237 Computer Software and Media Applications (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $86,350 Year 2: $101,406 Year 3: $125,729 Business/Commerce, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $103,426 Year 2: $107,256 Year 3: $120,362 Systems Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $108,239 Year 2: $95,739 Year 3: $109,956 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $83,639 Year 2: $92,077 Year 3: $108,272 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $84,682 Year 2: $90,146 Year 3: $101,904 Business/Commerce, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $76,602 Year 2: $82,440 Year 3: $95,939 Systems Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $79,487 Year 2: $82,808 Year 3: $94,931 Public Policy Analysis (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $54,807 Year 2: $70,596 Year 3: $84,597

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California Institute of Technology

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