Chico State vs Radford

California State University-Chico and Radford University, located on opposite sides of the country, offer distinct educational experiences. CSU-Chico, nestled in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains, boasts a higher acceptance rate and a larger student body, while Radford University, situated in the heart of Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains, offers a more selective admissions process and a smaller, close-knit community. Both universities excel in different areas, with CSU-Chico known for its strong programs in business, engineering, and computer science, and Radford University recognized for its exceptional offerings in the liberal arts, education, and nursing. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to delve into further details about these institutions, including their acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, graduation rates, and more, to determine which university best aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	California State University-Chico	Radford University
Overview
Location	Chico, California	Radford, Virginia
Campus setting	City: Midsize	Suburb: Small
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	81.0%	67.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	85.5%	95.3%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $70	$50
SAT range	N/A	950 - 1150
ACT range	N/A	19 - 23
Students submitting SAT score		25.0%
Students submitting ACT score		3.0%
Total number of applicants	19,990	11,291
Total number of admissions given out	17,086	10,762
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,929	1,292
Yield rate	11.3%	12.0%
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)	Not required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $23,984 Out of state: $35,864	In state: $26,632 Out of state: $38,714
Average net price	$13,749	$16,835
Tuition	In state: $5,742 Out of state: $17,622	In state: $7,922 Out of state: $19,557
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $8,609 Meal plan: $3,881	Room/dormitory: $5,549 Meal plan: $4,487
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	63.0% Average amount $8,691	88.0% Average amount $8,695
Students receiving federal student loan	29.0% Average amount $4,637	65.0% Average amount $5,344
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $11,369	12.0% Average amount $12,531

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	14,462 Men 45.5% Women 54.5%	6,513 Men 38.8% Women 61.2%
Graduate students	1,240 Men 33.6% Women 66.4%	2,485 Men 15.7% Women 84.3%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	1.3%	11.8%
International students	2.9%	0.7%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	Suburb: Small
Dormitory capacity	2,323	3,528
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	California Oregon Washington Arizona Colorado	Virginia Maryland North Carolina District of Columbia Florida

Academics
Popular study areas	Liberal Arts Health Professions Public Administration and Social Service Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Engineering Technologies	Health Professions Education Multidisciplinary Studies Visual & Performing Arts Public Administration and Social Service
Students to faculty ratio	22:1	13:1
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	65.4%	53.9%
Dropout rate	27.4%	12.1%
Transferred out	4.8%	33.2%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $94,107 Year 2: $95,797 Year 3: $96,478 Construction Management (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $78,190 Year 2: $83,091 Year 3: $93,961 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $72,808 Year 2: $74,241 Year 3: $91,563 Electrical Engineering Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $71,244 Year 2: $70,176 Year 3: $79,499 Civil Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,761 Year 2: $69,617 Year 3: $79,308 Engineering, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $68,803 Year 2: $66,355 Year 3: $76,389 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,879 Year 2: $59,350 Year 3: $74,258 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $68,880 Year 2: $66,222 Year 3: $74,116 Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $67,298 Year 2: $68,499 Year 3: $69,321 Engineering-Related Fields (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,812 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $68,680	Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $101,194 Year 2: $102,123 Year 3: $109,693 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $69,901 Year 2: $73,769 Year 3: $74,138 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,548 Year 2: $61,516 Year 3: $70,994 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $68,340 Year 2: $70,736 Year 3: $70,676 Health and Medical Administrative Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $49,891 Year 2: $71,015 Year 3: $69,846 Information Science/Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $45,291 Year 2: $48,041 Year 3: $62,174 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,868 Year 2: $57,366 Year 3: $60,113 Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $56,758 Year 2: $62,508 Year 3: $59,947 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,726 Year 2: $50,856 Year 3: $59,246 Psychology, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $38,039 Year 2: $50,022 Year 3: $57,452

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