William & Mary (W&M) vs Liberty University

William & Mary and Liberty University, two distinct institutions of higher learning, offer unique educational experiences to prospective students. William & Mary, a public research university, boasts a long history dating back to the 17th century and is renowned for its strong academic reputation and rigorous curriculum. Liberty University, a private Christian university, is known for its faith-based education and commitment to conservative values. While both universities offer a diverse range of academic programs, they differ in terms of acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to delve into the specifics and discover which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	William & Mary	Liberty University
Overview
Location	Williamsburg, Virginia	Lynchburg, Virginia
Campus setting	Suburb: Small	City: Small
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	93.0%	79.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation		Evangelical

Admission
Acceptance rate	36.5%	99.3%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $75 Graduate: $50	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $50
SAT range	1360 - 1520	N/A
ACT range	31 - 34	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	51.0%
Students submitting ACT score	19.0%
Total number of applicants	17,475	28,448
Total number of admissions given out	6,386	28,244
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,684	5,461
Yield rate	26.4%	19.3%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	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: $40,624 Out of state: $63,850	$42,620
Average net price	$18,399	$27,891
Tuition	In state: $17,434 Out of state: $40,089	$21,663
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $8,490 Meal plan: $5,246	Room/dormitory: $6,150 Meal plan: $4,560
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	44.0% Average amount $21,700	89.0% Average amount $12,431
Students receiving federal student loan	22.0% Average amount $5,132	52.0% Average amount $5,619
Students taking out private loans	4.0% Average amount $27,548	9.0% Average amount $17,351

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	6,543 Men 41.6% Women 58.4%	47,696 Men 43.0% Women 57.0%
Graduate students	2,974 Men 42.7% Women 57.3%	47,013 Men 38.7% Women 61.3%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	35.2%	76.0%
International students	6.2%	0.7%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Small	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	4,755	8,222
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Virginia New Jersey Maryland Pennsylvania New York	Virginia North Carolina Pennsylvania Texas Florida

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Legal Profession Education Social Sciences Multidisciplinary Studies	Education Business Health Professions Psychology Theology
Students to faculty ratio	12:1	17:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	91.0%	62.1%
Dropout rate	2.1%	30.2%
Transferred out	6.3%	5.6%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $71,208 Year 2: $71,202 Year 3: $87,886 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $64,972 Year 2: $66,087 Year 3: $81,526 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $85,399 Year 2: $82,440 Year 3: $80,518 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $73,897 Year 2: $68,499 Year 3: $80,071 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $66,977 Year 2: $65,610 Year 3: $69,021 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $54,979 Year 2: $53,108 Year 3: $57,485 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $43,630 Year 2: $44,117 Year 3: $51,824 Public Policy Analysis (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,566 Year 2: $39,153 Year 3: $50,454 Area Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,517 Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: $48,118 History (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $26,414 Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: $47,651	Intelligence, Command Control and Information Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $84,316 Year 2: $62,012 Year 3: $91,964 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $80,385 Year 2: $80,964 Year 3: $87,831 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $52,657 Year 2: $68,219 Year 3: $77,205 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,410 Year 2: $72,022 Year 3: $73,900 Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,556 Year 2: $51,106 Year 3: $65,313 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,731 Year 2: $62,936 Year 3: $64,580 Business/Commerce, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,576 Year 2: $57,705 Year 3: $62,807 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $60,423 Year 2: $57,714 Year 3: $62,225 Pastoral Counseling and Specialized Ministries (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: $40,885 Year 2: $56,415 Year 3: $62,169 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $58,240 Year 2: $59,895 Year 3: $61,052

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