William & Mary (W&M) vs Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU)

William & Mary and Virginia Commonwealth University, both esteemed institutions in Virginia, offer distinct educational experiences. William & Mary, founded in 1693, is a public research university with a long history of academic excellence, while Virginia Commonwealth University, established in 1838, is a public research university known for its strong programs in the arts, humanities, and health sciences. With acceptance rates of 36% and 79%, respectively, these universities cater to different levels of academic competitiveness. While William & Mary's student body is predominantly White (62%) and female (56%), Virginia Commonwealth University's student population is more diverse, with a larger proportion of Black or African American (23%) and Hispanic or Latino (11%) students. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to delve into further details about these universities, including popular majors, graduation rates, and additional factors that may influence your higher education journey.

	William & Mary	Virginia Commonwealth University
Overview
Location	Williamsburg, Virginia	Richmond, Virginia
Campus setting	Suburb: Small	City: Midsize
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	93.0%	84.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	36.5%	92.8%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $75 Graduate: $50	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $70
SAT range	1360 - 1520	1070 - 1300
ACT range	31 - 34	20 - 29
Students submitting SAT score	51.0%	29.0%
Students submitting ACT score	19.0%	5.0%
Total number of applicants	17,475	17,579
Total number of admissions given out	6,386	16,308
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,684	4,084
Yield rate	26.4%	25.0%
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	In state: $36,861 Out of state: $58,199
Average net price	$18,399	$19,656
Tuition	In state: $17,434 Out of state: $40,089	In state: $12,094 Out of state: $32,742
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $8,490 Meal plan: $5,246	Room/dormitory: $6,953 Meal plan: $5,820
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	44.0% Average amount $21,700	78.0% Average amount $13,623
Students receiving federal student loan	22.0% Average amount $5,132	44.0% Average amount $5,174
Students taking out private loans	4.0% Average amount $27,548	8.0% Average amount $17,903

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	6,543 Men 41.6% Women 58.4%	21,394 Men 36.9% Women 63.1%
Graduate students	2,974 Men 42.7% Women 57.3%	7,200 Men 33.7% Women 66.3%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	35.2%	7.0%
International students	6.2%	3.6%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Small	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	4,755	5,958
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 Maryland North Carolina New Jersey Pennsylvania

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Legal Profession Education Social Sciences Multidisciplinary Studies	Health Professions Visual & Performing Arts Business Public Administration and Social Service Multidisciplinary Studies
Students to faculty ratio	12:1	18:1
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%	67.6%
Dropout rate	2.1%	10.5%
Transferred out	6.3%	19.2%
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	Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $234,763 Year 3: $225,432 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $166,030 Year 2: $181,454 Year 3: $181,915 Dentistry (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $87,586 Year 2: $106,935 Year 3: $134,578 Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $101,582 Year 2: $119,256 Year 3: $121,903 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $94,371 Year 2: $93,178 Year 3: $105,544 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $94,094 Year 2: $93,467 Year 3: $97,893 Information Science/Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $100,759 Year 2: $86,867 Year 3: $94,244 Health and Medical Administrative Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $73,726 Year 2: $82,440 Year 3: $90,664 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $77,993 Year 2: $89,305 Year 3: $82,470 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $70,920 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $82,210

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