Colorado Mesa vs Valley City State University (VCSU)

Colorado Mesa University and Valley City State University, located in Grand Junction, Colorado, and Valley City, North Dakota, respectively, offer distinct educational experiences. Colorado Mesa University boasts a higher acceptance rate, allowing more students the opportunity to pursue their academic goals. Valley City State University, on the other hand, has a smaller student body, fostering a close-knit community. Both universities offer a range of popular majors, including Business, Education, and Health Sciences, catering to diverse student interests. While Colorado Mesa University boasts a higher graduation rate, Valley City State University offers a more affordable tuition rate. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover additional key differences and make an informed decision about which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Colorado Mesa University	Valley City State University
Overview
Location	Grand Junction, Colorado	Valley City, North Dakota
Campus setting	City: Small	Town: Remote
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	72.0%	61.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	80.2%	81.4%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $30 Graduate: $50	Undergraduate: $35 Graduate: $35
SAT range	948 - 1200	935 - 1190
ACT range	19 - 26	17 - 23
Students submitting SAT score	45.0%	7.0%
Students submitting ACT score	13.0%	68.0%
Total number of applicants	8,082	442
Total number of admissions given out	6,485	360
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,855	196
Yield rate	28.6%	54.4%
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	In state: $22,148 Out of state: $35,470	In state: $20,016 Out of state: $24,790
Average net price	$15,324	$13,243
Tuition	In state: $8,020 Out of state: $21,342	In state: $6,364 Out of state: $11,138
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $6,100 Meal plan: $5,165	Room/dormitory: $2,505 Meal plan: $4,414
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	81.0% Average amount $7,228	99.0% Average amount $5,907
Students receiving federal student loan	42.0% Average amount $4,950	66.0% Average amount $4,794
Students taking out private loans	4.0% Average amount $12,590	17.0% Average amount $6,743

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	8,712 Men 45.9% Women 54.1%	1,523 Men 41.8% Women 58.2%
Graduate students	195 Men 34.9% Women 65.1%	163 Men 32.5% Women 67.5%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	16.8%	36.9%
International students	1.1%	1.3%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	Town: Remote
Dormitory capacity	2,661	462
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Colorado California Texas Washington Utah	North Dakota Minnesota Alaska Hawaii Colorado

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Business Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Law Enforcement and Firefighting Liberal Arts	Education Visual & Performing Arts Business Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Liberal Arts
Students to faculty ratio	18:1	13:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	38.1%	53.2%
Dropout rate	31.0%	17.9%
Transferred out	27.0%	28.9%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Construction Engineering Technologies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,879 Year 2: $63,997 Year 3: $67,005 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $57,281 Year 2: $59,485 Year 3: $64,998 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,101 Year 2: $60,746 Year 3: $63,677 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $51,946 Year 2: $47,260 Year 3: $59,293 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $58,673 Year 3: $58,361 Electrical and Power Transmission Installers (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $43,240 Year 3: $57,344 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,940 Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: $52,944 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $48,215 Year 2: $46,087 Year 3: $52,774 Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $39,153 Year 3: $48,680 Business/Commerce, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,157 Year 2: $39,504 Year 3: $46,603	Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $50,075 Year 2: $53,775 Year 3: $56,925 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,447 Year 2: $43,000 Year 3: $45,538 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,584 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $43,994 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,217 Year 2: $37,537 Year 3: $43,180 Wildlife and Wildlands Science and Management (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,083 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $41,045 Human Services, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: N/A

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Colorado Mesa vs Valley City State University (VCSU)

Colorado Mesa University

Valley City State University

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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