Colorado Tech vs Grand Canyon University (GCU)

Colorado Technical University-Colorado Springs and Grand Canyon University, both located in Colorado, offer distinct educational experiences. Colorado Technical University-Colorado Springs boasts a higher acceptance rate, making it a more accessible option for students. Grand Canyon University, on the other hand, has a larger student body, providing a more diverse and vibrant campus community. While Colorado Technical University-Colorado Springs focuses primarily on engineering and technology programs, Grand Canyon University offers a wider range of undergraduate and graduate programs, including business, education, and healthcare. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more key differences, such as graduation rates, tuition fees, and available financial aid options, to help you make an informed decision about which university aligns best with your academic goals and preferences.

	Colorado Technical University-Colorado Springs	Grand Canyon University
Overview
Location	Colorado Springs, Colorado	Phoenix, Arizona
Campus setting	City: Large	City: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (For Profit)	Private (For Profit)
Calendar system	Quarter	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	44.0%	71.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	Open Admission	82.8%
Application fees
SAT range	N/A	N/A
ACT range	N/A	N/A
Students submitting SAT score
Students submitting ACT score
Total number of applicants		36,861
Total number of admissions given out		30,534
Admitted students who chose to enroll		7,620
Yield rate		25.0%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	Not required	N/A
High school GPA	N/A	Required
Recommendation letters	N/A	Not required
High school transcript	N/A	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	N/A	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$23,149	$32,100
Average net price	$17,286	$21,644
Tuition	$11,939	$16,500
Room & board		Room/dormitory: $5,300 Meal plan: $3,800
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	84.0% Average amount $6,417	100.0% Average amount $10,225
Students receiving federal student loan	79.0% Average amount $6,698	60.0% Average amount $5,346
Students taking out private loans	0.0% Average amount $0	8.0% Average amount $12,937

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	21,161 Men 33.4% Women 66.6%	65,870 Men 29.3% Women 70.7%
Graduate students	2,855 Men 39.8% Women 60.2%	37,202 Men 22.5% Women 77.5%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	93.3%	73.1%
International students	0.0%	1.2%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	N/A	15,937
First year students are required to live on campus?	N/A	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Texas Georgia Colorado North Carolina Florida	Arizona California Washington Colorado Minnesota

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Health Professions Computer and Information Science Law Enforcement and Firefighting Engineering	Health Professions Education Business Psychology Computer and Information Science
Students to faculty ratio	30:1	20:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	22.6%	44.7%
Dropout rate	75.5%	52.9%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Computer Science (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $112,216 Year 2: $104,192 Year 3: $90,719 Computer Science (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $82,493 Year 2: $74,200 Year 3: $82,890 Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $55,277 Year 2: $74,576 Year 3: $81,758 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $73,957 Year 2: $73,446 Year 3: $74,614 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $72,736 Year 2: $62,012 Year 3: $64,938 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,665 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $63,024 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $55,374 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $60,413 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $40,310 Year 2: $50,856 Year 3: $58,663 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $43,500 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $57,457 Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $63,476 Year 2: $60,568 Year 3: $55,814	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $117,397 Year 2: $119,061 Year 3: $125,189 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $97,451 Year 2: $96,705 Year 3: $100,941 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $86,965 Year 2: $87,641 Year 3: $91,610 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $78,940 Year 2: $77,476 Year 3: $80,825 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $75,319 Year 2: $66,821 Year 3: $68,008 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $65,248 Year 2: $64,265 Year 3: $66,703 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $58,382 Year 2: $57,047 Year 3: $64,355 Education, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $59,308 Year 2: $59,621 Year 3: $62,793 Homeland Security (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,625 Year 2: $60,082 Year 3: $61,171 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $56,083 Year 2: $55,605 Year 3: $59,588

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