Cornell College vs Buena Vista University

Cornell College and Buena Vista University, both esteemed private institutions in the Midwest, offer distinct educational experiences. Cornell, nestled in Mount Vernon, Iowa, boasts a higher acceptance rate (75%) compared to Buena Vista's (68%). While Cornell's student body is slightly larger, both universities share a commitment to small class sizes, fostering personalized learning environments. Cornell's popular majors include Biology, Business Administration, and Psychology, while Buena Vista excels in Business Administration, Elementary Education, and Exercise Science. With comparable graduation rates, both institutions prioritize student success and post-graduate opportunities. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more about these institutions' unique strengths and determine which aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Buena Vista University	Cornell College
Overview
Location	Storm Lake, Iowa	Mount Vernon, Iowa
Campus setting	Town: Remote	Town: Fringe
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	4-1-4	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	73.0%	78.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation	Presbyterian	Methodism

Admission
Acceptance rate	66.0%	81.1%
Application fees		$30
SAT range	963 - 1140	1155 - 1405
ACT range	18 - 25	24 - 30
Students submitting SAT score	8.0%	28.0%
Students submitting ACT score	57.0%	58.0%
Total number of applicants	1,749	2,836
Total number of admissions given out	1,154	2,300
Admitted students who chose to enroll	237	366
Yield rate	20.5%	15.9%
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	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$53,162	$62,735
Average net price	$18,532	$22,667
Tuition	$37,518	$47,100
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,114 Meal plan: $5,256	Room/dormitory: $4,868 Meal plan: $5,688
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $31,137	100.0% Average amount $37,745
Students receiving federal student loan	72.0% Average amount $5,750	57.0% Average amount $5,607
Students taking out private loans	29.0% Average amount $5,551	16.0% Average amount $9,357

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,506 Men 36.5% Women 63.5%	1,046 Men 52.5% Women 47.5%
Graduate students	453 Men 16.3% Women 83.7%	9 Men 33.3% Women 66.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Low
Out-of-state students	39.4%	N/A
International students	0.5%	3.0%
Campus local/setting	Town: Remote	Town: Fringe
Dormitory capacity	836	1,060
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Iowa Texas Nebraska Minnesota Arizona	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Business Psychology Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Computer and Information Science	Business Visual & Performing Arts Foreign Languages and Literatures Social Sciences Philosophy and Religious Studies
Students to faculty ratio	11:1	12:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	62.8%	63.8%
Dropout rate	36.8%	10.9%
Transferred out	N/A	25.4%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Curriculum and Instruction (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $58,501 Year 2: $58,943 Year 3: $61,003 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,278 Year 2: $47,260 Year 3: $52,709 Student Counseling and Personnel Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $45,249 Year 2: $45,455 Year 3: $48,387 Human Resources Management and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,936 Year 2: $43,426 Year 3: $46,768 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,901 Year 2: $47,494 Year 3: $46,501 Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,530 Year 2: $35,416 Year 3: $45,327 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,042 Year 2: $40,089 Year 3: $45,181 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,301 Year 2: $39,369 Year 3: $44,742 Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,198 Year 2: $35,416 Year 3: $43,790 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,262 Year 2: $37,819 Year 3: $37,074	Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $32,721 Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: $40,862 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $25,040 Year 2: $24,035 Year 3: $38,658 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: N/A English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $21,951 Year 2: $23,340 Year 3: N/A Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,103 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,478 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $32,731 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A

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