Excelsior vs Grand Canyon University (GCU)

Excelsior College and Grand Canyon University, both established and reputable institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Excelsior College, known for its open admissions policy, boasts a 100% acceptance rate, making it accessible to a wide range of students. Grand Canyon University, on the other hand, has a more selective admissions process, with an acceptance rate of 88%. In terms of student demographics, Excelsior College caters to a diverse population, with a significant proportion of adult learners and military-affiliated students. Grand Canyon University, while also diverse, has a larger traditional undergraduate population. Both institutions offer a variety of popular majors, including business, nursing, and education, but they differ in their graduation rates, with Grand Canyon University having a slightly higher rate. To help you make an informed decision, we have compiled a comprehensive comparison table that delves into these aspects and more, allowing you to assess which institution better aligns with your academic goals and preferences.

	Excelsior College	Grand Canyon University
Overview
Location	Albany, New York	Phoenix, Arizona
Campus setting	City: Small	City: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (For Profit)
Calendar system	Non Traditional	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate		71.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	Open Admission	82.8%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $50
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)		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		$32,100
Average net price		$21,644
Tuition		$16,500
Room & board		Room/dormitory: $5,300 Meal plan: $3,800
Available payment plans		Tuition payment plan

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

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	15,260 Men 52.4% Women 47.6%	65,870 Men 29.3% Women 70.7%
Graduate students	1,906 Men 55.2% Women 44.8%	37,202 Men 22.5% Women 77.5%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	73.1%
International students	1.1%	1.2%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	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	N/A	Arizona California Washington Colorado Minnesota

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Liberal Arts Business Engineering Technologies Law Enforcement and Firefighting	Health Professions Education Business Psychology Computer and Information Science
Students to faculty ratio	19:1	20:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	N/A	44.7%
Dropout rate	N/A	52.9%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Nuclear Engineering Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $84,153 Year 2: $94,408 Year 3: $107,804 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $86,537 Year 2: $97,959 Year 3: $102,156 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $72,370 Year 2: $83,768 Year 3: $89,231 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $77,505 Year 2: $74,747 Year 3: $77,427 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $63,613 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $61,889 Business/Commerce, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $47,382 Year 2: $49,631 Year 3: $61,881 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $46,784 Year 2: $53,358 Year 3: $53,546 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $45,508 Year 2: $49,660 Year 3: $51,791 Electromechanical Instrumentation and Maintenance Technologies/Technicians (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $58,863 Year 2: $45,696 Year 3: $49,707 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $46,725 Year 2: $45,696 Year 3: $49,225	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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