Ferrum College vs Virginia Tech

Ferrum College and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) are two distinct institutions of higher learning in Virginia, each offering unique educational experiences. Ferrum College, a private liberal arts college, stands out with its small class sizes, personalized attention, and strong focus on undergraduate teaching. In contrast, Virginia Tech, a large public research university, boasts a diverse range of academic programs, extensive research opportunities, and a vibrant campus life. While both institutions offer a quality education, their acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates vary significantly. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover which institution better aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Ferrum College	Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Overview
Location	Ferrum, Virginia	Blacksburg, Virginia
Campus setting	Rural: Distant	City: Small
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	57.0%	92.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Methodism

Admission
Acceptance rate	76.4%	56.5%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $25 Graduate: $25	Undergraduate: $60 Graduate: $75
SAT range	920 - 1180	1210 - 1410
ACT range	18 - 24	26 - 32
Students submitting SAT score	15.0%	83.0%
Students submitting ACT score	7.0%	35.0%
Total number of applicants	1,671	42,054
Total number of admissions given out	1,277	23,746
Admitted students who chose to enroll	220	6,758
Yield rate	17.2%	28.5%
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	$53,080	In state: $30,104 Out of state: $49,787
Average net price	$22,278	$20,109
Tuition	$36,480	In state: $11,750 Out of state: $30,829
Room & board	$12,400	Room/dormitory: $5,890 Meal plan: $4,736
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan Other alternative tuition plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	99.0% Average amount $29,653	58.0% Average amount $8,018
Students receiving federal student loan	84.0% Average amount $5,940	40.0% Average amount $5,316
Students taking out private loans	4.0% Average amount $13,700	9.0% Average amount $20,728

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	863 Men 59.3% Women 40.7%	29,760 Men 57.3% Women 42.7%
Graduate students	6 Men 16.7% Women 83.3%	7,519 Men 56.5% Women 43.5%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	39.5%
International students	2.8%	9.9%
Campus local/setting	Rural: Distant	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	1,439	9,471
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	Virginia Maryland New Jersey North Carolina Pennsylvania

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Health Professions Business Natural Resources and Conservation Kinesiology & Leisure Studies	Engineering Business Family and Consumer Sciences Computer and Information Science Natural Resources and Conservation
Students to faculty ratio	12:1	14:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	34.3%	86.6%
Dropout rate	53.2%	12.3%
Transferred out	12.3%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $33,791 Year 2: $33,993 Year 3: $37,680 Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,667 Year 2: $29,322 Year 3: N/A Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,122 Year 2: $30,771 Year 3: N/A Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,394 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $25,194 Year 3: N/A Social Work (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $24,035 Year 3: N/A Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $25,382 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $105,287 Year 2: $113,246 Year 3: $125,427 Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $97,383 Year 2: $96,691 Year 3: $106,931 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $82,448 Year 2: $88,678 Year 3: $96,747 Veterinary Medicine (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $76,172 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $93,580 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $75,104 Year 2: $78,488 Year 3: $90,164 Public Administration (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $59,370 Year 2: $75,518 Year 3: $87,658 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $81,573 Year 2: $91,211 Year 3: $84,990 Mechanical Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $80,460 Year 2: $73,635 Year 3: $83,712 Chemical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $72,805 Year 2: $73,272 Year 3: $82,738 Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,610 Year 2: $70,680 Year 3: $81,822

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