George Washington University (GWU) vs Stanford

When it comes to higher education, George Washington University (GWU) and Stanford University stand out as two of the most prestigious institutions in the United States. While they share a reputation for academic excellence, these universities have distinct characteristics that cater to different student profiles. GWU, located in the heart of Washington, D.C., offers a vibrant urban campus and strong connections to government and international organizations. Stanford, situated in the heart of Silicon Valley, boasts a sprawling campus and a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship. With acceptance rates of 35% and 4%, respectively, these universities attract highly qualified applicants. GWU's popular majors include political science, international affairs, and business, while Stanford is known for its strengths in computer science, engineering, and business. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to delve into further details about these universities, including student body demographics, graduation rates, and more, to help you make an informed decision about your academic journey.

	George Washington University	Stanford University
Overview
Location	Washington, District of Columbia	Stanford, California
Campus setting	City: Large	Suburb: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Quarter
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	91.0%	98.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	49.7%	3.9%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $80 Graduate: $80	Undergraduate: $90 Graduate: $125
SAT range	1310 - 1490	1470 - 1570
ACT range	30 - 34	34 - 35
Students submitting SAT score	29.0%	15.0%
Students submitting ACT score	18.0%	11.0%
Total number of applicants	27,236	55,471
Total number of admissions given out	13,539	2,190
Admitted students who chose to enroll	2,571	1,757
Yield rate	19.0%	80.2%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	Not required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$78,335	$78,898
Average net price	$31,240	$14,402
Tuition	$59,780	$55,473
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $15,260 Meal plan: $3,240	Room/dormitory: $11,166 Meal plan: $6,694
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	74.0% Average amount $31,678	61.0% Average amount $56,211
Students receiving federal student loan	30.0% Average amount $5,150	5.0% Average amount $5,151
Students taking out private loans	5.0% Average amount $25,366	1.0% Average amount $17,186

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	11,502 Men 36.3% Women 63.7%	7,645 Men 49.4% Women 50.6%
Graduate students	14,955 Men 38.1% Women 61.9%	10,035 Men 56.5% Women 43.5%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	98.7%	58.5%
International students	11.6%	24.4%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	6,693	14,621
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	Yes
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	New York New Jersey Virginia California Pennsylvania	California Texas Washington New York Illinois

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Business Social Sciences Legal Profession Computer and Information Science	Engineering Computer and Information Science Business Biological and Biomedical Sciences Physical Science
Students to faculty ratio	12:1	5:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	83.7%	95.5%
Dropout rate	16.1%	1.7%
Transferred out	N/A	0.6%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Systems Engineering (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $160,692 Year 2: $146,893 Year 3: $153,607 Human Resources Management and Services (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $124,764 Year 2: $106,421 Year 3: $130,306 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $124,241 Year 2: $127,142 Year 3: $127,952 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $107,834 Year 2: $114,046 Year 3: $119,393 Systems Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $106,809 Year 2: $101,072 Year 3: $112,813 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $98,922 Year 2: $104,061 Year 3: $111,679 Public Health (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: $84,962 Year 2: $104,192 Year 3: $105,816 Engineering-Related Fields (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $104,747 Year 2: $96,405 Year 3: $105,562 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $95,274 Year 2: $101,254 Year 3: $103,350 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $77,345 Year 2: $83,177 Year 3: $102,875	Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $151,574 Year 2: $170,457 Year 3: $210,837 Computer Science (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $159,729 Year 2: $168,942 Year 3: $203,193 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $164,734 Year 2: $163,337 Year 3: $187,054 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $137,457 Year 2: $150,874 Year 3: $173,548 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $136,126 Year 2: $136,499 Year 3: $165,375 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $128,556 Year 2: $135,709 Year 3: $157,500 Engineering-Related Fields (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $123,354 Year 2: $106,421 Year 3: $139,234 Mechanical Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $105,326 Year 2: $111,435 Year 3: $126,185 Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $108,457 Year 2: $90,856 Year 3: $107,477 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,475 Year 2: $85,391 Year 3: $104,592

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