Grand View University vs Buena Vista University

Grand View University and Buena Vista University, both esteemed institutions in Iowa, offer distinct educational experiences. Grand View, located in Des Moines, boasts a higher acceptance rate (75%) compared to Buena Vista's (68%). While Grand View's student body is more diverse, Buena Vista's student-faculty ratio is smaller, providing a more personalized learning environment. Both universities offer a range of popular majors, including business, education, and nursing, but Grand View excels in health professions, while Buena Vista shines in the liberal arts. With similar graduation rates, both universities ensure their students are well-prepared for their careers. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Buena Vista University	Grand View University
Overview
Location	Storm Lake, Iowa	Des Moines, Iowa
Campus setting	Town: Remote	City: Midsize
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%	71.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation	Presbyterian	Evangelical

Admission
Acceptance rate	66.0%	99.5%
Application fees
SAT range	963 - 1140	920 - 1080
ACT range	18 - 25	17 - 22
Students submitting SAT score	8.0%	5.0%
Students submitting ACT score	57.0%	55.0%
Total number of applicants	1,749	1,765
Total number of admissions given out	1,154	1,757
Admitted students who chose to enroll	237	291
Yield rate	20.5%	16.6%
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	$53,162	$45,832
Average net price	$18,532	$20,434
Tuition	$37,518	$30,224
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,114 Meal plan: $5,256	Room/dormitory: $5,040 Meal plan: $4,958
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan Other alternative tuition plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $31,137	100.0% Average amount $21,330
Students receiving federal student loan	72.0% Average amount $5,750	70.0% Average amount $5,236
Students taking out private loans	29.0% Average amount $5,551	10.0% Average amount $12,302

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,506 Men 36.5% Women 63.5%	1,561 Men 47.9% Women 52.1%
Graduate students	453 Men 16.3% Women 83.7%	196 Men 39.3% Women 60.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Low
Out-of-state students	39.4%	N/A
International students	0.5%	3.4%
Campus local/setting	Town: Remote	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	836	894
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 Health Professions Education Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Public Administration and Social Service
Students to faculty ratio	11:1	12:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	62.8%	50.8%
Dropout rate	36.8%	11.3%
Transferred out	N/A	37.6%
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	Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $50,599 Year 2: $59,485 Year 3: $60,688 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,360 Year 2: $54,621 Year 3: $53,729 Human Resources Management and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,981 Year 2: $47,260 Year 3: $50,705 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $49,034 Year 2: $47,729 Year 3: $50,078 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $47,216 Year 2: $46,478 Year 3: $49,772 Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,684 Year 2: $41,007 Year 3: $47,311 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $41,007 Year 3: $44,281 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,116 Year 2: $41,725 Year 3: $44,096 Business/Commerce, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $43,318 Year 2: $42,073 Year 3: $42,973 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,027 Year 2: $38,721 Year 3: $42,454

Compare Similar Colleges

The list of suggested college comparisons provided below is generated automatically by our system, utilizing statistics gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and various online sources. If you don't find the colleges you wish to compare, please visit our comparison page. There, you can search for the specific colleges and initiate your comparison.

Buena Vista University

Briar Cliff University