Grinnell College vs University of Virginia-Main Campus (UVA)

Grinnell College and University of Virginia-Main Campus, two esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Grinnell, a private liberal arts college in Iowa, boasts a highly selective admissions process with an acceptance rate of 18%, while UVA, a public research university in Virginia, is more accessible with an acceptance rate of 26%. Grinnell's student body is smaller and more diverse, with 1,680 undergraduates representing over 60 countries, while UVA's student body is larger and more regionally diverse, with over 16,000 undergraduates. Both institutions excel in academics, with Grinnell known for its strong liberal arts curriculum and UVA renowned for its research opportunities. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more about these two exceptional universities and determine which one aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Grinnell College	University of Virginia-Main Campus
Overview
Location	Grinnell, Iowa	Charlottesville, Virginia
Campus setting	Town: Remote	Suburb: Small
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	93.0%	97.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	10.5%	20.7%
Application fees		Undergraduate: $75 Graduate: $85
SAT range	1370 - 1530	1380 - 1500
ACT range	30 - 34	32 - 35
Students submitting SAT score	29.0%	52.0%
Students submitting ACT score	33.0%	21.0%
Total number of applicants	10,513	47,971
Total number of admissions given out	1,108	9,951
Admitted students who chose to enroll	471	3,889
Yield rate	42.5%	39.1%
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	$76,098	In state: $36,314 Out of state: $70,696
Average net price	$37,423	$20,401
Tuition	$58,156	In state: $16,010 Out of state: $49,710
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $6,779 Meal plan: $7,572	Room/dormitory: $7,110 Meal plan: $5,550
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Guaranteed tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $35,821	46.0% Average amount $19,612
Students receiving federal student loan	36.0% Average amount $3,952	25.0% Average amount $4,845
Students taking out private loans	12.0% Average amount $5,903	6.0% Average amount $11,030

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,748 Men 47.5% Women 52.5%	17,294 Men 43.7% Women 56.3%
Graduate students	N/A	8,711 Men 46.9% Women 53.1%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	91.5%	35.2%
International students	19.4%	8.8%
Campus local/setting	Town: Remote	Suburb: Small
Dormitory capacity	1,450	7,645
First year students are required to live on campus?	Yes	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	California Illinois Iowa Minnesota Texas	Virginia New York Maryland Pennsylvania New Jersey

Academics
Popular study areas	Social Sciences Foreign Languages and Literatures Physical Science Visual & Performing Arts Computer and Information Science	Business Health Professions Engineering Social Sciences Education
Students to faculty ratio	9:1	15:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	86.9%	93.7%
Dropout rate	12.9%	2.3%
Transferred out	N/A	3.6%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,661 Year 2: $52,941 Year 3: $55,487 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,893 Year 2: $34,704 Year 3: $49,481 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $20,499 Year 2: $29,141 Year 3: $41,882 Sociology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,517 Year 2: $33,993 Year 3: $40,572 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $26,353 Year 3: $37,882 Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $21,508 Year 3: $37,613 Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $23,718 Year 2: $19,227 Year 3: $29,237 Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $20,140 Year 3: $28,680 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $70,658 Year 2: $91,744 Year 3: N/A Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $29,239 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A	Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $185,710 Year 2: $162,255 Year 3: $193,013 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $157,071 Year 2: $155,263 Year 3: $176,237 Computer Software and Media Applications (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $86,350 Year 2: $101,406 Year 3: $125,729 Business/Commerce, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $103,426 Year 2: $107,256 Year 3: $120,362 Systems Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $108,239 Year 2: $95,739 Year 3: $109,956 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $83,639 Year 2: $92,077 Year 3: $108,272 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $84,682 Year 2: $90,146 Year 3: $101,904 Business/Commerce, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $76,602 Year 2: $82,440 Year 3: $95,939 Systems Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $79,487 Year 2: $82,808 Year 3: $94,931 Public Policy Analysis (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $54,807 Year 2: $70,596 Year 3: $84,597

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Grinnell College

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