Iowa Wesleyan University vs Buena Vista University

Iowa Wesleyan University and Buena Vista University, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Iowa Wesleyan, a private university in Mount Pleasant, Iowa, boasts a 90% acceptance rate, welcoming a diverse student body of over 800 undergraduates. Buena Vista, a private university in Storm Lake, Iowa, maintains a slightly lower acceptance rate of 85% and hosts a slightly larger undergraduate population of over 1,200 students. While both universities offer a range of academic programs, Iowa Wesleyan is known for its strengths in the liberal arts and sciences, while Buena Vista excels in business, education, and health sciences. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more about these universities' unique offerings, including graduation rates, popular majors, and student demographics, to help you make an informed decision about your academic journey.

	Buena Vista University	Iowa Wesleyan University
Overview
Location	Storm Lake, Iowa	Mount Pleasant, Iowa
Campus setting	Town: Remote	Town: Remote
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%	51.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation	Presbyterian	Methodism

Admission
Acceptance rate	66.0%	81.9%
Application fees
SAT range	963 - 1140	820 - 1020
ACT range	18 - 25	15 - 20
Students submitting SAT score	8.0%	9.0%
Students submitting ACT score	57.0%	22.0%
Total number of applicants	1,749	3,934
Total number of admissions given out	1,154	3,222
Admitted students who chose to enroll	237	267
Yield rate	20.5%	8.3%
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	$42,840
Average net price	$18,532	$34,988
Tuition	$37,518	$32,550
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,114 Meal plan: $5,256	Room/dormitory: $4,410 Meal plan: $6,930
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $31,137	97.0% Average amount $12,333
Students receiving federal student loan	72.0% Average amount $5,750	92.0% Average amount $4,286
Students taking out private loans	29.0% Average amount $5,551	7.0% Average amount $6,430

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,506 Men 36.5% Women 63.5%	758 Men 57.9% Women 42.1%
Graduate students	453 Men 16.3% Women 83.7%	67 Men 52.2% Women 47.8%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	39.4%	N/A
International students	0.5%	11.3%
Campus local/setting	Town: Remote	Town: Remote
Dormitory capacity	836	568
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 Biological and Biomedical Sciences Education Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Health Professions
Students to faculty ratio	11:1	12:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	62.8%	22.5%
Dropout rate	36.8%	32.5%
Transferred out	N/A	44.2%
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	Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $35,594 Year 3: N/A Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,581 Year 2: $49,840 Year 3: N/A Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,362 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A

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