Lafayette College vs Virginia Military Institute

Lafayette College and Virginia Military Institute, two esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Lafayette, a private liberal arts college in Easton, Pennsylvania, boasts a 33% acceptance rate and a diverse student body, with 48% female and 52% male students. VMI, a public military college in Lexington, Virginia, has a more selective admissions process, with an acceptance rate of 24%, and a predominantly male student body, with only 15% female students. Both institutions excel in academics, with Lafayette offering popular majors in engineering, business, and the humanities, while VMI emphasizes engineering, the sciences, and leadership studies. While Lafayette boasts a higher graduation rate of 87%, VMI's rigorous military training program instills discipline and leadership qualities in its graduates. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more about these exceptional institutions and determine which one aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Lafayette College	Virginia Military Institute
Overview
Location	Easton, Pennsylvania	Lexington, Virginia
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	Town: Distant
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	91.0%	87.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Presbyterian

Admission
Acceptance rate	40.7%	63.9%
Application fees	$65	$40
SAT range	1300 - 1460	1080 - 1300
ACT range	30 - 33	22 - 27
Students submitting SAT score	28.0%	29.0%
Students submitting ACT score	13.0%	12.0%
Total number of applicants	8,262	1,549
Total number of admissions given out	3,366	990
Admitted students who chose to enroll	782	461
Yield rate	23.2%	46.6%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Not required
Recommendation letters	Required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$75,934	In state: $33,182 Out of state: $61,836
Average net price	$38,754	$18,100
Tuition	$55,874	In state: $9,782 Out of state: $38,436
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $10,308 Meal plan: $6,362	Room/dormitory: $3,102 Meal plan: $7,260
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	61.0% Average amount $34,668	91.0% Average amount $10,832
Students receiving federal student loan	26.0% Average amount $4,491	59.0% Average amount $3,385
Students taking out private loans	7.0% Average amount $23,831	11.0% Average amount $22,604

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,725 Men 51.2% Women 48.8%	1,652 Men 86.2% Women 13.8%
Graduate students	N/A	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	82.6%	38.2%
International students	7.8%	1.7%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	Town: Distant
Dormitory capacity	2,510	1,751
First year students are required to live on campus?	Yes	Yes
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	New Jersey New York Pennsylvania Mississippi Connecticut	Virginia Pennsylvania Maryland North Carolina New Jersey

Academics
Popular study areas	Engineering Biological and Biomedical Sciences Social Sciences Physical Science Visual & Performing Arts	Engineering Social Sciences Psychology Biological and Biomedical Sciences History
Students to faculty ratio	10:1	10:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	87.9%	73.7%
Dropout rate	2.5%	4.4%
Transferred out	9.6%	21.7%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Chemical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,532 Year 2: $68,379 Year 3: $80,306 Civil Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,033 Year 2: $65,238 Year 3: $78,021 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $77,247 Year 2: $71,575 Year 3: $76,714 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,784 Year 2: $65,486 Year 3: $76,536 Engineering, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,714 Year 2: $72,403 Year 3: $75,320 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,927 Year 2: $58,943 Year 3: $72,455 International Relations and National Security Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $47,229 Year 2: $48,198 Year 3: $60,266 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $46,408 Year 2: $44,468 Year 3: $57,092 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,680 Year 2: $32,391 Year 3: $50,156 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $44,170 Year 3: $48,201	Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,118 Year 2: $41,937 Year 3: $60,559 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,215 Year 2: $44,942 Year 3: $59,186 Civil Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $47,030 Year 2: $49,270 Year 3: $57,955 International Relations and National Security Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,302 Year 2: $39,305 Year 3: $55,311 History (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,325 Year 2: $45,094 Year 3: $55,205 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,487 Year 2: $38,649 Year 3: $52,930 Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,025 Year 2: $39,909 Year 3: $52,845 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,712 Year 2: $41,007 Year 3: $43,814 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $43,367 Year 2: $64,493 Year 3: N/A English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,671 Year 2: $46,087 Year 3: N/A

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Lafayette College vs Virginia Military Institute

Lafayette College

Virginia Military Institute

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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