Longwood University vs Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU)

Longwood University and Florida Gulf Coast University, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Longwood, nestled in the historic town of Farmville, Virginia, boasts a lower acceptance rate and a smaller student body, fostering a close-knit community. In contrast, Florida Gulf Coast University, located in the vibrant city of Fort Myers, Florida, welcomes a more diverse student population and offers a wider range of academic programs. While Longwood excels in liberal arts and education, Florida Gulf Coast University shines in business, engineering, and health professions. Both universities boast impressive graduation rates, ensuring that students are well-prepared for their future careers. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Florida Gulf Coast University	Longwood University
Overview
Location	Fort Myers, Florida	Farmville, Virginia
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	Town: Remote
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	82.0%	73.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	89.2%	90.0%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $30 Graduate: $30	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $40
SAT range	1010 - 1180	1030 - 1170
ACT range	19 - 25	16 - 24
Students submitting SAT score	79.0%	26.0%
Students submitting ACT score	45.0%	1.0%
Total number of applicants	14,462	5,977
Total number of admissions given out	12,901	5,378
Admitted students who chose to enroll	3,125	718
Yield rate	24.2%	13.4%
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	In state: $20,390 Out of state: $39,434	In state: $32,318 Out of state: $43,714
Average net price	$9,840	$21,166
Tuition	In state: $4,191 Out of state: $22,328	In state: $8,670 Out of state: $20,250
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,820 Meal plan: $4,346	Room/dormitory: $8,194 Meal plan: $5,100
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	78.0% Average amount $6,754	95.0% Average amount $8,406
Students receiving federal student loan	30.0% Average amount $7,251	55.0% Average amount $5,394
Students taking out private loans	4.0% Average amount $16,201	8.0% Average amount $14,063

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	14,228 Men 42.9% Women 57.1%	3,486 Men 30.6% Women 69.4%
Graduate students	1,681 Men 29.2% Women 70.8%	1,126 Men 30.2% Women 69.8%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	17.6%	5.8%
International students	2.1%	1.7%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	Town: Remote
Dormitory capacity	4,732	2,273
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Florida Illinois New Jersey Pennsylvania Ohio	Virginia North Carolina Maryland Pennsylvania California

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Multidisciplinary Studies Liberal Arts Education Engineering	Education Business Liberal Arts Health Professions Visual & Performing Arts
Students to faculty ratio	22:1	13:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	56.2%	65.2%
Dropout rate	26.2%	10.4%
Transferred out	13.4%	24.1%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,910 Year 2: $59,722 Year 3: $85,341 Computer Software and Media Applications (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $74,972 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $70,296 Year 3: $73,324 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $66,429 Year 2: $66,821 Year 3: $68,880 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $51,840 Year 2: $59,124 Year 3: $68,095 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $47,707 Year 2: $47,520 Year 3: $65,837 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,279 Year 2: $62,409 Year 3: $64,731 Civil Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $54,799 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $63,963 Biomedical/Medical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $48,944 Year 2: $46,769 Year 3: $59,253 Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $54,874 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $58,083	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $59,350 Year 3: $61,306 Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $51,436 Year 2: $57,995 Year 3: $58,712 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $45,417 Year 3: $51,451 Education, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $43,030 Year 2: $46,087 Year 3: $47,090 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $45,902 Year 3: $45,544 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $34,633 Year 3: $42,180 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $41,119 Year 3: $41,437 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $36,668 Year 3: $41,202 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $34,321 Year 3: $41,181 Social Work (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: $38,094

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