Mary Baldwin University vs Virginia Tech

Mary Baldwin University and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, often referred to as Virginia Tech, are two distinct institutions of higher learning in Virginia, each offering unique educational experiences. Mary Baldwin, a private liberal arts university, stands out with its small class sizes, personalized attention, and strong focus on undergraduate education. In contrast, Virginia Tech, a public research university, boasts a large and diverse student body, extensive research opportunities, and a wide range of academic programs. While both universities offer a high-quality education, their acceptance rates, popular majors, student demographics, and graduation rates vary significantly. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover which university better aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Mary Baldwin University	Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Overview
Location	Staunton, Virginia	Blacksburg, Virginia
Campus setting	City: Small	City: Small
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Public
Calendar system	4-1-4	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	64.0%	92.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation	Presbyterian

Admission
Acceptance rate	87.1%	56.5%
Application fees	$45	Undergraduate: $60 Graduate: $75
SAT range	940 - 1120	1210 - 1410
ACT range	18 - 24	26 - 32
Students submitting SAT score	63.0%	83.0%
Students submitting ACT score	18.0%	35.0%
Total number of applicants	7,188	42,054
Total number of admissions given out	6,261	23,746
Admitted students who chose to enroll	358	6,758
Yield rate	5.7%	28.5%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)		N/A
High school GPA	N/A	Required
Recommendation letters	N/A	Not required
High school transcript	N/A	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	N/A	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$46,150	In state: $30,104 Out of state: $49,787
Average net price	$17,525	$20,109
Tuition	$30,690	In state: $11,750 Out of state: $30,829
Room & board	$9,730	Room/dormitory: $5,890 Meal plan: $4,736
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 $25,086	58.0% Average amount $8,018
Students receiving federal student loan	79.0% Average amount $5,597	40.0% Average amount $5,316
Students taking out private loans	5.0% Average amount $10,189	9.0% Average amount $20,728

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,489 Men 20.9% Women 79.1%	29,760 Men 57.3% Women 42.7%
Graduate students	653 Men 19.0% Women 81.0%	7,519 Men 56.5% Women 43.5%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	39.5%
International students	0.5%	9.9%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	790	9,471
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	Virginia Maryland New Jersey North Carolina Pennsylvania

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Business Education Visual & Performing Arts Liberal Arts	Engineering Business Family and Consumer Sciences Computer and Information Science Natural Resources and Conservation
Students to faculty ratio	11:1	14:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	47.9%	86.6%
Dropout rate	21.3%	12.3%
Transferred out	30.3%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $44,305 Year 2: $43,739 Year 3: $45,663 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,211 Year 2: $35,274 Year 3: $39,684 Social Work (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,555 Year 2: $26,715 Year 3: $36,688 History (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $32,925 Year 3: $33,293 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,446 Year 2: $28,055 Year 3: $32,752 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $28,055 Year 3: N/A Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,891 Year 2: $30,409 Year 3: N/A Criminology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $26,353 Year 3: N/A Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: N/A Sociology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $34,420 Year 3: N/A	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $105,287 Year 2: $113,246 Year 3: $125,427 Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $97,383 Year 2: $96,691 Year 3: $106,931 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $82,448 Year 2: $88,678 Year 3: $96,747 Veterinary Medicine (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $76,172 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $93,580 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $75,104 Year 2: $78,488 Year 3: $90,164 Public Administration (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $59,370 Year 2: $75,518 Year 3: $87,658 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $81,573 Year 2: $91,211 Year 3: $84,990 Mechanical Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $80,460 Year 2: $73,635 Year 3: $83,712 Chemical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $72,805 Year 2: $73,272 Year 3: $82,738 Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,610 Year 2: $70,680 Year 3: $81,822

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.

Mary Baldwin University

The Catholic University of America