Morningside University vs Buena Vista University

Morningside University and Buena Vista University, both esteemed institutions in the Midwest, offer distinct educational experiences. Morningside, located in Sioux City, Iowa, boasts a higher acceptance rate (75%) compared to Buena Vista's (68%). Morningside's student body is more diverse, with a larger international student population. Buena Vista, nestled in Storm Lake, Iowa, excels in STEM fields, with popular majors in biology, chemistry, and engineering. Morningside, on the other hand, offers strengths in business, education, and nursing. While Buena Vista has a slightly higher graduation rate (63% vs. 61%), both universities provide ample opportunities for academic success and personal growth. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover which university aligns best with your aspirations and goals.

	Buena Vista University	Morningside University
Overview
Location	Storm Lake, Iowa	Sioux City, Iowa
Campus setting	Town: Remote	City: Small
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%	66.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation	Presbyterian	Methodism

Admission
Acceptance rate	66.0%	73.8%
Application fees
SAT range	963 - 1140	N/A
ACT range	18 - 25	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	8.0%
Students submitting ACT score	57.0%
Total number of applicants	1,749	3,271
Total number of admissions given out	1,154	2,414
Admitted students who chose to enroll	237	370
Yield rate	20.5%	15.3%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$53,162	$49,830
Average net price	$18,532	$23,222
Tuition	$37,518	$33,760
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,114 Meal plan: $5,256	Room/dormitory: $5,610 Meal plan: $4,800
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $31,137	100.0% Average amount $24,473
Students receiving federal student loan	72.0% Average amount $5,750	71.0% Average amount $5,395
Students taking out private loans	29.0% Average amount $5,551	24.0% Average amount $9,471

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,506 Men 36.5% Women 63.5%	1,245 Men 50.3% Women 49.7%
Graduate students	453 Men 16.3% Women 83.7%	1,074 Men 19.2% Women 80.8%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	39.4%	50.9%
International students	0.5%	3.9%
Campus local/setting	Town: Remote	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	836	864
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	Iowa Nebraska South Dakota Connecticut Missouri

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Business Psychology Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Computer and Information Science	Education Health Professions Business Agriculture Physical Science
Students to faculty ratio	11:1	13:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	62.8%	54.2%
Dropout rate	36.8%	24.5%
Transferred out	N/A	21.3%
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	Education, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $53,304 Year 2: $55,806 Year 3: $56,820 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,354 Year 2: $58,479 Year 3: $56,060 Special Education and Teaching (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $51,893 Year 2: $52,843 Year 3: $54,748 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,283 Year 2: $38,906 Year 3: $46,766 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,402 Year 2: $39,523 Year 3: $45,430 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,245 Year 2: $40,179 Year 3: $42,174 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $43,334 Year 2: $40,728 Year 3: $41,220 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $25,194 Year 3: N/A Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $51,656 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $28,019 Year 3: N/A

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.

Buena Vista University

Briar Cliff University