Old Dominion University (ODU) vs Iowa State

Old Dominion University (ODU) and Iowa State University (ISU) are two distinct institutions of higher learning with unique characteristics and offerings. ODU, located in Norfolk, Virginia, is a public research university known for its strong engineering, business, and health sciences programs. ISU, situated in Ames, Iowa, is a public land-grant research university renowned for its agricultural and engineering programs. While both universities share similarities in terms of academic excellence and research opportunities, they differ in several key aspects, including acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates. This side-by-side comparison will delve into these differences, providing valuable insights for prospective students seeking the best fit for their academic and personal goals.

	Iowa State University	Old Dominion University
Overview
Location	Ames, Iowa	Norfolk, Virginia
Campus setting	City: Small	City: Midsize
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	88.0%	72.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	91.1%	96.2%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $60	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $50
SAT range	1083 - 1330	1020 - 1220
ACT range	21 - 28	20 - 27
Students submitting SAT score	13.0%	83.0%
Students submitting ACT score	63.0%	11.0%
Total number of applicants	20,357	13,586
Total number of admissions given out	18,550	13,074
Admitted students who chose to enroll	5,387	2,899
Yield rate	29.0%	22.2%
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: $22,152 Out of state: $37,964	In state: $28,088 Out of state: $48,248
Average net price	$15,422	$17,254
Tuition	In state: $8,324 Out of state: $24,136	In state: $7,029 Out of state: $26,664
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,590 Meal plan: $4,498	Room/dormitory: $7,690 Meal plan: $5,398
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	87.0% Average amount $8,833	91.0% Average amount $7,702
Students receiving federal student loan	47.0% Average amount $5,202	57.0% Average amount $5,222
Students taking out private loans	11.0% Average amount $11,630	7.0% Average amount $15,206

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	25,808 Men 56.1% Women 43.9%	18,678 Men 43.9% Women 56.1%
Graduate students	4,900 Men 50.6% Women 49.4%	4,816 Men 39.4% Women 60.6%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	10.2%
International students	8.2%	2.8%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	9,400	4,361
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 Pennsylvania North Carolina New Jersey

Academics
Popular study areas	Engineering Agriculture Education Business Biological and Biomedical Sciences	Health Professions Education Engineering Computer and Information Science Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	18:1	16:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	76.0%	48.7%
Dropout rate	6.1%	19.7%
Transferred out	16.7%	28.2%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $85,739 Year 2: $94,408 Year 3: $101,292 Mechanical Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $80,956 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $95,081 Industrial Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $99,120 Year 2: $89,059 Year 3: $92,521 Veterinary Medicine (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $77,573 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $85,108 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $74,299 Year 2: $73,321 Year 3: $83,452 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $72,598 Year 2: $73,839 Year 3: $83,292 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $71,184 Year 2: $71,734 Year 3: $81,196 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $83,223 Year 2: $70,680 Year 3: $79,916 Construction Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $71,580 Year 2: $70,083 Year 3: $77,479 Chemical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $70,534 Year 2: $67,156 Year 3: $76,113	Engineering, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $98,047 Year 2: $106,421 Year 3: $104,107 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $105,948 Year 2: $95,295 Year 3: $103,379 Engineering, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $79,161 Year 2: $78,719 Year 3: $83,937 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,137 Year 2: $72,231 Year 3: $83,852 Education, Other (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $74,043 Year 2: $71,854 Year 3: $77,597 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $64,315 Year 2: $58,673 Year 3: $75,302 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,709 Year 2: $66,126 Year 3: $74,887 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $72,357 Year 2: $71,114 Year 3: $74,858 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,112 Year 2: $61,516 Year 3: $73,924 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,804 Year 2: $62,654 Year 3: $72,559

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