Radford vs Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU)

Radford University and Florida Gulf Coast University, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Radford University, nestled in the picturesque Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, boasts a rich history dating back to 1910. In contrast, Florida Gulf Coast University, situated in the vibrant city of Fort Myers, Florida, is a relatively young institution, established in 1997. While both universities share a commitment to academic excellence, they differ in several key aspects, including acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to discover which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Florida Gulf Coast University	Radford University
Overview
Location	Fort Myers, Florida	Radford, Virginia
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	Suburb: Small
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%	67.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	89.2%	95.3%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $30 Graduate: $30	$50
SAT range	1010 - 1180	950 - 1150
ACT range	19 - 25	19 - 23
Students submitting SAT score	79.0%	25.0%
Students submitting ACT score	45.0%	3.0%
Total number of applicants	14,462	11,291
Total number of admissions given out	12,901	10,762
Admitted students who chose to enroll	3,125	1,292
Yield rate	24.2%	12.0%
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: $26,632 Out of state: $38,714
Average net price	$9,840	$16,835
Tuition	In state: $4,191 Out of state: $22,328	In state: $7,922 Out of state: $19,557
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,820 Meal plan: $4,346	Room/dormitory: $5,549 Meal plan: $4,487
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	78.0% Average amount $6,754	88.0% Average amount $8,695
Students receiving federal student loan	30.0% Average amount $7,251	65.0% Average amount $5,344
Students taking out private loans	4.0% Average amount $16,201	12.0% Average amount $12,531

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	14,228 Men 42.9% Women 57.1%	6,513 Men 38.8% Women 61.2%
Graduate students	1,681 Men 29.2% Women 70.8%	2,485 Men 15.7% Women 84.3%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	17.6%	11.8%
International students	2.1%	0.7%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	Suburb: Small
Dormitory capacity	4,732	3,528
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 Maryland North Carolina District of Columbia Florida

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Multidisciplinary Studies Liberal Arts Education Engineering	Health Professions Education Multidisciplinary Studies Visual & Performing Arts Public Administration and Social Service
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%	53.9%
Dropout rate	26.2%	12.1%
Transferred out	13.4%	33.2%
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	Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $101,194 Year 2: $102,123 Year 3: $109,693 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $69,901 Year 2: $73,769 Year 3: $74,138 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,548 Year 2: $61,516 Year 3: $70,994 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $68,340 Year 2: $70,736 Year 3: $70,676 Health and Medical Administrative Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $49,891 Year 2: $71,015 Year 3: $69,846 Information Science/Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $45,291 Year 2: $48,041 Year 3: $62,174 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,868 Year 2: $57,366 Year 3: $60,113 Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $56,758 Year 2: $62,508 Year 3: $59,947 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,726 Year 2: $50,856 Year 3: $59,246 Psychology, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $38,039 Year 2: $50,022 Year 3: $57,452

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