Empire State College vs Grand Canyon University (GCU)

SUNY Empire State College and Grand Canyon University, two distinct institutions of higher learning, offer unique educational experiences to students seeking flexible and accessible pathways to higher education. While both universities share a commitment to providing quality education, they differ in several key aspects. SUNY Empire State College, a public institution, boasts a higher acceptance rate, allowing a broader range of students to pursue their academic goals. Grand Canyon University, a private Christian university, offers a more structured learning environment with a lower acceptance rate. Explore the comparison table to delve into further details about these institutions, including popular majors, student body demographics, graduation rates, and more, to determine which university best aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Grand Canyon University	SUNY Empire State College
Overview
Location	Phoenix, Arizona	Saratoga Springs, New York
Campus setting	City: Large	Suburb: Small
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (For Profit)	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Trimester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	71.0%	62.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	82.8%	Open Admission
Application fees
SAT range	N/A	N/A
ACT range	N/A	N/A
Students submitting SAT score
Students submitting ACT score
Total number of applicants	36,861
Total number of admissions given out	30,534
Admitted students who chose to enroll	7,620
Yield rate	25.0%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	Not required
High school GPA	Required	N/A
Recommendation letters	Not required	N/A
High school transcript	Not required	N/A
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	N/A

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$32,100	In state: $22,984 Out of state: $32,894
Average net price	$21,644	$11,557
Tuition	$16,500	In state: $7,070 Out of state: $16,980
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,300 Meal plan: $3,800
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $10,225	77.0% Average amount $7,031
Students receiving federal student loan	60.0% Average amount $5,346	52.0% Average amount $6,667
Students taking out private loans	8.0% Average amount $12,937	0.0% Average amount $0

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	65,870 Men 29.3% Women 70.7%	7,926 Men 36.0% Women 64.0%
Graduate students	37,202 Men 22.5% Women 77.5%	1,536 Men 28.2% Women 71.8%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	73.1%	5.2%
International students	1.2%	0.6%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	Suburb: Small
Dormitory capacity	15,937	N/A
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	N/A
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Arizona California Washington Colorado Minnesota	New York Connecticut Florida Mississippi New Jersey

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Education Business Psychology Computer and Information Science	Public Administration and Social Service Business Multidisciplinary Studies Health Professions Physical Science
Students to faculty ratio	20:1	15:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	44.7%	23.7%
Dropout rate	52.9%	55.1%
Transferred out	N/A	17.3%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $117,397 Year 2: $119,061 Year 3: $125,189 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $97,451 Year 2: $96,705 Year 3: $100,941 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $86,965 Year 2: $87,641 Year 3: $91,610 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $78,940 Year 2: $77,476 Year 3: $80,825 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $75,319 Year 2: $66,821 Year 3: $68,008 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $65,248 Year 2: $64,265 Year 3: $66,703 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $58,382 Year 2: $57,047 Year 3: $64,355 Education, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $59,308 Year 2: $59,621 Year 3: $62,793 Homeland Security (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,625 Year 2: $60,082 Year 3: $61,171 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $56,083 Year 2: $55,605 Year 3: $59,588	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $78,762 Year 2: $89,879 Year 3: $93,382 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $71,395 Year 2: $69,897 Year 3: $70,379 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: $65,898 Year 2: $62,012 Year 3: $62,244 Public Administration and Social Service Professions, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $49,562 Year 2: $47,260 Year 3: $60,601 Biological and Physical Sciences (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $52,259 Year 2: $45,852 Year 3: $53,584 Business/Commerce, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $46,983 Year 2: $48,041 Year 3: $51,197 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $42,742 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $42,796 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $40,935 English Language and Literature/Letters, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $29,680 Year 2: $41,937 Year 3: $40,271 Community Organization and Advocacy (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,496 Year 2: $36,387 Year 3: $38,150

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Empire State College vs Grand Canyon University (GCU)

Grand Canyon University

SUNY Empire State College

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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