UC Riverside vs Vanderbilt

Envision yourself pursuing higher education at either the University of California-Riverside (UCR) or Vanderbilt University, two esteemed institutions with distinct characteristics. UCR, nestled in the vibrant city of Riverside, California, offers a welcoming environment with a diverse student body and a strong emphasis on undergraduate research. In contrast, Vanderbilt, located in the heart of Nashville, Tennessee, boasts a rich history, a stunning campus, and a focus on interdisciplinary learning. While both universities share a commitment to academic excellence, they differ in acceptance rates, popular majors, student demographics, and graduation rates. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to discover which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences, embarking on a journey toward a fulfilling and successful college experience.

	University of California-Riverside	Vanderbilt University
Overview
Location	Riverside, California	Nashville, Tennessee
Campus setting	City: Large	City: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Quarter	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	88.0%	97.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	65.4%	7.1%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $120	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $95
SAT range	N/A	1480 - 1570
ACT range	N/A	34 - 35
Students submitting SAT score		25.0%
Students submitting ACT score		32.0%
Total number of applicants	52,672	47,152
Total number of admissions given out	34,437	3,368
Admitted students who chose to enroll	5,203	1,626
Yield rate	15.1%	48.3%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $32,312 Out of state: $62,066	$79,538
Average net price	$13,502	$27,553
Tuition	In state: $11,442 Out of state: $41,196	$54,840
Room & board	$16,600	Room/dormitory: $12,000 Meal plan: $6,376
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	78.0% Average amount $18,676	64.0% Average amount $49,730
Students receiving federal student loan	28.0% Average amount $4,703	10.0% Average amount $4,979
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $8,151	2.0% Average amount $27,798

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	22,868 Men 47.0% Women 53.0%	7,111 Men 48.9% Women 51.1%
Graduate students	3,979 Men 53.8% Women 46.2%	6,685 Men 39.5% Women 60.5%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	0.8%	89.5%
International students	8.1%	11.7%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	8,597	5,598
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	Yes
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	California Nevada Florida Arizona New Mexico	Tennessee California New York Florida Texas

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Engineering Computer and Information Science Biological and Biomedical Sciences Education	Health Professions Education Engineering Business Legal Profession
Students to faculty ratio	24:1	8:1
Institutional accreditation	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	76.5%	93.4%
Dropout rate	6.2%	6.4%
Transferred out	16.4%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Psychology, General (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $85,748 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,571 Year 2: $69,617 Year 3: $84,080 Education, General (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $79,838 Year 3: $81,740 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $66,399 Year 2: $66,076 Year 3: $80,825 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $54,188 Year 2: $59,912 Year 3: $68,240 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $59,114 Year 2: $60,320 Year 3: $67,946 Chemical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,484 Year 2: $49,464 Year 3: $66,365 Education, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $56,049 Year 2: $58,568 Year 3: $64,438 Biomedical/Medical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $43,664 Year 2: $49,214 Year 3: $63,844 Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,269 Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: $59,823	Medical Clinical Sciences/Graduate Medical Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $101,041 Year 2: $122,038 Year 3: $169,145 Health and Medical Administrative Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $129,825 Year 2: $130,517 Year 3: $144,008 Finance and Financial Management Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $131,102 Year 2: $117,572 Year 3: $133,025 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $128,494 Year 2: $127,087 Year 3: $132,454 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $132,293 Year 2: $114,324 Year 3: $130,516 Marketing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $108,764 Year 2: $111,620 Year 3: $121,754 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $126,876 Year 2: $119,805 Year 3: $112,193 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $91,224 Year 2: $104,192 Year 3: $108,525 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $99,979 Year 2: $93,249 Year 3: $101,010 Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $76,609 Year 2: $80,309 Year 3: $95,754

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