University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) vs Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU)

When it comes to higher education, University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) and Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) stand out as two prominent institutions with distinct characteristics. UMKC, located in the heart of Kansas City, Missouri, offers a vibrant urban campus experience with a diverse student body and a wide range of academic programs. On the other hand, VCU, situated in the historic city of Richmond, Virginia, boasts a strong research focus, a thriving arts scene, and a commitment to community engagement. While both universities share a reputation for academic excellence, they differ in terms of acceptance rates, popular majors, student demographics, and graduation rates. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to discover which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	University of Missouri-Kansas City	Virginia Commonwealth University
Overview
Location	Kansas City, Missouri	Richmond, Virginia
Campus setting	City: Large	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	72.0%	84.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	76.0%	92.8%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $45 Graduate: $45	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $70
SAT range	1143 - 1506	1070 - 1300
ACT range	21 - 30	20 - 29
Students submitting SAT score	3.0%	29.0%
Students submitting ACT score	66.0%	5.0%
Total number of applicants	4,967	17,579
Total number of admissions given out	3,774	16,308
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,148	4,084
Yield rate	30.4%	25.0%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $27,571 Out of state: $43,207	In state: $36,861 Out of state: $58,199
Average net price	$14,368	$19,656
Tuition	In state: $8,940 Out of state: $24,576	In state: $12,094 Out of state: $32,742
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,378 Meal plan: $3,906	Room/dormitory: $6,953 Meal plan: $5,820
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	86.0% Average amount $8,297	78.0% Average amount $13,623
Students receiving federal student loan	34.0% Average amount $5,015	44.0% Average amount $5,174
Students taking out private loans	4.0% Average amount $14,518	8.0% Average amount $17,903

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	10,698 Men 41.2% Women 58.8%	21,394 Men 36.9% Women 63.1%
Graduate students	5,305 Men 43.5% Women 56.5%	7,200 Men 33.7% Women 66.3%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	28.5%	7.0%
International students	8.2%	3.6%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	1,137	5,958
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Missouri Kansas Illinois Nebraska Arkansas	Virginia Maryland North Carolina New Jersey Pennsylvania

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Business Computer and Information Science Education Engineering	Health Professions Visual & Performing Arts Business Public Administration and Social Service Multidisciplinary Studies
Students to faculty ratio	14:1	18:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	56.8%	67.6%
Dropout rate	41.3%	10.5%
Transferred out	N/A	19.2%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $178,768 Year 2: $176,087 Year 3: $172,214 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $120,212 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $166,758 Dentistry (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $124,107 Year 2: $131,319 Year 3: $143,602 Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $107,505 Year 2: $124,023 Year 3: $127,836 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $105,985 Year 2: $98,345 Year 3: $99,753 Business/Commerce, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $76,921 Year 2: $75,330 Year 3: $86,139 Finance and Financial Management Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $71,575 Year 3: $79,167 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $69,822 Year 2: $71,015 Year 3: $77,178 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,355 Year 2: $65,871 Year 3: $74,735 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $69,750 Year 2: $65,920 Year 3: $74,106	Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $234,763 Year 3: $225,432 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $166,030 Year 2: $181,454 Year 3: $181,915 Dentistry (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $87,586 Year 2: $106,935 Year 3: $134,578 Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $101,582 Year 2: $119,256 Year 3: $121,903 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $94,371 Year 2: $93,178 Year 3: $105,544 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $94,094 Year 2: $93,467 Year 3: $97,893 Information Science/Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $100,759 Year 2: $86,867 Year 3: $94,244 Health and Medical Administrative Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $73,726 Year 2: $82,440 Year 3: $90,664 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $77,993 Year 2: $89,305 Year 3: $82,470 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $70,920 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $82,210

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