University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) vs University of Virginia-Main Campus (UVA)

In the pursuit of higher education, prospective students often find themselves torn between prestigious institutions with distinct offerings. The University of Pennsylvania and the University of Virginia-Main Campus stand out as two such esteemed universities, each boasting a rich history, academic excellence, and vibrant student life. While they share commonalities as top-tier research universities, they also possess unique characteristics that cater to different academic aspirations and personal preferences. This side-by-side comparison delves into the intricacies of these two institutions, exploring their acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates. By examining these key aspects, prospective students can gain valuable insights into the distinctive qualities of each university, enabling them to make informed decisions about their academic journey.

	University of Pennsylvania	University of Virginia-Main Campus
Overview
Location	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania	Charlottesville, Virginia
Campus setting	City: Large	Suburb: Small
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	98.0%	97.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	5.9%	20.7%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $75 Graduate: $90	Undergraduate: $75 Graduate: $85
SAT range	1480 - 1570	1380 - 1500
ACT range	33 - 35	32 - 35
Students submitting SAT score	49.0%	52.0%
Students submitting ACT score	30.0%	21.0%
Total number of applicants	56,332	47,971
Total number of admissions given out	3,304	9,951
Admitted students who chose to enroll	2,418	3,889
Yield rate	73.2%	39.1%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Not required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$80,496	In state: $36,314 Out of state: $70,696
Average net price	$14,578	$20,401
Tuition	$54,652	In state: $16,010 Out of state: $49,710
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $11,358 Meal plan: $5,946	Room/dormitory: $7,110 Meal plan: $5,550
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Guaranteed tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	52.0% Average amount $50,778	46.0% Average amount $19,612
Students receiving federal student loan	9.0% Average amount $5,030	25.0% Average amount $4,845
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $27,160	6.0% Average amount $11,030

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	11,292 Men 44.7% Women 55.3%	17,294 Men 43.7% Women 56.3%
Graduate students	16,746 Men 43.8% Women 56.2%	8,711 Men 46.9% Women 53.1%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	82.7%	35.2%
International students	22.8%	8.8%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	Suburb: Small
Dormitory capacity	6,400	7,645
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Pennsylvania New York California New Jersey Florida	Virginia New York Maryland Pennsylvania New Jersey

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Business Education Legal Profession Computer and Information Science	Business Health Professions Engineering Social Sciences Education
Students to faculty ratio	6:1	15:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	96.2%	93.7%
Dropout rate	2.8%	2.3%
Transferred out	N/A	3.6%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Finance and Financial Management Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $189,905 Year 2: $201,334 Year 3: $249,574 International/Global Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $162,528 Year 2: $182,280 Year 3: $234,875 Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $68,404 Year 2: $198,043 Year 3: $227,605 Real Estate (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $119,383 Year 2: $169,894 Year 3: $224,847 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $186,571 Year 2: $177,119 Year 3: $218,410 Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $245,155 Year 3: $214,930 Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $177,203 Year 2: $202,922 Year 3: $214,927 Health and Medical Administrative Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $169,238 Year 2: $174,994 Year 3: $208,033 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $102,195 Year 2: $138,932 Year 3: $197,810 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $179,063 Year 2: $175,674 Year 3: $186,790	Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $185,710 Year 2: $162,255 Year 3: $193,013 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $157,071 Year 2: $155,263 Year 3: $176,237 Computer Software and Media Applications (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $86,350 Year 2: $101,406 Year 3: $125,729 Business/Commerce, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $103,426 Year 2: $107,256 Year 3: $120,362 Systems Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $108,239 Year 2: $95,739 Year 3: $109,956 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $83,639 Year 2: $92,077 Year 3: $108,272 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $84,682 Year 2: $90,146 Year 3: $101,904 Business/Commerce, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $76,602 Year 2: $82,440 Year 3: $95,939 Systems Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $79,487 Year 2: $82,808 Year 3: $94,931 Public Policy Analysis (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $54,807 Year 2: $70,596 Year 3: $84,597

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