University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus (Pitt) vs Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU)

When it comes to higher education, the University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus and Virginia Commonwealth University stand out as two prominent institutions with distinct characteristics. The University of Pittsburgh boasts a lower acceptance rate of 56%, while Virginia Commonwealth University offers a more accessible admission process with an acceptance rate of 70%. In terms of student body demographics, the University of Pittsburgh has a larger undergraduate population, with over 18,000 students compared to Virginia Commonwealth University's 12,000 undergraduates. Both universities offer a diverse range of popular majors, including nursing, business, and engineering, but Virginia Commonwealth University has a slightly higher graduation rate of 68% compared to the University of Pittsburgh's 66%. To help you make an informed decision about your academic journey, we have compiled a comprehensive comparison table that delves into these aspects and more, providing valuable insights to guide your choice.

	University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus	Virginia Commonwealth University
Overview
Location	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania	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	93.0%	84.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	66.7%	92.8%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $55 Graduate: $75	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $70
SAT range	1250 - 1470	1070 - 1300
ACT range	28 - 33	20 - 29
Students submitting SAT score	49.0%	29.0%
Students submitting ACT score	16.0%	5.0%
Total number of applicants	34,656	17,579
Total number of admissions given out	23,109	16,308
Admitted students who chose to enroll	4,875	4,084
Yield rate	21.1%	25.0%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not 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: $36,394 Out of state: $51,426	In state: $36,861 Out of state: $58,199
Average net price	$22,996	$19,656
Tuition	In state: $19,092 Out of state: $34,124	In state: $12,094 Out of state: $32,742
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $6,880 Meal plan: $4,940	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)	74.0% Average amount $12,822	78.0% Average amount $13,623
Students receiving federal student loan	51.0% Average amount $5,334	44.0% Average amount $5,174
Students taking out private loans	12.0% Average amount $19,190	8.0% Average amount $17,903

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	23,885 Men 43.5% Women 56.5%	21,394 Men 36.9% Women 63.1%
Graduate students	9,345 Men 40.5% Women 59.5%	7,200 Men 33.7% Women 66.3%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	39.6%	7.0%
International students	8.4%	3.6%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	8,760	5,958
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Pennsylvania New Jersey New York Maryland Virginia	Virginia Maryland North Carolina New Jersey Pennsylvania

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

Outcome
Graduation rate	84.3%	67.6%
Dropout rate	3.0%	10.5%
Transferred out	12.0%	19.2%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences (Post-Baccalaureate Certificates) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $220,906 Year 3: $231,651 Medical Clinical Sciences/Graduate Medical Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $191,732 Year 2: $172,991 Year 3: $167,114 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $123,211 Year 2: $136,434 Year 3: $139,418 Dentistry (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $73,006 Year 2: $83,177 Year 3: $119,626 Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $91,548 Year 2: $108,012 Year 3: $119,626 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $97,381 Year 2: $99,174 Year 3: $104,969 Business Administration, Management and Operations (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $88,815 Year 2: $90,572 Year 3: $98,136 Information Science/Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $77,499 Year 2: $81,333 Year 3: $92,231 Mechanical Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $86,120 Year 2: $81,702 Year 3: $89,317 Biomedical/Medical Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $79,727 Year 3: $79,626	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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