Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) vs Christopher Newport

Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) and Christopher Newport University (CNU) are two distinct institutions of higher learning in Virginia, each offering unique educational experiences. VCU, located in the heart of Richmond, is a large, urban research university with a diverse student body and a wide range of academic programs. CNU, situated in the historic city of Newport News, is a mid-sized public university known for its strong liberal arts and sciences curriculum and its beautiful campus. While both universities share a commitment to academic excellence, they differ in several key aspects, including acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to discover which university better aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Christopher Newport University	Virginia Commonwealth University
Overview
Location	Newport News, Virginia	Richmond, Virginia
Campus setting	City: Midsize	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	85.0%	84.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	88.5%	92.8%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $65 Graduate: $65	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $70
SAT range	1110 - 1320	1070 - 1300
ACT range	25 - 29	20 - 29
Students submitting SAT score	36.0%	29.0%
Students submitting ACT score	2.0%	5.0%
Total number of applicants	6,699	17,579
Total number of admissions given out	5,931	16,308
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,012	4,084
Yield rate	17.1%	25.0%
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)	Not required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $33,016 Out of state: $45,882	In state: $36,861 Out of state: $58,199
Average net price	$24,059	$19,656
Tuition	In state: $9,100 Out of state: $21,566	In state: $12,094 Out of state: $32,742
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,238 Meal plan: $4,522	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)	65.0% Average amount $7,294	78.0% Average amount $13,623
Students receiving federal student loan	42.0% Average amount $5,122	44.0% Average amount $5,174
Students taking out private loans	9.0% Average amount $18,379	8.0% Average amount $17,903

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	4,472 Men 45.5% Women 54.5%	21,394 Men 36.9% Women 63.1%
Graduate students	112 Men 40.2% Women 59.8%	7,200 Men 33.7% Women 66.3%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	6.7%	7.0%
International students	0.3%	3.6%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	3,812	5,958
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Virginia Maryland New Jersey New York North Carolina	Virginia Maryland North Carolina New Jersey Pennsylvania

Academics
Popular study areas	Visual & Performing Arts Education Physical Science Engineering Social Sciences	Health Professions Visual & Performing Arts Business Public Administration and Social Service Multidisciplinary Studies
Students to faculty ratio	13:1	18:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	74.7%	67.6%
Dropout rate	24.7%	10.5%
Transferred out	N/A	19.2%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,187 Year 2: $59,901 Year 3: $72,580 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $64,493 Year 3: $70,913 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $47,933 Year 2: $44,276 Year 3: $55,654 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,720 Year 2: $41,007 Year 3: $52,404 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,880 Year 2: $33,281 Year 3: $46,989 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $45,461 Year 2: $46,254 Year 3: $46,738 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,363 Year 2: $36,668 Year 3: $45,831 Chemistry (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,297 Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: $44,872 History (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $23,553 Year 2: $30,984 Year 3: $43,611 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,765 Year 2: $31,133 Year 3: $42,711	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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