Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) vs Cleveland State

Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) and Cleveland State University (CSU) are two distinct institutions of higher learning, each offering unique opportunities and experiences to their students. VCU, located in the heart of Richmond, Virginia, boasts a vibrant urban campus and a diverse student body, while CSU, situated in the dynamic city of Cleveland, Ohio, prides itself on its strong academic programs and commitment to community engagement. With varying acceptance rates, popular majors, student demographics, and graduation outcomes, these universities cater to different student profiles and aspirations. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to delve into the specifics and discover which university aligns best with your academic goals and personal preferences.

	Cleveland State University	Virginia Commonwealth University
Overview
Location	Cleveland, Ohio	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	70.0%	84.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	91.3%	92.8%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $40	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $70
SAT range	900 - 1170	1070 - 1300
ACT range	18 - 28	20 - 29
Students submitting SAT score	23.0%	29.0%
Students submitting ACT score	50.0%	5.0%
Total number of applicants	11,506	17,579
Total number of admissions given out	10,504	16,308
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,869	4,084
Yield rate	17.8%	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)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $28,630 Out of state: $33,593	In state: $36,861 Out of state: $58,199
Average net price	$15,517	$19,656
Tuition	In state: $11,610 Out of state: $16,573	In state: $12,094 Out of state: $32,742
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $8,825 Meal plan: $5,394	Room/dormitory: $6,953 Meal plan: $5,820
Available payment plans	Guaranteed tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	92.0% Average amount $8,779	78.0% Average amount $13,623
Students receiving federal student loan	48.0% Average amount $5,037	44.0% Average amount $5,174
Students taking out private loans	4.0% Average amount $11,833	8.0% Average amount $17,903

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	10,481 Men 44.5% Women 55.5%	21,394 Men 36.9% Women 63.1%
Graduate students	4,827 Men 46.2% Women 53.8%	7,200 Men 33.7% Women 66.3%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	7.0%
International students	13.0%	3.6%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	1,011	5,958
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	Virginia Maryland North Carolina New Jersey Pennsylvania

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Engineering Education Business Public Administration and Social Service	Health Professions Visual & Performing Arts Business Public Administration and Social Service Multidisciplinary Studies
Students to faculty ratio	16:1	18:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	50.8%	67.6%
Dropout rate	8.7%	10.5%
Transferred out	33.8%	19.2%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $101,571 Year 2: $65,332 Year 3: $93,774 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $71,395 Year 2: $77,966 Year 3: $83,195 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,483 Year 2: $65,849 Year 3: $75,917 Education, General (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $56,127 Year 2: $73,446 Year 3: $74,430 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,475 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $71,477 Chemical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,703 Year 2: $60,061 Year 3: $71,065 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $69,187 Year 2: $65,610 Year 3: $70,270 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $60,500 Year 2: $63,666 Year 3: $70,009 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,594 Year 2: $59,901 Year 3: $68,841 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $48,944 Year 2: $54,020 Year 3: $67,084	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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Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) vs Cleveland State

Cleveland State University

Virginia Commonwealth University

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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