Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) vs Florida Atlantic University (FAU)

Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) and Florida Atlantic University (FAU) are two distinct universities with unique offerings and characteristics. VCU, located in the heart of Richmond, Virginia, boasts a vibrant urban campus and a diverse student body. FAU, situated in Boca Raton, Florida, offers a suburban setting and a strong focus on research and innovation. While both universities share similarities in terms of academic excellence and affordability, 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 aligns best with your academic aspirations, personal preferences, and future goals.

	Florida Atlantic University	Virginia Commonwealth University
Overview
Location	Boca Raton, Florida	Richmond, Virginia
Campus setting	City: Small	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	80.0%	84.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	78.0%	92.8%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $30 Graduate: $30	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $70
SAT range	1020 - 1200	1070 - 1300
ACT range	20 - 26	20 - 29
Students submitting SAT score	77.0%	29.0%
Students submitting ACT score	23.0%	5.0%
Total number of applicants	25,148	17,579
Total number of admissions given out	19,617	16,308
Admitted students who chose to enroll	3,925	4,084
Yield rate	20.0%	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: $24,605 Out of state: $37,050	In state: $36,861 Out of state: $58,199
Average net price	$8,771	$19,656
Tuition	In state: $2,522 Out of state: $14,374	In state: $12,094 Out of state: $32,742
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $6,100 Meal plan: $3,902	Room/dormitory: $6,953 Meal plan: $5,820
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	82.0% Average amount $11,013	78.0% Average amount $13,623
Students receiving federal student loan	28.0% Average amount $4,899	44.0% Average amount $5,174
Students taking out private loans	3.0% Average amount $14,642	8.0% Average amount $17,903

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	24,799 Men 41.9% Women 58.1%	21,394 Men 36.9% Women 63.1%
Graduate students	5,356 Men 38.0% Women 62.0%	7,200 Men 33.7% Women 66.3%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	7.0%
International students	3.8%	3.6%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	5,131	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 Business Education Multidisciplinary Studies Engineering	Health Professions Visual & Performing Arts Business Public Administration and Social Service Multidisciplinary Studies
Students to faculty ratio	21:1	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	55.4%	67.6%
Dropout rate	11.4%	10.5%
Transferred out	31.1%	19.2%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $88,871 Year 2: $90,061 Year 3: $92,028 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $74,217 Year 2: $92,632 Year 3: $86,797 Taxation (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $70,866 Year 2: $74,576 Year 3: $79,750 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $61,854 Year 2: $64,865 Year 3: $74,441 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $61,298 Year 2: $63,600 Year 3: $73,548 Ocean Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $61,746 Year 2: $63,377 Year 3: $73,462 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,965 Year 2: $63,463 Year 3: $72,097 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $65,830 Year 2: $59,688 Year 3: $70,868 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $61,372 Year 2: $64,415 Year 3: $67,956 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,039 Year 2: $58,221 Year 3: $66,720	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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