Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) vs Florida State

Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) and Florida State University (FSU) are two distinct universities with unique offerings and characteristics. VCU, located in the heart of Richmond, Virginia, is known for its urban campus and strong programs in the arts, health sciences, and engineering. FSU, situated in the vibrant city of Tallahassee, Florida, boasts a beautiful campus and is renowned for its programs in business, education, and the sciences. While both universities offer a diverse range of academic opportunities, they differ in terms of 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 and personal preferences.

	Florida State University	Virginia Commonwealth University
Overview
Location	Tallahassee, Florida	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	94.0%	84.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	37.1%	92.8%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $30 Graduate: $30	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $70
SAT range	1180 - 1340	1070 - 1300
ACT range	26 - 30	20 - 29
Students submitting SAT score	65.0%	29.0%
Students submitting ACT score	36.0%	5.0%
Total number of applicants	65,235	17,579
Total number of admissions given out	24,183	16,308
Admitted students who chose to enroll	7,619	4,084
Yield rate	31.5%	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: $23,476 Out of state: $36,606	In state: $36,861 Out of state: $58,199
Average net price	$12,684	$19,656
Tuition	In state: $4,022 Out of state: $16,540	In state: $12,094 Out of state: $32,742
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,020 Meal plan: $4,856	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)	94.0% Average amount $10,620	78.0% Average amount $13,623
Students receiving federal student loan	19.0% Average amount $4,996	44.0% Average amount $5,174
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $13,430	8.0% Average amount $17,903

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	33,593 Men 42.9% Women 57.1%	21,394 Men 36.9% Women 63.1%
Graduate students	11,537 Men 38.4% Women 61.6%	7,200 Men 33.7% Women 66.3%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	15.7%	7.0%
International students	4.2%	3.6%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	6,709	5,958
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Florida Georgia New Jersey New York Illinois	Virginia Maryland North Carolina New Jersey Pennsylvania

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Business Education Visual & Performing Arts Legal Profession	Health Professions Visual & Performing Arts Business Public Administration and Social Service Multidisciplinary Studies
Students to faculty ratio	22:1	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	83.2%	67.6%
Dropout rate	10.9%	10.5%
Transferred out	5.3%	19.2%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $86,926 Year 2: $92,632 Year 3: $102,429 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,442 Year 2: $71,015 Year 3: $89,448 Chemical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $66,610 Year 2: $68,305 Year 3: $78,263 Business/Commerce, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $64,971 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $78,057 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $84,179 Year 2: $83,177 Year 3: $77,718 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $78,794 Year 2: $74,576 Year 3: $77,527 Finance and Financial Management Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $64,567 Year 2: $61,516 Year 3: $75,845 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $69,881 Year 2: $68,918 Year 3: $74,476 Chemistry (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: N/A Year 3: $74,364 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $63,216 Year 2: $60,325 Year 3: $72,686	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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