Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) vs Kent State

Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) and Kent State University at Kent (KSU) are two distinct universities with unique offerings. VCU, located in the heart of Richmond, Virginia, boasts a vibrant urban campus and a diverse student body. KSU, situated in the charming city of Kent, Ohio, offers a more traditional college town experience. 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 our comprehensive comparison table to discover which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Kent State University at Kent	Virginia Commonwealth University
Overview
Location	Kent, Ohio	Richmond, Virginia
Campus setting	Suburb: 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	81.0%	84.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	87.3%	92.8%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $45	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $70
SAT range	1000 - 1210	1070 - 1300
ACT range	19 - 25	20 - 29
Students submitting SAT score	18.0%	29.0%
Students submitting ACT score	66.0%	5.0%
Total number of applicants	19,881	17,579
Total number of admissions given out	17,359	16,308
Admitted students who chose to enroll	4,050	4,084
Yield rate	23.3%	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: $27,954 Out of state: $36,830	In state: $36,861 Out of state: $58,199
Average net price	$18,947	$19,656
Tuition	In state: $11,774 Out of state: $20,650	In state: $12,094 Out of state: $32,742
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $8,417 Meal plan: $5,666	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)	91.0% Average amount $8,401	78.0% Average amount $13,623
Students receiving federal student loan	56.0% Average amount $5,405	44.0% Average amount $5,174
Students taking out private loans	10.0% Average amount $13,210	8.0% Average amount $17,903

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	21,133 Men 37.7% Women 62.3%	21,394 Men 36.9% Women 63.1%
Graduate students	5,464 Men 33.3% Women 66.7%	7,200 Men 33.7% Women 66.3%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	19.7%	7.0%
International students	5.2%	3.6%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	5,674	5,958
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Ohio Pennsylvania New York Illinois Michigan	Virginia Maryland North Carolina New Jersey Pennsylvania

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Education Business Visual & Performing Arts Communication and Journalism	Health Professions Visual & Performing Arts Business Public Administration and Social Service Multidisciplinary Studies
Students to faculty ratio	19:1	18:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	67.7%	67.6%
Dropout rate	9.4%	10.5%
Transferred out	21.3%	19.2%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $87,715 Year 2: $89,685 Year 3: $100,554 Information Science/Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $75,015 Year 2: $72,734 Year 3: $77,710 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $64,597 Year 2: $73,635 Year 3: $77,296 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,552 Year 2: $64,493 Year 3: $75,264 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $54,262 Year 2: $53,358 Year 3: $66,878 Computer Systems Analysis (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $52,914 Year 2: $53,358 Year 3: $65,790 Construction Management (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,436 Year 2: $57,619 Year 3: $65,215 Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $55,674 Year 2: $53,108 Year 3: $65,118 Industrial Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $52,124 Year 2: $49,019 Year 3: $63,596 Public Administration (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $61,648 Year 2: $58,673 Year 3: $63,476	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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