Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) vs UMass Lowell

Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) and University of Massachusetts-Lowell (UMass-Lowell) are two distinct institutions of higher learning with unique characteristics. VCU, located in the heart of Richmond, Virginia, boasts a vibrant urban campus and a diverse student body. UMass-Lowell, situated in the historic city of Lowell, Massachusetts, offers a suburban setting and a strong focus on STEM education. While both universities share a commitment to academic excellence, they differ in terms of acceptance rates, popular majors, student demographics, and graduation rates. This side-by-side comparison will delve into these key differences, providing prospective students with valuable insights to help them make informed decisions about their educational journey.

	University of Massachusetts-Lowell	Virginia Commonwealth University
Overview
Location	Lowell, Massachusetts	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	82.0%	84.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	84.6%	92.8%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $60 Graduate: $50	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $70
SAT range	1170 - 1340	1070 - 1300
ACT range	25 - 32	20 - 29
Students submitting SAT score	26.0%	29.0%
Students submitting ACT score	2.0%	5.0%
Total number of applicants	12,493	17,579
Total number of admissions given out	10,565	16,308
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,907	4,084
Yield rate	18.1%	25.0%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	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: $24,672 Out of state: $42,598	In state: $36,861 Out of state: $58,199
Average net price	$13,227	$19,656
Tuition	In state: $15,078 Out of state: $33,004	In state: $12,094 Out of state: $32,742
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $8,500 Meal plan: $5,070	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)	78.0% Average amount $10,449	78.0% Average amount $13,623
Students receiving federal student loan	59.0% Average amount $5,148	44.0% Average amount $5,174
Students taking out private loans	5.0% Average amount $10,989	8.0% Average amount $17,903

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	12,884 Men 58.6% Women 41.4%	21,394 Men 36.9% Women 63.1%
Graduate students	4,713 Men 53.7% Women 46.3%	7,200 Men 33.7% Women 66.3%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	7.0%
International students	5.8%	3.6%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	4,787	5,958
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Mississippi New Hampshire New York New Jersey Pennsylvania	Virginia Maryland North Carolina New Jersey Pennsylvania

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Engineering Health Professions Computer and Information Science Law Enforcement and Firefighting	Health Professions Visual & Performing Arts Business Public Administration and Social Service Multidisciplinary Studies
Students to faculty ratio	18:1	18:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	69.0%	67.6%
Dropout rate	28.0%	10.5%
Transferred out	N/A	19.2%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $73,995 Year 2: $71,575 Year 3: $92,580 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $71,575 Year 3: $90,960 Mechanical Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $81,072 Year 2: $74,576 Year 3: $89,338 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $81,208 Year 2: $71,854 Year 3: $88,920 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $97,889 Year 2: $78,612 Year 3: $88,135 Chemical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,760 Year 2: $63,501 Year 3: $77,826 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $51,707 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $77,121 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $69,655 Year 2: $66,989 Year 3: $74,462 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $67,655 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $73,578 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,402 Year 2: $60,623 Year 3: $73,430	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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