Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) vs University of Memphis (UofM)

Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) and the University of Memphis (UofM) 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 UofM, situated in the dynamic city of Memphis, Tennessee, is known for 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.

	University of Memphis	Virginia Commonwealth University
Overview
Location	Memphis, Tennessee	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	72.0%	84.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	95.2%	92.8%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $25 Graduate: $35	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $70
SAT range	N/A	1070 - 1300
ACT range	N/A	20 - 29
Students submitting SAT score		29.0%
Students submitting ACT score		5.0%
Total number of applicants	14,916	17,579
Total number of admissions given out	14,201	16,308
Admitted students who chose to enroll	2,593	4,084
Yield rate	18.3%	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)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $26,429 Out of state: $30,461	In state: $36,861 Out of state: $58,199
Average net price	$14,251	$19,656
Tuition	In state: $8,352 Out of state: $12,384	In state: $12,094 Out of state: $32,742
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $6,020 Meal plan: $4,414	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)	95.0% Average amount $9,642	78.0% Average amount $13,623
Students receiving federal student loan	43.0% Average amount $4,996	44.0% Average amount $5,174
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $12,990	8.0% Average amount $17,903

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	16,702 Men 39.4% Women 60.6%	21,394 Men 36.9% Women 63.1%
Graduate students	4,920 Men 38.6% Women 61.4%	7,200 Men 33.7% Women 66.3%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	17.9%	7.0%
International students	4.2%	3.6%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	2,683	5,958
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Tennessee Mississippi Arkansas Illinois Missouri	Virginia Maryland North Carolina New Jersey Pennsylvania

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Business Education Multidisciplinary Studies	Health Professions Visual & Performing Arts Business Public Administration and Social Service Multidisciplinary Studies
Students to faculty ratio	16:1	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	54.4%	67.6%
Dropout rate	27.8%	10.5%
Transferred out	14.4%	19.2%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $92,183 Year 2: $90,482 Year 3: $93,053 Health and Medical Administrative Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $55,578 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $83,771 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $77,569 Year 2: $73,446 Year 3: $81,572 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $61,053 Year 2: $61,516 Year 3: $72,912 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,497 Year 2: $60,623 Year 3: $71,690 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,138 Year 2: $63,749 Year 3: $68,655 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $61,294 Year 2: $55,964 Year 3: $68,033 Engineering Technology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $52,203 Year 2: $61,020 Year 3: $64,943 Civil Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,998 Year 2: $55,964 Year 3: $62,591 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $50,920 Year 2: $51,035 Year 3: $61,841	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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