Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) vs University of Nevada-Las Vegas (UNLV)

Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) and University of Nevada-Las Vegas (UNLV) are two distinct universities with unique offerings. VCU, located in the heart of Richmond, Virginia, boasts a higher acceptance rate (78%) compared to UNLV's 71%. Both universities offer a diverse range of undergraduate programs, with VCU excelling in the arts, humanities, and health sciences, while UNLV is known for its strengths in engineering, business, and hospitality. VCU's student body is more diverse, with a higher percentage of female and minority students, while UNLV has a slightly higher graduation rate (62% vs. 59%). Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more key differences and make an informed decision about which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	University of Nevada-Las Vegas	Virginia Commonwealth University
Overview
Location	Las Vegas, Nevada	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	77.0%	84.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	83.5%	92.8%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $60 Graduate: $60	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	13,025	17,579
Total number of admissions given out	10,873	16,308
Admitted students who chose to enroll	4,125	4,084
Yield rate	37.9%	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: $28,003 Out of state: $44,094	In state: $36,861 Out of state: $58,199
Average net price	$13,030	$19,656
Tuition	In state: $7,949 Out of state: $24,040	In state: $12,094 Out of state: $32,742
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,880 Meal plan: $5,456	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)	92.0% Average amount $6,217	78.0% Average amount $13,623
Students receiving federal student loan	21.0% Average amount $5,000	44.0% Average amount $5,174
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $17,424	8.0% Average amount $17,903

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	25,312 Men 43.1% Women 56.9%	21,394 Men 36.9% Women 63.1%
Graduate students	5,367 Men 40.8% Women 59.2%	7,200 Men 33.7% Women 66.3%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	7.0%
International students	2.7%	3.6%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	2,850	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	Education Business Health Professions Visual & Performing Arts Biological and Biomedical Sciences	Health Professions Visual & Performing Arts Business Public Administration and Social Service Multidisciplinary Studies
Students to faculty ratio	18:1	18:1
Institutional accreditation	Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	47.2%	67.6%
Dropout rate	44.5%	10.5%
Transferred out	N/A	19.2%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Dentistry (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $115,835 Year 2: $106,421 Year 3: $118,208 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $116,502 Year 2: $99,683 Year 3: $105,571 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $81,563 Year 2: $81,433 Year 3: $93,426 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $86,908 Year 2: $90,856 Year 3: $92,054 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $68,344 Year 2: $72,177 Year 3: $86,154 Health and Medical Administrative Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $73,087 Year 2: $84,653 Year 3: $85,010 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $71,477 Year 2: $75,313 Year 3: $79,196 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,725 Year 2: $70,296 Year 3: $78,028 Hospitality Administration/Management (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $76,060 Year 2: $73,949 Year 3: $73,853 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $54,877 Year 2: $59,942 Year 3: $73,118	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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