Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) vs University of New Mexico-Main Campus (UNM)

Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) and University of New Mexico-Main Campus (UNM) are two distinct universities with unique offerings. VCU, located in the heart of Richmond, Virginia, boasts a higher acceptance rate (78%) compared to UNM's 84%. Both universities offer a diverse range of undergraduate programs, with VCU excelling in fields like nursing, health professions, and the arts, while UNM is known for its strengths in engineering, business, and education. VCU's student body is more diverse, with a higher percentage of international students and a slightly larger female population. UNM, on the other hand, has a higher graduation rate (68%) compared to VCU's 63%. To help you make an informed decision, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison table highlighting key differences between these two institutions. Explore the table to discover which university better aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	University of New Mexico-Main Campus	Virginia Commonwealth University
Overview
Location	Albuquerque, New Mexico	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	68.0%	84.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	97.3%	92.8%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $25 Graduate: $50	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $70
SAT range	N/A	1070 - 1300
ACT range	19 - 26	20 - 29
Students submitting SAT score		29.0%
Students submitting ACT score	28.0%	5.0%
Total number of applicants	11,346	17,579
Total number of admissions given out	11,036	16,308
Admitted students who chose to enroll	3,077	4,084
Yield rate	27.9%	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)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $23,725 Out of state: $41,063	In state: $36,861 Out of state: $58,199
Average net price	$11,396	$19,656
Tuition	In state: $6,604 Out of state: $23,942	In state: $12,094 Out of state: $32,742
Room & board	$10,396	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)	98.0% Average amount $7,531	78.0% Average amount $13,623
Students receiving federal student loan	54.0% Average amount $5,240	44.0% Average amount $5,174
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $10,500	8.0% Average amount $17,903

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	15,793 Men 41.6% Women 58.4%	21,394 Men 36.9% Women 63.1%
Graduate students	6,346 Men 44.1% Women 55.9%	7,200 Men 33.7% Women 66.3%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	21.2%	7.0%
International students	4.8%	3.6%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	2,492	5,958
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	New Mexico Texas California Colorado Arizona	Virginia Maryland North Carolina New Jersey Pennsylvania

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Business Engineering Education Visual & Performing Arts	Health Professions Visual & Performing Arts Business Public Administration and Social Service Multidisciplinary Studies
Students to faculty ratio	13:1	18:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	53.6%	67.6%
Dropout rate	40.9%	10.5%
Transferred out	N/A	19.2%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $117,174 Year 2: $124,631 Year 3: $128,888 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $99,409 Year 2: $94,999 Year 3: $106,457 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,927 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $86,346 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $66,115 Year 2: $65,053 Year 3: $83,794 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $59,598 Year 2: $68,965 Year 3: $76,357 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $71,723 Year 2: $70,863 Year 3: $74,672 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,481 Year 2: $62,012 Year 3: $71,489 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $58,379 Year 2: $65,424 Year 3: $70,962 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $64,309 Year 2: $60,771 Year 3: $69,058 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $68,774 Year 2: $59,688 Year 3: $68,840	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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