Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) vs URI-Kingston

Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) and the University of Rhode Island (URI) 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 diverse student body and a wide range of academic programs, while URI, situated in the charming coastal town of Kingston, Rhode Island, is known for its strong research focus and commitment to experiential learning. With acceptance rates of 73% and 79% respectively, both universities welcome a substantial number of applicants each year. While VCU's student body is more diverse, with a higher percentage of international students, URI has a slightly higher graduation rate. To help you make an informed decision about your higher education journey, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison table that delves into the key differences between these two esteemed universities, including popular majors, student demographics, and financial aid options.

	University of Rhode Island	Virginia Commonwealth University
Overview
Location	Kingston, Rhode Island	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	85.0%	84.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	76.5%	92.8%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $65 Graduate: $65	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $70
SAT range	1090 - 1290	1070 - 1300
ACT range	25 - 30	20 - 29
Students submitting SAT score	30.0%	29.0%
Students submitting ACT score	3.0%	5.0%
Total number of applicants	25,105	17,579
Total number of admissions given out	19,196	16,308
Admitted students who chose to enroll	3,340	4,084
Yield rate	17.4%	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: $31,614 Out of state: $49,636	In state: $36,861 Out of state: $58,199
Average net price	$20,496	$19,656
Tuition	In state: $13,250 Out of state: $31,272	In state: $12,094 Out of state: $32,742
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $8,340 Meal plan: $5,500	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)	94.0% Average amount $12,949	78.0% Average amount $13,623
Students receiving federal student loan	61.0% Average amount $5,252	44.0% Average amount $5,174
Students taking out private loans	18.0% Average amount $18,913	8.0% Average amount $17,903

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	14,744 Men 43.3% Women 56.7%	21,394 Men 36.9% Women 63.1%
Graduate students	2,767 Men 37.5% Women 62.5%	7,200 Men 33.7% Women 66.3%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	60.3%	7.0%
International students	2.7%	3.6%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	5,523	5,958
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Rhode Island Mississippi Connecticut New York New Jersey	Virginia Maryland North Carolina New Jersey Pennsylvania

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Business Engineering Biological and Biomedical Sciences Family and Consumer Sciences	Health Professions Visual & Performing Arts Business Public Administration and Social Service Multidisciplinary Studies
Students to faculty ratio	17:1	18:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	70.0%	67.6%
Dropout rate	28.7%	10.5%
Transferred out	N/A	19.2%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $95,221 Year 2: $113,894 Year 3: $119,883 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $102,532 Year 2: $109,286 Year 3: $115,106 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $78,037 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $86,487 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $68,976 Year 2: $71,473 Year 3: $86,408 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,309 Year 2: $67,995 Year 3: $79,045 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $71,134 Year 2: $72,693 Year 3: $78,528 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $60,485 Year 2: $65,557 Year 3: $77,404 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $73,720 Year 3: $75,985 Ocean Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,071 Year 2: $63,600 Year 3: $73,268 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,907 Year 2: $63,880 Year 3: $72,515	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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