Virginia Tech vs CSU-FC

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) and Colorado State University-Fort Collins (CSU) are two highly regarded public research universities with distinct characteristics. Virginia Tech, located in Blacksburg, Virginia, boasts a larger student body and a higher acceptance rate compared to CSU. It excels in engineering, agriculture, and business programs, attracting students interested in STEM fields. On the other hand, CSU, situated in Fort Collins, Colorado, offers a more diverse range of undergraduate programs, including strong offerings in veterinary medicine, natural resources, and liberal arts. With a smaller student body and a lower acceptance rate, CSU fosters a close-knit community and personalized learning experiences. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to discover more about these universities' acceptance rates, popular majors, student demographics, graduation rates, and other key factors that can help you make an informed decision about your higher education journey.

	Colorado State University-Fort Collins	Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Overview
Location	Fort Collins, Colorado	Blacksburg, Virginia
Campus setting	City: Midsize	City: Small
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	86.0%	92.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	89.6%	56.5%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $60	Undergraduate: $60 Graduate: $75
SAT range	1080 - 1290	1210 - 1410
ACT range	23 - 29	26 - 32
Students submitting SAT score	38.0%	83.0%
Students submitting ACT score	17.0%	35.0%
Total number of applicants	31,586	42,054
Total number of admissions given out	28,314	23,746
Admitted students who chose to enroll	5,197	6,758
Yield rate	18.4%	28.5%
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: $27,174 Out of state: $46,456	In state: $30,104 Out of state: $49,787
Average net price	$18,320	$20,109
Tuition	In state: $9,709 Out of state: $28,991	In state: $11,750 Out of state: $30,829
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $6,186 Meal plan: $6,830	Room/dormitory: $5,890 Meal plan: $4,736
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan Other alternative tuition plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	70.0% Average amount $10,034	58.0% Average amount $8,018
Students receiving federal student loan	36.0% Average amount $5,018	40.0% Average amount $5,316
Students taking out private loans	7.0% Average amount $19,976	9.0% Average amount $20,728

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	24,954 Men 45.6% Women 54.4%	29,760 Men 57.3% Women 42.7%
Graduate students	7,632 Men 43.7% Women 56.3%	7,519 Men 56.5% Women 43.5%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	34.3%	39.5%
International students	4.8%	9.9%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	8,300	9,471
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Colorado California Texas Illinois Washington	Virginia Maryland New Jersey North Carolina Pennsylvania

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Engineering Biological and Biomedical Sciences Agriculture Kinesiology & Leisure Studies	Engineering Business Family and Consumer Sciences Computer and Information Science Natural Resources and Conservation
Students to faculty ratio	17:1	14:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	69.1%	86.6%
Dropout rate	18.5%	12.3%
Transferred out	10.4%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Business/Commerce, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $94,915 Year 3: $106,015 Engineering, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $82,613 Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $95,296 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $74,379 Year 2: $75,706 Year 3: $93,827 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $98,747 Year 2: $80,301 Year 3: $92,215 Chemistry (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $73,256 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $89,957 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $72,253 Year 2: $73,070 Year 3: $88,889 Veterinary Medicine (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $77,603 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $88,546 Information Science/Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $76,387 Year 2: $83,546 Year 3: $86,814 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $68,629 Year 2: $71,778 Year 3: $83,089 Biomedical/Medical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $55,849 Year 2: $67,101 Year 3: $80,723	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $105,287 Year 2: $113,246 Year 3: $125,427 Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $97,383 Year 2: $96,691 Year 3: $106,931 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $82,448 Year 2: $88,678 Year 3: $96,747 Veterinary Medicine (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $76,172 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $93,580 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $75,104 Year 2: $78,488 Year 3: $90,164 Public Administration (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $59,370 Year 2: $75,518 Year 3: $87,658 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $81,573 Year 2: $91,211 Year 3: $84,990 Mechanical Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $80,460 Year 2: $73,635 Year 3: $83,712 Chemical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $72,805 Year 2: $73,272 Year 3: $82,738 Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,610 Year 2: $70,680 Year 3: $81,822

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