Virginia State vs Christopher Newport

Virginia State University (VSU) and Christopher Newport University (CNU) are two distinct institutions of higher learning in Virginia, each offering unique educational experiences. VSU, a historically Black university, boasts a higher acceptance rate and a larger student body, while CNU, a public liberal arts university, has a more selective admissions process and a smaller student population. Both universities offer a diverse range of undergraduate programs, with VSU excelling in agriculture, education, and nursing, and CNU excelling in business, computer science, and engineering. While VSU has a higher graduation rate, CNU has a lower cost of attendance. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more key differences between these two esteemed universities and make an informed decision about which one aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Christopher Newport University	Virginia State University
Overview
Location	Newport News, Virginia	Petersburg, Virginia
Campus setting	City: Midsize	Suburb: Large
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%	76.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	88.5%	96.1%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $65 Graduate: $65
SAT range	1110 - 1320	830 - 1040
ACT range	25 - 29	15 - 21
Students submitting SAT score	36.0%	21.0%
Students submitting ACT score	2.0%	3.0%
Total number of applicants	6,699	9,978
Total number of admissions given out	5,931	9,587
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,012	920
Yield rate	17.1%	9.6%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $33,016 Out of state: $45,882	In state: $23,673 Out of state: $35,428
Average net price	$24,059	$16,770
Tuition	In state: $9,100 Out of state: $21,566	In state: $5,540 Out of state: $16,542
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,238 Meal plan: $4,522	Room/dormitory: $6,744 Meal plan: $4,800
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	65.0% Average amount $7,294	92.0% Average amount $11,499
Students receiving federal student loan	42.0% Average amount $5,122	90.0% Average amount $7,480
Students taking out private loans	9.0% Average amount $18,379	2.0% Average amount $3,092

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	4,472 Men 45.5% Women 54.5%	3,899 Men 40.1% Women 59.9%
Graduate students	112 Men 40.2% Women 59.8%	401 Men 30.4% Women 69.6%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	6.7%	31.9%
International students	0.3%	0.7%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	3,812	2,360
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Virginia Maryland New Jersey New York North Carolina	Virginia New York Maryland District of Columbia New Jersey

Academics
Popular study areas	Visual & Performing Arts Education Physical Science Engineering Social Sciences	Business Psychology Education Communication and Journalism Law Enforcement and Firefighting
Students to faculty ratio	13:1	13:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	74.7%	47.8%
Dropout rate	24.7%	25.1%
Transferred out	N/A	22.7%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,187 Year 2: $59,901 Year 3: $72,580 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $64,493 Year 3: $70,913 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $47,933 Year 2: $44,276 Year 3: $55,654 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,720 Year 2: $41,007 Year 3: $52,404 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,880 Year 2: $33,281 Year 3: $46,989 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $45,461 Year 2: $46,254 Year 3: $46,738 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,363 Year 2: $36,668 Year 3: $45,831 Chemistry (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,297 Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: $44,872 History (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $23,553 Year 2: $30,984 Year 3: $43,611 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,765 Year 2: $31,133 Year 3: $42,711	Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: N/A Year 3: $60,198 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,564 Year 2: $32,382 Year 3: $41,446 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,514 Year 2: $37,424 Year 3: $40,545 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $23,671 Year 2: $25,967 Year 3: $39,545 Hospitality Administration/Management (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,213 Year 2: $23,649 Year 3: $35,949 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,745 Year 2: $28,816 Year 3: $35,132 Social Work (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $29,882 Year 2: $33,281 Year 3: $34,139 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $21,298 Year 2: $25,615 Year 3: $30,192 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,185 Year 2: $24,035 Year 3: $29,021 Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,290 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A

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