Virginia State vs Clark Atlanta

Virginia State University and Clark Atlanta University, both historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), offer unique educational experiences for students seeking a diverse and enriching academic environment. Virginia State University, located in Ettrick, Virginia, boasts a higher acceptance rate (73%) compared to Clark Atlanta University's (59%) in Atlanta, Georgia. While Clark Atlanta University has a slightly larger student body, both universities share a similar graduation rate of around 40%. Explore the comparison table below to delve into further details about these institutions, including popular majors, student body demographics, and more, to help you make an informed decision about your higher education journey.

	Clark Atlanta University	Virginia State University
Overview
Location	Atlanta, Georgia	Petersburg, Virginia
Campus setting	City: Large	Suburb: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	70.0%	76.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation	Methodism

Admission
Acceptance rate	58.2%	96.1%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $35 Graduate: $40
SAT range	860 - 1053	830 - 1040
ACT range	17 - 20	15 - 21
Students submitting SAT score	19.0%	21.0%
Students submitting ACT score	8.0%	3.0%
Total number of applicants	16,718	9,978
Total number of admissions given out	9,737	9,587
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,123	920
Yield rate	11.5%	9.6%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$39,446	In state: $23,673 Out of state: $35,428
Average net price	$29,739	$16,770
Tuition	$21,308	In state: $5,540 Out of state: $16,542
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,874 Meal plan: $4,348	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)	86.0% Average amount $8,674	92.0% Average amount $11,499
Students receiving federal student loan	93.0% Average amount $8,385	90.0% Average amount $7,480
Students taking out private loans	3.0% Average amount $9,954	2.0% Average amount $3,092

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	3,390 Men 23.7% Women 76.3%	3,899 Men 40.1% Women 59.9%
Graduate students	665 Men 27.5% Women 72.5%	401 Men 30.4% Women 69.6%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	77.9%	31.9%
International students	1.1%	0.7%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	2,162	2,360
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Georgia Illinois New York Maryland California	Virginia New York Maryland District of Columbia New Jersey

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Communication and Journalism Public Administration and Social Service Biological and Biomedical Sciences Visual & Performing Arts	Business Psychology Education Communication and Journalism Law Enforcement and Firefighting
Students to faculty ratio	18:1	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	41.6%	47.8%
Dropout rate	39.7%	25.1%
Transferred out	17.4%	22.7%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Social Work (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $40,378 Year 2: $43,030 Year 3: $47,036 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,161 Year 2: $40,068 Year 3: $43,257 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $24,583 Year 2: $23,649 Year 3: $34,496 Radio, Television, and Digital Communication (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $19,894 Year 2: $24,730 Year 3: $29,620 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $24,229 Year 2: $23,166 Year 3: $28,399 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $23,727 Year 2: $25,405 Year 3: $27,427 Design and Applied Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $19,408 Year 2: $21,781 Year 3: $26,974 Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $24,421 Year 3: $24,839 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $47,925 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $77,566 Year 2: $67,660 Year 3: N/A	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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