Virginia State vs Howard U

Virginia State University and Howard University, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer unique educational experiences to their students. Virginia State University, located in Ettrick, Virginia, is a public land-grant university with a rich history dating back to 1882. Howard University, situated in the heart of Washington, D.C., is a private research university renowned for its academic excellence and contributions to African American culture and history. While both universities share a commitment to providing quality education, they differ in several key aspects, including acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to discover which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Howard University	Virginia State University
Overview
Location	Washington, District of Columbia	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	91.0%	76.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	35.2%	96.1%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $45 Graduate: $75
SAT range	1080 - 1290	830 - 1040
ACT range	21 - 26	15 - 21
Students submitting SAT score	26.0%	21.0%
Students submitting ACT score	10.0%	3.0%
Total number of applicants	29,396	9,978
Total number of admissions given out	10,362	9,587
Admitted students who chose to enroll	2,768	920
Yield rate	26.7%	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)	Not required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$48,214	In state: $23,673 Out of state: $35,428
Average net price	$26,870	$16,770
Tuition	$28,450	In state: $5,540 Out of state: $16,542
Room & board	$14,678	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)	99.0% Average amount $22,380	92.0% Average amount $11,499
Students receiving federal student loan	47.0% Average amount $4,811	90.0% Average amount $7,480
Students taking out private loans	3.0% Average amount $16,655	2.0% Average amount $3,092

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	8,964 Men 28.0% Women 72.0%	3,899 Men 40.1% Women 59.9%
Graduate students	3,101 Men 32.8% Women 67.2%	401 Men 30.4% Women 69.6%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	98.6%	31.9%
International students	4.1%	0.7%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	5,719	2,360
First year students are required to live on campus?	Yes	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Maryland New York Georgia New Jersey Texas	Virginia New York Maryland District of Columbia New Jersey

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Business Biological and Biomedical Sciences Social Sciences Communication and Journalism	Business Psychology Education Communication and Journalism Law Enforcement and Firefighting
Students to faculty ratio	13:1	13:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	63.6%	47.8%
Dropout rate	11.3%	25.1%
Transferred out	23.4%	22.7%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $139,816 Year 3: $169,939 Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $76,631 Year 2: $121,694 Year 3: $126,945 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Undergraduate Certificates or Diplomas) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $106,421 Year 3: $121,256 Dentistry (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $74,115 Year 2: $100,571 Year 3: $111,407 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $106,768 Year 2: $100,038 Year 3: $108,698 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $83,747 Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $98,585 Computer Systems Analysis (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $82,440 Year 3: $95,339 Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $74,153 Year 2: $70,456 Year 3: $91,628 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $85,098 Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $66,889 Year 2: $70,456 Year 3: $74,462	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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