Virginia Union University (VUU) vs Bowie State

Virginia Union University and Bowie State University, both esteemed historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), offer unique educational experiences to their students. Virginia Union, located in Richmond, Virginia, boasts a lower acceptance rate of 49% compared to Bowie State's 64% in Bowie, Maryland. While Virginia Union's student body is predominantly female, Bowie State has a more balanced gender ratio. In terms of popular majors, Virginia Union excels in business, management, and marketing, while Bowie State is known for its strong programs in education, health professions, and social sciences. With graduation rates of 42% and 45% respectively, both universities are committed to student success and ensuring their graduates are well-prepared for their chosen careers. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more distinctions between these two outstanding institutions and make an informed decision about your higher education journey.

	Bowie State University	Virginia Union University
Overview
Location	Bowie, Maryland	Richmond, Virginia
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	City: Midsize
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	72.0%	63.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation		Baptist

Admission
Acceptance rate	87.0%	93.8%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $40	Undergraduate: $25 Graduate: $25
SAT range	840 - 1020	756 - 893
ACT range	17 - 20	14 - 17
Students submitting SAT score	17.0%	6.0%
Students submitting ACT score	1.0%	2.0%
Total number of applicants	4,978	4,006
Total number of admissions given out	4,333	3,757
Admitted students who chose to enroll	913	314
Yield rate	21.1%	8.4%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $26,504 Out of state: $37,244	$25,530
Average net price	$14,290	$16,068
Tuition	In state: $5,760 Out of state: $16,500	$10,530
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,616 Meal plan: $4,842	Room/dormitory: $3,976 Meal plan: $5,028
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	78.0% Average amount $9,115	93.0% Average amount $10,736
Students receiving federal student loan	49.0% Average amount $5,364	53.0% Average amount $5,603
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $14,572	1.0% Average amount $9,222

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	5,381 Men 39.0% Women 61.0%	1,243 Men 49.0% Women 51.0%
Graduate students	927 Men 31.8% Women 68.2%	487 Men 55.9% Women 44.1%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	45.5%
International students	2.8%	0.9%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	1,600	667
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	Virginia Maryland New York New Jersey Pennsylvania

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Psychology Education Health Professions Law Enforcement and Firefighting	Theology Social Sciences Biological and Biomedical Sciences Education Business
Students to faculty ratio	18:1	25:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	41.9%	41.8%
Dropout rate	24.0%	38.2%
Transferred out	30.0%	17.6%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $105,317 Year 2: $95,473 Year 3: $104,121 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $68,584 Year 2: $62,012 Year 3: $73,718 Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $51,055 Year 2: $58,673 Year 3: $67,579 Human Resources Management and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $48,606 Year 2: $59,045 Year 3: $66,119 Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $41,270 Year 2: $52,107 Year 3: $55,369 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $45,731 Year 2: $46,087 Year 3: $53,272 Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $52,107 Year 3: $50,897 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $35,964 Year 2: $32,925 Year 3: $48,228 Audiovisual Communications Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,607 Year 2: $27,048 Year 3: $43,708 Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,158 Year 2: $34,526 Year 3: $41,986	Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $32,563 Year 3: $43,581 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $22,969 Year 2: $32,213 Year 3: $35,027 Criminology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $29,216 Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: $34,489 Theological and Ministerial Studies (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $49,543 Year 2: $37,980 Year 3: $33,574 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $22,765 Year 2: $24,730 Year 3: $32,444 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $21,264 Year 2: $20,530 Year 3: $27,936 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $26,388 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $26,519 Theological and Ministerial Studies (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $51,793 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Social Work (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $33,993 Year 3: N/A Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $32,925 Year 3: N/A

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