Virginia Union University (VUU) vs Shaw University

Virginia Union University and Shaw University, both historically Black universities with rich histories, offer distinct educational experiences. Virginia Union, located in Richmond, Virginia, boasts a higher acceptance rate (75%) compared to Shaw's 58%. While Shaw, situated in Raleigh, North Carolina, has a slightly larger student body, Virginia Union maintains a smaller student-to-faculty ratio, fostering a more personalized learning environment. Both universities offer diverse academic programs, with Virginia Union excelling in fields like biology and Shaw excelling in social sciences. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more about these institutions' unique strengths, student demographics, graduation rates, and other key factors that can help you make an informed decision about your higher education journey.

	Shaw University	Virginia Union University
Overview
Location	Raleigh, North Carolina	Richmond, Virginia
Campus setting	City: Large	City: Midsize
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	58.0%	63.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation	Baptist	Baptist

Admission
Acceptance rate	65.3%	93.8%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $25 Graduate: $50	Undergraduate: $25 Graduate: $25
SAT range	N/A	756 - 893
ACT range	N/A	14 - 17
Students submitting SAT score		6.0%
Students submitting ACT score		2.0%
Total number of applicants	2,435	4,006
Total number of admissions given out	1,591	3,757
Admitted students who chose to enroll	142	314
Yield rate	8.9%	8.4%
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	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$30,270	$25,530
Average net price	$15,498	$16,068
Tuition	$11,808	$10,530
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $3,842 Meal plan: $4,672	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)	99.0% Average amount $15,344	93.0% Average amount $10,736
Students receiving federal student loan	70.0% Average amount $5,858	53.0% Average amount $5,603
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $13,812	1.0% Average amount $9,222

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	998 Men 42.8% Women 57.2%	1,243 Men 49.0% Women 51.0%
Graduate students	143 Men 47.6% Women 52.4%	487 Men 55.9% Women 44.1%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	45.5%
International students	6.2%	0.9%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	1,144	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 Theology Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Law Enforcement and Firefighting Psychology	Theology Social Sciences Biological and Biomedical Sciences Education Business
Students to faculty ratio	15:1	25:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	16.3%	41.8%
Dropout rate	81.0%	38.2%
Transferred out	N/A	17.6%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $24,104 Year 2: $29,866 Year 3: $37,072 Social Work (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,535 Year 2: $32,391 Year 3: $35,008 Theological and Ministerial Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $31,305 Year 3: $31,328 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $21,703 Year 3: $28,828 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $20,994 Year 2: $20,140 Year 3: $26,669 Parks, Recreation and Leisure Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $18,795 Year 2: $23,340 Year 3: N/A	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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