Virginia Wesleyan University (VWU) vs NorthWestern

Virginia Wesleyan University and Northwestern University, two esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Virginia Wesleyan, a private liberal arts university in Virginia Beach, Virginia, boasts a tight-knit community with a focus on undergraduate education. Northwestern, a private research university in Evanston, Illinois, is renowned for its academic rigor and world-class research opportunities. With varying acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates, these universities cater to different academic aspirations and preferences. Explore the comprehensive comparison table to discover which university aligns best with your educational goals and personal preferences.

	Northwestern University	Virginia Wesleyan University
Overview
Location	Evanston, Illinois	Virginia Beach, Virginia
Campus setting	City: Small	City: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Quarter	4-1-4
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	99.0%	66.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation		Methodism

Admission
Acceptance rate	7.0%	86.4%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $75 Graduate: $95
SAT range	1470 - 1570	1150 - 1380
ACT range	34 - 35	27 - 31
Students submitting SAT score	43.0%	13.0%
Students submitting ACT score	39.0%	4.0%
Total number of applicants	47,636	2,076
Total number of admissions given out	3,321	1,793
Admitted students who chose to enroll	2,086	341
Yield rate	62.8%	19.0%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not 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	$83,838	$51,994
Average net price	$29,999	$22,584
Tuition	$60,276	$36,010
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $11,271 Meal plan: $6,993	$10,264
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	57.0% Average amount $51,087	99.0% Average amount $27,737
Students receiving federal student loan	23.0% Average amount $4,625	62.0% Average amount $5,299
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $38,595	13.0% Average amount $13,485

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	8,847 Men 46.1% Women 53.9%	1,241 Men 39.2% Women 60.8%
Graduate students	14,562 Men 47.3% Women 52.7%	83 Men 41.0% Women 59.0%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	17.8%	1.4%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	4,409	858
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Communication and Journalism Engineering Health Professions Legal Profession	Business Biological and Biomedical Sciences Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Multidisciplinary Studies Social Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	6:1	12:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	95.2%	46.8%
Dropout rate	4.2%	16.2%
Transferred out	N/A	36.7%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Medical Clinical Sciences/Graduate Medical Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $150,242 Year 2: $188,472 Year 3: $221,242 Business/Commerce, General (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $188,472 Year 3: $216,176 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $187,194 Year 2: $170,971 Year 3: $206,288 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $120,709 Year 2: $189,565 Year 3: $194,961 Business/Commerce, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $162,478 Year 2: $163,561 Year 3: $177,652 Engineering-Related Fields (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $111,200 Year 2: $157,779 Year 3: $159,304 Engineering, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $140,321 Year 2: $141,586 Year 3: $154,556 Medical Illustration and Informatics (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $88,288 Year 2: $118,465 Year 3: $132,325 Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $118,780 Year 2: $111,323 Year 3: $130,124 Community Organization and Advocacy (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $115,760 Year 2: $113,668 Year 3: $128,046	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,664 Year 2: $37,208 Year 3: $43,880 Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,137 Year 2: $35,330 Year 3: $42,341 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $28,598 Year 3: $38,256 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $35,903 Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: $35,121 Parks, Recreation and Leisure Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $31,851 Year 3: $33,071 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,084 Year 2: $26,643 Year 3: $30,475 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $20,140 Year 3: $30,197 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $19,227 Year 3: N/A Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $48,432 Year 3: N/A International Relations and National Security Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $21,781 Year 3: N/A

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