West Virginia University (WVU) vs The University of Alabama (UA)

West Virginia University (WVU) and The University of Alabama (UA) are two distinct institutions of higher learning with unique characteristics. WVU, located in Morgantown, West Virginia, offers a comprehensive range of undergraduate and graduate programs, while UA, situated in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, is renowned for its strong athletics programs and research opportunities. With acceptance rates of 84% and 81%, respectively, both universities welcome a diverse student body. WVU boasts a higher graduation rate of 78% compared to UA's 73%, indicating a strong commitment to student success. While WVU excels in fields like engineering, business, and health sciences, UA shines in disciplines such as education, nursing, and public administration. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more about these universities' similarities and differences, and make an informed decision that aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	The University of Alabama	West Virginia University
Overview
Location	Tuscaloosa, Alabama	Morgantown, West Virginia
Campus setting	City: Small	City: Small
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	89.0%	81.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	78.9%	89.8%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $65	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $60
SAT range	1070 - 1370	1030 - 1230
ACT range	21 - 31	21 - 27
Students submitting SAT score	17.0%	57.0%
Students submitting ACT score	63.0%	38.0%
Total number of applicants	42,421	17,074
Total number of admissions given out	33,472	15,336
Admitted students who chose to enroll	7,593	4,313
Yield rate	22.7%	28.1%
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)	Required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $31,024 Out of state: $50,494	In state: $21,756 Out of state: $38,100
Average net price	$21,263	$13,422
Tuition	In state: $10,780 Out of state: $30,250	In state: $8,976 Out of state: $25,320
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,900 Meal plan: $4,234	Room/dormitory: $6,184 Meal plan: $5,504
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	76.0% Average amount $16,363	89.0% Average amount $10,867
Students receiving federal student loan	37.0% Average amount $5,221	52.0% Average amount $5,294
Students taking out private loans	9.0% Average amount $23,617	15.0% Average amount $16,332

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	31,685 Men 43.5% Women 56.5%	19,599 Men 47.9% Women 52.1%
Graduate students	6,631 Men 36.9% Women 63.1%	5,875 Men 44.4% Women 55.6%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	62.2%	55.3%
International students	3.0%	5.3%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	9,385	6,956
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Alabama Georgia Illinois Texas Tennessee	West Virginia Pennsylvania Virginia Maryland Ohio

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Business Engineering Family and Consumer Sciences Education	Health Professions Business Engineering Education Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	19:1	18:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	72.2%	63.9%
Dropout rate	7.7%	11.3%
Transferred out	18.8%	22.5%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $104,741 Year 2: $119,061 Year 3: $121,674 Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $84,175 Year 2: $84,653 Year 3: $101,082 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $78,913 Year 2: $80,004 Year 3: $96,574 Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $80,715 Year 2: $91,744 Year 3: $89,742 Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $66,858 Year 2: $71,015 Year 3: $83,044 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $65,725 Year 2: $75,832 Year 3: $82,831 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $75,975 Year 2: $75,921 Year 3: $82,382 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $93,535 Year 2: $90,412 Year 3: $81,427 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $65,760 Year 2: $65,281 Year 3: $76,647 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $62,913 Year 2: $60,771 Year 3: $76,479	Dentistry (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $112,323 Year 2: $125,015 Year 3: $143,709 Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $103,140 Year 2: $118,155 Year 3: $119,358 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $93,573 Year 2: $94,763 Year 3: $96,536 Business/Commerce, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $77,732 Year 2: $81,997 Year 3: $91,425 Human Resources Management and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $71,711 Year 2: $81,333 Year 3: $82,001 Petroleum Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $74,468 Year 2: $61,303 Year 3: $79,782 Industrial Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $66,292 Year 2: $68,047 Year 3: $77,798 Chemical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,506 Year 2: $62,012 Year 3: $77,273 Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $66,040 Year 2: $65,238 Year 3: $76,205 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $54,477 Year 2: $66,069 Year 3: $76,022

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