Western Colorado University vs Valley City State University (VCSU)

Western Colorado University and Valley City State University, located in the picturesque landscapes of Colorado and North Dakota, respectively, offer distinct educational experiences. Western Colorado University boasts a higher acceptance rate, welcoming a more diverse student body, while Valley City State University maintains a smaller student population, fostering a close-knit community. Both institutions excel in specific academic areas, with Western Colorado University excelling in fields like Business, Education, and Nursing, and Valley City State University excelling in Agriculture, Business, and Education. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to delve into further details regarding tuition fees, graduation rates, and additional factors that may influence your decision in choosing the university that best aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Valley City State University	Western Colorado University
Overview
Location	Valley City, North Dakota	Gunnison, Colorado
Campus setting	Town: Remote	Town: Remote
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	61.0%	74.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	81.4%	90.9%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $35 Graduate: $35	Undergraduate: $30 Graduate: $50
SAT range	935 - 1190	1040 - 1230
ACT range	17 - 23	21 - 26
Students submitting SAT score	7.0%	37.0%
Students submitting ACT score	68.0%	11.0%
Total number of applicants	442	3,243
Total number of admissions given out	360	2,947
Admitted students who chose to enroll	196	456
Yield rate	54.4%	15.5%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Not required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $20,016 Out of state: $24,790	In state: $26,956 Out of state: $38,740
Average net price	$13,243	$17,490
Tuition	In state: $6,364 Out of state: $11,138	In state: $6,816 Out of state: $18,600
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $2,505 Meal plan: $4,414	Room/dormitory: $5,200 Meal plan: $4,790
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	99.0% Average amount $5,907	87.0% Average amount $8,085
Students receiving federal student loan	66.0% Average amount $4,794	56.0% Average amount $4,669
Students taking out private loans	17.0% Average amount $6,743	7.0% Average amount $12,501

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,523 Men 41.8% Women 58.2%	3,241 Men 51.4% Women 48.6%
Graduate students	163 Men 32.5% Women 67.5%	448 Men 31.2% Women 68.8%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Low
Out-of-state students	36.9%	34.9%
International students	1.3%	0.3%
Campus local/setting	Town: Remote	Town: Remote
Dormitory capacity	462	1,241
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	North Dakota Minnesota Alaska Hawaii Colorado	Colorado Texas California Alaska Illinois

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Visual & Performing Arts Business Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Liberal Arts	Education Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Natural Resources and Conservation Business Social Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	13:1	18:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	53.2%	47.6%
Dropout rate	17.9%	32.8%
Transferred out	28.9%	17.2%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $50,075 Year 2: $53,775 Year 3: $56,925 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,447 Year 2: $43,000 Year 3: $45,538 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,584 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $43,994 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,217 Year 2: $37,537 Year 3: $43,180 Wildlife and Wildlands Science and Management (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,083 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $41,045 Human Services, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: N/A	Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $46,087 Year 3: $50,432 Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $29,076 Year 2: $40,365 Year 3: $45,493 Education, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $42,272 Year 2: $40,488 Year 3: $43,479 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,324 Year 2: $33,281 Year 3: $39,884 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,326 Year 2: $28,405 Year 3: $39,040 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,244 Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: $37,581 Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $18,798 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $36,678 Business/Commerce, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $39,585 Year 3: $35,898 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $26,963 Year 2: $27,947 Year 3: $35,691 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $23,793 Year 2: $27,874 Year 3: $34,114

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