American InterContinental University (AIU) vs Grand Canyon University (GCU)

American InterContinental University (AIU) and Grand Canyon University (GCU) are two popular online universities that offer a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs. While both institutions share some similarities, there are also some key differences between them. AIU has a higher acceptance rate (100%) compared to GCU (86%), making it a more accessible option for students with a variety of academic backgrounds. GCU, on the other hand, has a larger student body (90,000+ students) and offers more traditional campus-based programs in addition to its online offerings. Both universities offer a variety of popular majors, including business, nursing, and education, but GCU has a wider selection of programs in the health sciences and engineering fields. Additionally, GCU has a higher graduation rate (62%) compared to AIU (48%). To help you make an informed decision about which university is the best fit for your individual needs, we have compiled a comprehensive

	American InterContinental University	Grand Canyon University
Overview
Location	Chandler, Arizona	Phoenix, Arizona
Campus setting	Rural: Fringe	City: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (For Profit)	Private (For Profit)
Calendar system	Quarter	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	21.0%	71.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	Open Admission	82.8%
Application fees
SAT range	N/A	N/A
ACT range	N/A	N/A
Students submitting SAT score
Students submitting ACT score
Total number of applicants		36,861
Total number of admissions given out		30,534
Admitted students who chose to enroll		7,620
Yield rate		25.0%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	Not required	N/A
High school GPA	N/A	Required
Recommendation letters	N/A	Not required
High school transcript	N/A	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	N/A	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$20,486	$32,100
Average net price	$13,156	$21,644
Tuition	$11,758	$16,500
Room & board		Room/dormitory: $5,300 Meal plan: $3,800
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	71.0% Average amount $5,993	100.0% Average amount $10,225
Students receiving federal student loan	72.0% Average amount $6,231	60.0% Average amount $5,346
Students taking out private loans	0.0% Average amount $0	8.0% Average amount $12,937

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	11,267 Men 36.5% Women 63.5%	65,870 Men 29.3% Women 70.7%
Graduate students	2,213 Men 49.6% Women 50.4%	37,202 Men 22.5% Women 77.5%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	97.5%	73.1%
International students	N/A	1.2%
Campus local/setting	Rural: Fringe	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	N/A	15,937
First year students are required to live on campus?	N/A	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Texas North Carolina Florida Ohio Illinois	Arizona California Washington Colorado Minnesota

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Law Enforcement and Firefighting Health Professions Computer and Information Science Education	Health Professions Education Business Psychology Computer and Information Science
Students to faculty ratio	38:1	20:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	11.8%	44.7%
Dropout rate	87.6%	52.9%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Computer and Information Sciences, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $61,403 Year 2: $54,134 Year 3: $51,255 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $45,331 Year 2: $45,207 Year 3: $47,516 Health and Medical Administrative Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $44,140 Year 2: $41,789 Year 3: $45,319 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $47,230 Year 2: $45,244 Year 3: $44,539 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,068 Year 2: $41,703 Year 3: $39,955 Educational/Instructional Media Design (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $49,284 Year 2: $45,149 Year 3: $39,532 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,436 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $38,760 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $41,193 Year 3: $33,638 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,733 Year 2: $32,711 Year 3: $33,004 Audiovisual Communications Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $32,569 Year 3: $28,323	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $117,397 Year 2: $119,061 Year 3: $125,189 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $97,451 Year 2: $96,705 Year 3: $100,941 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $86,965 Year 2: $87,641 Year 3: $91,610 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $78,940 Year 2: $77,476 Year 3: $80,825 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $75,319 Year 2: $66,821 Year 3: $68,008 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $65,248 Year 2: $64,265 Year 3: $66,703 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $58,382 Year 2: $57,047 Year 3: $64,355 Education, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $59,308 Year 2: $59,621 Year 3: $62,793 Homeland Security (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,625 Year 2: $60,082 Year 3: $61,171 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $56,083 Year 2: $55,605 Year 3: $59,588

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