Bellarmine University vs Valpo U

Bellarmine University and Valparaiso University, both esteemed private institutions in the Midwest, offer distinct educational experiences. Bellarmine, located in Louisville, Kentucky, boasts a higher acceptance rate (75%) compared to Valparaiso's (67%). While Bellarmine's student body is predominantly undergraduate (87%), Valparaiso has a more balanced distribution between undergraduate and graduate students. In terms of popular majors, Bellarmine excels in business, nursing, and education, while Valparaiso is known for its engineering, business, and nursing programs. With a slightly higher graduation rate (70% vs. 68%), Bellarmine may have an edge in ensuring student success. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more key differences and make an informed decision about which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and goals.

	Bellarmine University	Valparaiso University
Overview
Location	Louisville, Kentucky	Valparaiso, Indiana
Campus setting	City: Large	Suburb: Large
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	77.0%	81.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Catholic	Evangelical

Admission
Acceptance rate	85.5%	93.2%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $25 Graduate: $55	$30
SAT range	1110 - 1280	N/A
ACT range	21 - 27	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	8.0%
Students submitting ACT score	67.0%
Total number of applicants	4,228	6,095
Total number of admissions given out	3,615	5,679
Admitted students who chose to enroll	593	601
Yield rate	16.4%	10.6%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Not required
Recommendation letters	Required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$61,218	$56,516
Average net price	$23,784	$21,997
Tuition	$42,970	$43,400
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,800 Meal plan: $4,620	Room/dormitory: $7,956 Meal plan: $4,916
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	99.0% Average amount $34,108	100.0% Average amount $33,693
Students receiving federal student loan	58.0% Average amount $6,181	63.0% Average amount $5,416
Students taking out private loans	5.0% Average amount $11,494	11.0% Average amount $15,132

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,407 Men 37.2% Women 62.8%	2,507 Men 42.2% Women 57.8%
Graduate students	742 Men 33.8% Women 66.2%	417 Men 42.9% Women 57.1%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	52.5%
International students	1.6%	6.8%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	1,123	2,033
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Indiana Ohio Illinois Missouri	Indiana Illinois Michigan Wisconsin Ohio

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Education Business Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Communication and Journalism	Health Professions Business Engineering Computer and Information Science Education
Students to faculty ratio	12:1	11:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	65.2%	74.5%
Dropout rate	7.8%	25.4%
Transferred out	26.4%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $90,521 Year 2: $83,915 Year 3: $91,724 Business/Commerce, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $61,859 Year 2: $67,240 Year 3: $75,955 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $65,854 Year 2: $67,202 Year 3: $70,625 Educational Administration and Supervision (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: $62,040 Year 2: $57,995 Year 3: $69,356 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,907 Year 2: $60,088 Year 3: $60,101 Business/Commerce, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,168 Year 2: $39,009 Year 3: $46,174 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $44,083 Year 2: $41,813 Year 3: $43,088 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,932 Year 2: $35,729 Year 3: $38,640 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $18,965 Year 2: $23,456 Year 3: $37,291 Special Education and Teaching (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $35,409 Year 2: $35,060 Year 3: $36,785	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $94,025 Year 2: $117,572 Year 3: $120,200 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $70,690 Year 2: $74,576 Year 3: $73,522 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,015 Year 2: $65,089 Year 3: $70,796 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $65,962 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $70,724 Civil Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,617 Year 2: $59,485 Year 3: $68,143 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $61,126 Year 2: $62,934 Year 3: $62,049 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $42,790 Year 2: $45,902 Year 3: $55,968 Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $46,691 Year 2: $48,041 Year 3: $54,471 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $50,272 Year 2: $50,231 Year 3: $53,238 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: $50,613

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