Nebraska Wesleyan University vs Buena Vista University

Nebraska Wesleyan University and Buena Vista University, both esteemed private institutions in the Midwest, offer distinct educational experiences. Nebraska Wesleyan, located in Lincoln, Nebraska, boasts a higher acceptance rate (75%) compared to Buena Vista's (68%). With a larger student body, Nebraska Wesleyan offers a wider range of academic programs, including popular majors like business, education, and nursing. Buena Vista, situated in Storm Lake, Iowa, excels in liberal arts and sciences, with notable programs in biology, psychology, and communication. While Nebraska Wesleyan's student body is more diverse, Buena Vista fosters a close-knit community with smaller class sizes. Both universities boast impressive graduation rates, with Nebraska Wesleyan's at 65% and Buena Vista's at 60%. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more distinctions and determine which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Buena Vista University	Nebraska Wesleyan University
Overview
Location	Storm Lake, Iowa	Lincoln, Nebraska
Campus setting	Town: Remote	City: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	4-1-4	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	73.0%	74.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation	Presbyterian	Methodism

Admission
Acceptance rate	66.0%	81.8%
Application fees
SAT range	963 - 1140	1040 - 1290
ACT range	18 - 25	23 - 29
Students submitting SAT score	8.0%	3.0%
Students submitting ACT score	57.0%	62.0%
Total number of applicants	1,749	2,507
Total number of admissions given out	1,154	2,051
Admitted students who chose to enroll	237	405
Yield rate	20.5%	19.7%
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	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$53,162	$54,491
Average net price	$18,532	$25,628
Tuition	$37,518	$37,402
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,114 Meal plan: $5,256	Room/dormitory: $6,244 Meal plan: $4,700
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $31,137	100.0% Average amount $23,870
Students receiving federal student loan	72.0% Average amount $5,750	62.0% Average amount $5,083
Students taking out private loans	29.0% Average amount $5,551	12.0% Average amount $15,217

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,506 Men 36.5% Women 63.5%	1,706 Men 43.0% Women 57.0%
Graduate students	453 Men 16.3% Women 83.7%	110 Men 20.9% Women 79.1%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	39.4%	28.1%
International students	0.5%	1.6%
Campus local/setting	Town: Remote	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	836	919
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Iowa Texas Nebraska Minnesota Arizona	Nebraska Colorado California Texas Kansas

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Business Psychology Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Computer and Information Science	Health Professions Business Visual & Performing Arts Education Kinesiology & Leisure Studies
Students to faculty ratio	11:1	12:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	62.8%	65.8%
Dropout rate	36.8%	6.6%
Transferred out	N/A	27.6%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Curriculum and Instruction (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $58,501 Year 2: $58,943 Year 3: $61,003 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,278 Year 2: $47,260 Year 3: $52,709 Student Counseling and Personnel Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $45,249 Year 2: $45,455 Year 3: $48,387 Human Resources Management and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,936 Year 2: $43,426 Year 3: $46,768 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,901 Year 2: $47,494 Year 3: $46,501 Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,530 Year 2: $35,416 Year 3: $45,327 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,042 Year 2: $40,089 Year 3: $45,181 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,301 Year 2: $39,369 Year 3: $44,742 Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,198 Year 2: $35,416 Year 3: $43,790 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,262 Year 2: $37,819 Year 3: $37,074	Business/Commerce, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $73,579 Year 2: $61,177 Year 3: $72,899 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $68,045 Year 2: $67,395 Year 3: $67,038 Business/Commerce, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,139 Year 2: $48,432 Year 3: $52,766 Social Work (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,757 Year 2: $34,526 Year 3: $36,725 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $22,771 Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: $36,684 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,546 Year 2: $32,569 Year 3: $34,010 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $32,428 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Curriculum and Instruction (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $45,706 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $39,909 Year 3: N/A Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $23,014 Year 2: $23,113 Year 3: N/A

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