Mizzou vs Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU)

When it comes to higher education, University of Missouri-Columbia (Mizzou) and Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) stand out as two prominent institutions with distinct characteristics. Mizzou, nestled in the heart of Missouri, boasts a rich history and a vibrant campus, while VCU, located in the dynamic city of Richmond, Virginia, offers a diverse and inclusive learning environment. With acceptance rates of 84% and 78%, respectively, both universities welcome a substantial number of students each year. While Mizzou excels in fields like journalism, education, and engineering, VCU shines in areas such as nursing, social work, and the arts. Explore the detailed comparison table below to delve into further details about these universities, including student body demographics, graduation rates, and more, to help you make an informed decision about your academic journey.

	University of Missouri-Columbia	Virginia Commonwealth University
Overview
Location	Columbia, Missouri	Richmond, Virginia
Campus setting	City: Midsize	City: Midsize
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	88.0%	84.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	76.5%	92.8%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $55 Graduate: $75	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $70
SAT range	1130 - 1350	1070 - 1300
ACT range	23 - 30	20 - 29
Students submitting SAT score	7.0%	29.0%
Students submitting ACT score	72.0%	5.0%
Total number of applicants	19,966	17,579
Total number of admissions given out	15,283	16,308
Admitted students who chose to enroll	4,843	4,084
Yield rate	31.7%	25.0%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not 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	In state: $27,977 Out of state: $46,952	In state: $36,861 Out of state: $58,199
Average net price	$18,249	$19,656
Tuition	In state: $10,017 Out of state: $28,992	In state: $12,094 Out of state: $32,742
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $6,710 Meal plan: $3,500	Room/dormitory: $6,953 Meal plan: $5,820
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	85.0% Average amount $11,312	78.0% Average amount $13,623
Students receiving federal student loan	36.0% Average amount $5,270	44.0% Average amount $5,174
Students taking out private loans	8.0% Average amount $16,554	8.0% Average amount $17,903

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	23,696 Men 45.9% Women 54.1%	21,394 Men 36.9% Women 63.1%
Graduate students	7,705 Men 38.3% Women 61.7%	7,200 Men 33.7% Women 66.3%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	31.0%	7.0%
International students	4.1%	3.6%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	6,898	5,958
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Missouri Illinois Texas Kansas Colorado	Virginia Maryland North Carolina New Jersey Pennsylvania

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Health Professions Ethnic Studies Communication and Journalism Education	Health Professions Visual & Performing Arts Business Public Administration and Social Service Multidisciplinary Studies
Students to faculty ratio	18:1	18:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	72.5%	67.6%
Dropout rate	26.8%	10.5%
Transferred out	N/A	19.2%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $93,333 Year 2: $100,008 Year 3: $104,573 Business/Commerce, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $84,087 Year 2: $80,628 Year 3: $96,108 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $89,564 Year 3: $93,226 Veterinary Medicine (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $80,803 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $85,805 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $70,511 Year 2: $81,210 Year 3: $81,536 Health and Medical Administrative Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $89,866 Year 2: $74,953 Year 3: $79,864 Chemical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $69,895 Year 2: $62,012 Year 3: $79,424 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $72,907 Year 2: $67,101 Year 3: $78,960 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $71,579 Year 2: $69,897 Year 3: $78,050 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $66,571 Year 2: $66,004 Year 3: $74,926	Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $234,763 Year 3: $225,432 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $166,030 Year 2: $181,454 Year 3: $181,915 Dentistry (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $87,586 Year 2: $106,935 Year 3: $134,578 Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $101,582 Year 2: $119,256 Year 3: $121,903 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $94,371 Year 2: $93,178 Year 3: $105,544 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $94,094 Year 2: $93,467 Year 3: $97,893 Information Science/Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $100,759 Year 2: $86,867 Year 3: $94,244 Health and Medical Administrative Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $73,726 Year 2: $82,440 Year 3: $90,664 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $77,993 Year 2: $89,305 Year 3: $82,470 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $70,920 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $82,210

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