American Public University System (APSU) vs Grand Canyon University (GCU)

American Public University System (APUS) and Grand Canyon University (GCU) stand out as two prominent universities offering diverse educational opportunities. APUS, known for its open admissions policy, boasts a 100% acceptance rate, making it accessible to a wide range of students. In contrast, GCU maintains a more selective admissions process, with an acceptance rate of 78%. Both universities offer a variety of popular majors, including business, healthcare, and education. However, APUS caters to a larger student body, with over 100,000 students enrolled, while GCU serves a more moderate population of around 20,000 students. Additionally, APUS has a higher graduation rate of 58%, compared to GCU's 48%. To help you make an informed decision about your educational journey, we have compiled a comprehensive comparison table that delves into these key differences and more. Explore the table to discover which university aligns best

	American Public University System	Grand Canyon University
Overview
Location	Charles Town, West Virginia	Phoenix, Arizona
Campus setting	Town: Fringe	City: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (For Profit)	Private (For Profit)
Calendar system	Non Traditional	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	91.0%	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	$17,496	$32,100
Average net price	$11,916	$21,644
Tuition	$6,840	$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)	78.0% Average amount $5,082	100.0% Average amount $10,225
Students receiving federal student loan	36.0% Average amount $8,334	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	38,969 Men 63.6% Women 36.4%	65,870 Men 29.3% Women 70.7%
Graduate students	9,329 Men 61.1% Women 38.9%	37,202 Men 22.5% Women 77.5%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	73.1%
International students	1.3%	1.2%
Campus local/setting	Town: 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	N/A	Arizona California Washington Colorado Minnesota

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Law Enforcement and Firefighting Liberal Arts Health Professions Computer and Information Science	Health Professions Education Business Psychology Computer and Information Science
Students to faculty ratio	22:1	20:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	49.3%	44.7%
Dropout rate	33.6%	52.9%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $77,507 Year 2: $81,702 Year 3: $86,066 Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $85,935 Year 2: $82,685 Year 3: $84,578 International Relations and National Security Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $72,770 Year 2: $68,666 Year 3: $81,412 International/Global Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $75,015 Year 2: $73,992 Year 3: $80,757 Homeland Security (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $66,045 Year 2: $71,295 Year 3: $73,219 Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,468 Year 2: $60,192 Year 3: $69,785 Fire Protection (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $61,979 Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $69,285 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $67,224 Year 2: $66,728 Year 3: $68,822 Public Administration (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $60,442 Year 2: $63,749 Year 3: $67,674 International/Global Studies (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $63,997 Year 3: $64,432	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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American Public University System (APSU) vs Grand Canyon University (GCU)

American Public University System

Grand Canyon University

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