Buena Vista University vs Carroll College

Buena Vista University and Carroll College, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Buena Vista, nestled in the heart of Iowa, boasts a higher acceptance rate, welcoming a more diverse student body. Carroll, located in the vibrant city of Helena, Montana, maintains a smaller student population, fostering a close-knit community. While both universities excel in liberal arts education, Buena Vista offers a wider range of undergraduate programs, including popular majors like business and nursing. Carroll, on the other hand, emphasizes its strengths in the sciences and humanities. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more about these institutions' unique offerings, including graduation rates, financial aid opportunities, and campus life, to determine which university best aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Buena Vista University	Carroll College
Overview
Location	Storm Lake, Iowa	Helena, Montana
Campus setting	Town: Remote	Town: Remote
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%	80.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation	Presbyterian	Catholic

Admission
Acceptance rate	66.0%	83.9%
Application fees		$55
SAT range	963 - 1140	1100 - 1280
ACT range	18 - 25	21 - 28
Students submitting SAT score	8.0%	21.0%
Students submitting ACT score	57.0%	41.0%
Total number of applicants	1,749	1,499
Total number of admissions given out	1,154	1,258
Admitted students who chose to enroll	237	280
Yield rate	20.5%	22.3%
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	$51,898
Average net price	$18,532	$24,285
Tuition	$37,518	$36,906
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,114 Meal plan: $5,256	Room/dormitory: $5,112 Meal plan: $5,304
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 $27,351
Students receiving federal student loan	72.0% Average amount $5,750	56.0% Average amount $5,194
Students taking out private loans	29.0% Average amount $5,551	6.0% Average amount $15,569

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,506 Men 36.5% Women 63.5%	1,098 Men 39.0% Women 61.0%
Graduate students	453 Men 16.3% Women 83.7%	23 Men 34.8% Women 65.2%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Very Low
Out-of-state students	39.4%	N/A
International students	0.5%	0.3%
Campus local/setting	Town: Remote	Town: Remote
Dormitory capacity	836	1,015
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	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Business Psychology Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Computer and Information Science	Health Professions Education Business Social Sciences Engineering
Students to faculty ratio	11:1	11:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities

Outcome
Graduation rate	62.8%	67.4%
Dropout rate	36.8%	32.6%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
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	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,366 Year 2: $60,325 Year 3: $60,217 Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,351 Year 2: $30,119 Year 3: $38,625 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,749 Year 2: $34,526 Year 3: $37,694 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $33,993 Year 3: $36,502 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $23,703 Year 2: $25,194 Year 3: $32,803 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $26,370 Year 2: $26,353 Year 3: $28,581 Civil Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $50,856 Year 3: N/A Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $23,735 Year 2: $16,293 Year 3: N/A Sociology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $33,281 Year 3: N/A

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