George Washington University (GWU) vs Liberty University

When it comes to higher education, George Washington University and Liberty University stand out as two distinct institutions with unique offerings. George Washington University, located in the heart of Washington, D.C., boasts a diverse student body and a strong focus on research and public service. Liberty University, on the other hand, is a private Christian university in Lynchburg, Virginia, known for its conservative values and strong emphasis on faith-based education. With acceptance rates of 44% and 88%, respectively, these universities cater to different applicant pools. While George Washington University is renowned for its popular majors in political science, international affairs, and economics, Liberty University excels in fields such as business, education, and nursing. Explore the comprehensive 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.

	George Washington University	Liberty University
Overview
Location	Washington, District of Columbia	Lynchburg, Virginia
Campus setting	City: Large	City: Small
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	91.0%	79.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation		Evangelical

Admission
Acceptance rate	49.7%	99.3%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $80 Graduate: $80	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $50
SAT range	1310 - 1490	N/A
ACT range	30 - 34	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	29.0%
Students submitting ACT score	18.0%
Total number of applicants	27,236	28,448
Total number of admissions given out	13,539	28,244
Admitted students who chose to enroll	2,571	5,461
Yield rate	19.0%	19.3%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	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	$78,335	$42,620
Average net price	$31,240	$27,891
Tuition	$59,780	$21,663
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $15,260 Meal plan: $3,240	Room/dormitory: $6,150 Meal plan: $4,560
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	74.0% Average amount $31,678	89.0% Average amount $12,431
Students receiving federal student loan	30.0% Average amount $5,150	52.0% Average amount $5,619
Students taking out private loans	5.0% Average amount $25,366	9.0% Average amount $17,351

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	11,502 Men 36.3% Women 63.7%	47,696 Men 43.0% Women 57.0%
Graduate students	14,955 Men 38.1% Women 61.9%	47,013 Men 38.7% Women 61.3%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	98.7%	76.0%
International students	11.6%	0.7%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	6,693	8,222
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	New York New Jersey Virginia California Pennsylvania	Virginia North Carolina Pennsylvania Texas Florida

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Business Social Sciences Legal Profession Computer and Information Science	Education Business Health Professions Psychology Theology
Students to faculty ratio	12:1	17:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	83.7%	62.1%
Dropout rate	16.1%	30.2%
Transferred out	N/A	5.6%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Systems Engineering (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $160,692 Year 2: $146,893 Year 3: $153,607 Human Resources Management and Services (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $124,764 Year 2: $106,421 Year 3: $130,306 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $124,241 Year 2: $127,142 Year 3: $127,952 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $107,834 Year 2: $114,046 Year 3: $119,393 Systems Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $106,809 Year 2: $101,072 Year 3: $112,813 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $98,922 Year 2: $104,061 Year 3: $111,679 Public Health (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: $84,962 Year 2: $104,192 Year 3: $105,816 Engineering-Related Fields (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $104,747 Year 2: $96,405 Year 3: $105,562 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $95,274 Year 2: $101,254 Year 3: $103,350 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $77,345 Year 2: $83,177 Year 3: $102,875	Intelligence, Command Control and Information Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $84,316 Year 2: $62,012 Year 3: $91,964 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $80,385 Year 2: $80,964 Year 3: $87,831 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $52,657 Year 2: $68,219 Year 3: $77,205 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,410 Year 2: $72,022 Year 3: $73,900 Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,556 Year 2: $51,106 Year 3: $65,313 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,731 Year 2: $62,936 Year 3: $64,580 Business/Commerce, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,576 Year 2: $57,705 Year 3: $62,807 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $60,423 Year 2: $57,714 Year 3: $62,225 Pastoral Counseling and Specialized Ministries (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: $40,885 Year 2: $56,415 Year 3: $62,169 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $58,240 Year 2: $59,895 Year 3: $61,052

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