Loras College vs Buena Vista University

Loras College and Buena Vista University, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Loras, a private Catholic college, boasts a 90% acceptance rate, while Buena Vista, a private university, has a slightly lower acceptance rate of 85%. Loras students predominantly pursue degrees in Business, Health Professions, and Education, while Buena Vista students often major in Business, Education, and Psychology. At Loras, 90% of the student body identifies as White, while Buena Vista's student body is more diverse, with 78% identifying as White. Both institutions boast impressive graduation rates, with Loras at 75% and Buena Vista at 68%. To help you make an informed decision about your academic journey, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison table highlighting key differences between these two exceptional institutions. Dive in to discover which college aligns best with your aspirations and goals.

	Buena Vista University	Loras College
Overview
Location	Storm Lake, Iowa	Dubuque, Iowa
Campus setting	Town: Remote	City: Small
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%	78.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation	Presbyterian	Catholic

Admission
Acceptance rate	66.0%	72.0%
Application fees
SAT range	963 - 1140	N/A
ACT range	18 - 25	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	8.0%
Students submitting ACT score	57.0%
Total number of applicants	1,749	2,086
Total number of admissions given out	1,154	1,501
Admitted students who chose to enroll	237	296
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	$45,563
Average net price	$18,532	$20,068
Tuition	$37,518	$33,500
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,114 Meal plan: $5,256	Room/dormitory: $4,000 Meal plan: $4,760
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 $26,765
Students receiving federal student loan	72.0% Average amount $5,750	64.0% Average amount $5,320
Students taking out private loans	29.0% Average amount $5,551	17.0% Average amount $8,551

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,506 Men 36.5% Women 63.5%	1,296 Men 57.3% Women 42.7%
Graduate students	453 Men 16.3% Women 83.7%	90 Men 28.9% Women 71.1%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Low
Out-of-state students	39.4%	69.3%
International students	0.5%	2.0%
Campus local/setting	Town: Remote	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	836	783
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	Illinois Iowa Wisconsin Florida Missouri

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Business Psychology Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Computer and Information Science	Education Business Psychology Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Communication and Journalism
Students to faculty ratio	11:1	11:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	62.8%	68.0%
Dropout rate	36.8%	31.5%
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	Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,323 Year 2: $51,607 Year 3: $59,244 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $43,102 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $58,312 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $33,391 Year 2: $32,925 Year 3: $47,841 Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,509 Year 2: $43,240 Year 3: $46,795 Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $35,865 Year 2: $36,437 Year 3: $45,484 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $35,504 Year 2: $34,847 Year 3: $32,931 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,403 Year 2: $33,993 Year 3: N/A Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $37,208 Year 3: N/A English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,258 Year 2: $40,188 Year 3: N/A Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $20,140 Year 3: N/A

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