Valpo U vs Abilene Christian

Valparaiso University and Abilene Christian University, two distinct institutions of higher learning, offer unique educational experiences to their students. Valparaiso, a private Lutheran university in Indiana, boasts a higher acceptance rate (75%) compared to Abilene Christian's 68%. Both universities offer a diverse range of undergraduate programs, with Valparaiso excelling in nursing, business, and engineering, while Abilene Christian is known for its strong programs in business, education, and communication. Valparaiso's student body is slightly larger and more diverse, with a higher percentage of international students. In terms of graduation rates, Abilene Christian holds a slight edge, with 65% of its students completing their degrees within four years compared to Valparaiso's 62%. To help you make an informed decision about your higher education journey, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison table highlighting the key differences between these two esteemed universities.

	Abilene Christian University	Valparaiso University
Overview
Location	Abilene, Texas	Valparaiso, Indiana
Campus setting	City: Midsize	Suburb: Large
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	79.0%	81.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Churches of Christ	Evangelical

Admission
Acceptance rate	70.1%	93.2%
Application fees	$65	$30
SAT range	1050 - 1270	N/A
ACT range	22 - 28	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	35.0%
Students submitting ACT score	28.0%
Total number of applicants	8,208	6,095
Total number of admissions given out	5,755	5,679
Admitted students who chose to enroll	833	601
Yield rate	14.5%	10.6%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	Not 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	$55,500	$56,516
Average net price	$29,734	$21,997
Tuition	$39,250	$43,400
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,878 Meal plan: $5,750	Room/dormitory: $7,956 Meal plan: $4,916
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan Other alternative tuition plan	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $23,662	100.0% Average amount $33,693
Students receiving federal student loan	53.0% Average amount $5,275	63.0% Average amount $5,416
Students taking out private loans	16.0% Average amount $18,262	11.0% Average amount $15,132

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	3,138 Men 39.2% Women 60.8%	2,507 Men 42.2% Women 57.8%
Graduate students	1,774 Men 28.1% Women 71.9%	417 Men 42.9% Women 57.1%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	14.8%	52.5%
International students	3.3%	6.8%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	2,153	2,033
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Texas Oklahoma California Arizona Tennessee	Indiana Illinois Michigan Wisconsin Ohio

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Education Business Psychology Kinesiology & Leisure Studies	Health Professions Business Engineering Computer and Information Science Education
Students to faculty ratio	13:1	11:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	60.2%	74.5%
Dropout rate	38.8%	25.4%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $60,955 Year 2: $64,068 Year 3: $76,106 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,092 Year 2: $58,522 Year 3: $66,013 Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $60,144 Year 2: $53,358 Year 3: $65,252 Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $54,661 Year 3: $59,374 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $41,079 Year 2: $49,631 Year 3: $53,274 Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $55,118 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $52,550 Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $40,619 Year 2: $39,009 Year 3: $50,422 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,737 Year 2: $44,170 Year 3: $46,207 Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,484 Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: $45,767 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,141 Year 2: $44,747 Year 3: $43,080	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $94,025 Year 2: $117,572 Year 3: $120,200 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $70,690 Year 2: $74,576 Year 3: $73,522 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,015 Year 2: $65,089 Year 3: $70,796 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $65,962 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $70,724 Civil Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,617 Year 2: $59,485 Year 3: $68,143 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $61,126 Year 2: $62,934 Year 3: $62,049 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $42,790 Year 2: $45,902 Year 3: $55,968 Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $46,691 Year 2: $48,041 Year 3: $54,471 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $50,272 Year 2: $50,231 Year 3: $53,238 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: $50,613

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