Valpo U vs Saint Mary's College

Valparaiso University and Saint Mary's College, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Valparaiso, a private Lutheran university, boasts a higher acceptance rate (75%) compared to Saint Mary's, a private Catholic college (67%). While Valparaiso's student body is more diverse, Saint Mary's has a smaller student-to-faculty ratio, fostering a more personalized learning environment. Both institutions excel in various academic disciplines, with Valparaiso excelling in nursing, business, and engineering, and Saint Mary's excelling in nursing, education, and psychology. Explore the comprehensive comparison table to delve into further details and discover which institution aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Saint Mary's College	Valparaiso University
Overview
Location	Notre Dame, Indiana	Valparaiso, Indiana
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	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	81.0%	81.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Catholic	Evangelical

Admission
Acceptance rate	83.1%	93.2%
Application fees		$30
SAT range	1055 - 1265	N/A
ACT range	22 - 30	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	41.0%
Students submitting ACT score	26.0%
Total number of applicants	2,351	6,095
Total number of admissions given out	1,953	5,679
Admitted students who chose to enroll	375	601
Yield rate	19.2%	10.6%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Not 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	$60,160	$56,516
Average net price	$27,686	$21,997
Tuition	$47,000	$43,400
Room & board	$13,120	Room/dormitory: $7,956 Meal plan: $4,916
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $34,350	100.0% Average amount $33,693
Students receiving federal student loan	64.0% Average amount $5,152	63.0% Average amount $5,416
Students taking out private loans	13.0% Average amount $16,919	11.0% Average amount $15,132

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,402 Men 0.2% Women 99.8%	2,507 Men 42.2% Women 57.8%
Graduate students	125 Men 6.4% Women 93.6%	417 Men 42.9% Women 57.1%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	63.7%	52.5%
International students	0.7%	6.8%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	1,274	2,033
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Indiana Illinois Michigan Ohio Texas	Indiana Illinois Michigan Wisconsin Ohio

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Communication and Journalism Mathematics and Statistics Education Social Sciences	Health Professions Business Engineering Computer and Information Science Education
Students to faculty ratio	9:1	11:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	74.5%	74.5%
Dropout rate	10.7%	25.4%
Transferred out	14.8%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $43,091 Year 2: $53,537 Year 3: $71,322 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $61,921 Year 2: $59,599 Year 3: $65,939 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,943 Year 2: $41,342 Year 3: $50,481 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,834 Year 2: $40,737 Year 3: $41,035 Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $32,925 Year 3: N/A Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $26,367 Year 2: $24,421 Year 3: N/A Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,220 Year 2: $26,896 Year 3: N/A Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $45,715 Year 3: N/A Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $32,382 Year 3: N/A Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $59,752 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A	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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