Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) vs Baruch College

Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) and CUNY Bernard M Baruch College (Baruch College) are two distinct institutions of higher learning that offer unique educational experiences. VCU, a public research university in Richmond, Virginia, boasts a diverse student body and a wide range of academic programs, including strong offerings in the arts, humanities, and sciences. Baruch College, located in the heart of New York City, is a public college known for its business and finance programs, as well as its proximity to cultural and professional opportunities. While both universities offer excellent educational opportunities, they differ in terms of acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates. Explore the comparison table below to discover which institution better aligns with your academic goals and personal preferences.

	CUNY Bernard M Baruch College	Virginia Commonwealth University
Overview
Location	New York, New York	Richmond, Virginia
Campus setting	City: Large	City: Midsize
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	87.0%	84.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	50.6%	92.8%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $65 Graduate: $75	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $70
SAT range	N/A	1070 - 1300
ACT range	N/A	20 - 29
Students submitting SAT score		29.0%
Students submitting ACT score		5.0%
Total number of applicants	23,434	17,579
Total number of admissions given out	11,849	16,308
Admitted students who chose to enroll	2,532	4,084
Yield rate	21.4%	25.0%
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	In state: $31,779 Out of state: $39,729	In state: $36,861 Out of state: $58,199
Average net price	$3,793	$19,656
Tuition	In state: $6,930 Out of state: $14,880	In state: $12,094 Out of state: $32,742
Room & board		Room/dormitory: $6,953 Meal plan: $5,820
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	91.0% Average amount $8,717	78.0% Average amount $13,623
Students receiving federal student loan	4.0% Average amount $5,166	44.0% Average amount $5,174
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $10,922	8.0% Average amount $17,903

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	15,859 Men 50.5% Women 49.5%	21,394 Men 36.9% Women 63.1%
Graduate students	4,110 Men 44.1% Women 55.9%	7,200 Men 33.7% Women 66.3%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	7.0%
International students	9.6%	3.6%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	465	5,958
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	Virginia Maryland North Carolina New Jersey Pennsylvania

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Computer and Information Science Psychology Public Administration and Social Service Social Sciences	Health Professions Visual & Performing Arts Business Public Administration and Social Service Multidisciplinary Studies
Students to faculty ratio	20:1	18:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	73.9%	67.6%
Dropout rate	9.9%	10.5%
Transferred out	13.4%	19.2%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Real Estate (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $105,245 Year 3: $130,530 Information Science/Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $105,286 Year 2: $104,192 Year 3: $122,787 Health and Medical Administrative Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $100,496 Year 2: $126,504 Year 3: $121,131 Finance and Financial Management Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $96,976 Year 2: $95,828 Year 3: $110,596 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $103,481 Year 2: $101,518 Year 3: $110,473 Taxation (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $75,064 Year 2: $79,389 Year 3: $102,175 International Business (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $94,408 Year 3: $97,070 General Sales, Merchandising and Related Marketing Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $72,657 Year 2: $82,756 Year 3: $92,673 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $66,190 Year 2: $69,817 Year 3: $82,568 Human Resources Management and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $78,665 Year 2: $74,576 Year 3: $79,532	Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $234,763 Year 3: $225,432 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $166,030 Year 2: $181,454 Year 3: $181,915 Dentistry (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $87,586 Year 2: $106,935 Year 3: $134,578 Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $101,582 Year 2: $119,256 Year 3: $121,903 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $94,371 Year 2: $93,178 Year 3: $105,544 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $94,094 Year 2: $93,467 Year 3: $97,893 Information Science/Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $100,759 Year 2: $86,867 Year 3: $94,244 Health and Medical Administrative Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $73,726 Year 2: $82,440 Year 3: $90,664 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $77,993 Year 2: $89,305 Year 3: $82,470 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $70,920 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $82,210

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