Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) vs Liberty University

Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) and Liberty University are two distinct institutions of higher learning that cater to different student populations and academic pursuits. VCU, a public research university located in the heart of Richmond, Virginia, boasts a diverse student body and a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs, with a focus on health sciences, arts, and business. Liberty University, on the other hand, is a private Christian university situated in Lynchburg, Virginia, known for its strong emphasis on faith-based education and its conservative values. While both universities offer a vibrant campus life and a variety of student organizations, they differ significantly in terms of acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to discover which university aligns best with your academic goals and personal preferences.

	Liberty University	Virginia Commonwealth University
Overview
Location	Lynchburg, Virginia	Richmond, Virginia
Campus setting	City: Small	City: Midsize
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	79.0%	84.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation	Evangelical

Admission
Acceptance rate	99.3%	92.8%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $50	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	28,448	17,579
Total number of admissions given out	28,244	16,308
Admitted students who chose to enroll	5,461	4,084
Yield rate	19.3%	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	$42,620	In state: $36,861 Out of state: $58,199
Average net price	$27,891	$19,656
Tuition	$21,663	In state: $12,094 Out of state: $32,742
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $6,150 Meal plan: $4,560	Room/dormitory: $6,953 Meal plan: $5,820
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	89.0% Average amount $12,431	78.0% Average amount $13,623
Students receiving federal student loan	52.0% Average amount $5,619	44.0% Average amount $5,174
Students taking out private loans	9.0% Average amount $17,351	8.0% Average amount $17,903

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	47,696 Men 43.0% Women 57.0%	21,394 Men 36.9% Women 63.1%
Graduate students	47,013 Men 38.7% Women 61.3%	7,200 Men 33.7% Women 66.3%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	76.0%	7.0%
International students	0.7%	3.6%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	8,222	5,958
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Virginia North Carolina Pennsylvania Texas Florida	Virginia Maryland North Carolina New Jersey Pennsylvania

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Business Health Professions Psychology Theology	Health Professions Visual & Performing Arts Business Public Administration and Social Service Multidisciplinary Studies
Students to faculty ratio	17:1	18:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	62.1%	67.6%
Dropout rate	30.2%	10.5%
Transferred out	5.6%	19.2%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	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	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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Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) vs Liberty University

Liberty University

Virginia Commonwealth University

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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