Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) vs Northern Arizona University (NAU)

Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) and Northern Arizona University (NAU) are two distinct universities with unique offerings and characteristics. VCU, located in the heart of Richmond, Virginia, boasts a vibrant urban campus and a diverse student body. NAU, nestled in the scenic town of Flagstaff, Arizona, offers a more intimate campus experience with stunning natural surroundings. While both universities share a commitment to academic excellence, they differ in several key aspects, including acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to discover which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Northern Arizona University	Virginia Commonwealth University
Overview
Location	Flagstaff, Arizona	Richmond, Virginia
Campus setting	City: Small	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	74.0%	84.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	78.4%	92.8%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $25 Graduate: $65	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	42,872	17,579
Total number of admissions given out	33,592	16,308
Admitted students who chose to enroll	5,297	4,084
Yield rate	15.8%	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: $28,430 Out of state: $43,176	In state: $36,861 Out of state: $58,199
Average net price	$16,059	$19,656
Tuition	In state: $10,650 Out of state: $25,396	In state: $12,094 Out of state: $32,742
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $6,000 Meal plan: $5,338	Room/dormitory: $6,953 Meal plan: $5,820
Available payment plans	Guaranteed tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	97.0% Average amount $12,922	78.0% Average amount $13,623
Students receiving federal student loan	34.0% Average amount $5,314	44.0% Average amount $5,174
Students taking out private loans	4.0% Average amount $13,306	8.0% Average amount $17,903

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	24,162 Men 37.0% Women 63.0%	21,394 Men 36.9% Women 63.1%
Graduate students	4,549 Men 32.1% Women 67.9%	7,200 Men 33.7% Women 66.3%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	31.9%	7.0%
International students	2.2%	3.6%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	9,853	5,958
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Arizona California Colorado Nevada New Mexico	Virginia Maryland North Carolina New Jersey Pennsylvania

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Health Professions Business Engineering Public Administration and Social Service	Health Professions Visual & Performing Arts Business Public Administration and Social Service Multidisciplinary Studies
Students to faculty ratio	21:1	18:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	59.0%	67.6%
Dropout rate	40.0%	10.5%
Transferred out	N/A	19.2%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $94,560 Year 2: $101,406 Year 3: $108,112 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $100,716 Year 2: $92,632 Year 3: $96,135 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $80,374 Year 2: $79,081 Year 3: $89,768 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $69,244 Year 2: $76,117 Year 3: $81,532 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,225 Year 2: $74,890 Year 3: $79,106 Construction Management (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,718 Year 2: $68,219 Year 3: $75,432 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $71,725 Year 2: $71,183 Year 3: $71,928 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,840 Year 2: $59,350 Year 3: $70,793 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $58,911 Year 2: $65,042 Year 3: $70,433 Civil Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,712 Year 2: $54,252 Year 3: $68,199	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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