Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) vs University of Illinois Chicago (UIC)

Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) and University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) are two distinct universities with unique offerings. VCU, located in the heart of Richmond, Virginia, boasts a vibrant urban campus and a diverse student body. UIC, situated in the bustling city of Chicago, Illinois, is known for its strong research programs and its commitment to community engagement. While both universities share similarities in terms of academic excellence and affordability, they differ in several key aspects, including 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 aspirations and personal preferences.

	University of Illinois Chicago	Virginia Commonwealth University
Overview
Location	Chicago, Illinois	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	81.0%	84.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	78.8%	92.8%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $60 Graduate: $70	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $70
SAT range	1080 - 1310	1070 - 1300
ACT range	23 - 31	20 - 29
Students submitting SAT score	32.0%	29.0%
Students submitting ACT score	8.0%	5.0%
Total number of applicants	22,791	17,579
Total number of admissions given out	17,960	16,308
Admitted students who chose to enroll	4,177	4,084
Yield rate	23.3%	25.0%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $31,176 Out of state: $45,526	In state: $36,861 Out of state: $58,199
Average net price	$10,725	$19,656
Tuition	In state: $10,776 Out of state: $25,126	In state: $12,094 Out of state: $32,742
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $8,436 Meal plan: $4,677	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)	75.0% Average amount $13,420	78.0% Average amount $13,623
Students receiving federal student loan	20.0% Average amount $4,778	44.0% Average amount $5,174
Students taking out private loans	3.0% Average amount $17,230	8.0% Average amount $17,903

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	22,279 Men 46.8% Women 53.2%	21,394 Men 36.9% Women 63.1%
Graduate students	11,920 Men 39.9% Women 60.1%	7,200 Men 33.7% Women 66.3%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	6.3%	7.0%
International students	11.4%	3.6%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	3,824	5,958
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Illinois California Indiana Wisconsin Michigan	Virginia Maryland North Carolina New Jersey Pennsylvania

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Engineering Business Computer and Information Science Education	Health Professions Visual & Performing Arts Business Public Administration and Social Service Multidisciplinary Studies
Students to faculty ratio	19:1	18:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	62.3%	67.6%
Dropout rate	35.0%	10.5%
Transferred out	N/A	19.2%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $80,152 Year 2: $111,220 Year 3: $124,034 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $108,092 Year 3: $115,765 Dentistry (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $97,991 Year 2: $101,278 Year 3: $108,049 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $79,216 Year 2: $94,021 Year 3: $100,439 Health and Medical Administrative Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $85,284 Year 2: $91,744 Year 3: $96,488 Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $114,258 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $93,942 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $79,271 Year 2: $80,189 Year 3: $92,984 Psychology, General (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $52,905 Year 2: $74,576 Year 3: $85,772 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $73,060 Year 2: $68,153 Year 3: $80,429 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,975 Year 2: $70,610 Year 3: $78,062	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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