Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) vs UMaine

Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) and University of Maine (UMaine) are two distinct institutions of higher learning, each offering unique opportunities and experiences to their students. VCU, located in the heart of Richmond, Virginia, is a vibrant urban university with a diverse student body and a strong focus on research and innovation. UMaine, situated in the picturesque town of Orono, Maine, is a public land-grant research university known for its strong academic programs, beautiful campus, and commitment to sustainability. 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 the comprehensive comparison table below to discover which university better aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	University of Maine	Virginia Commonwealth University
Overview
Location	Orono, Maine	Richmond, Virginia
Campus setting	Suburb: 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	76.0%	84.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	96.5%	92.8%
Application fees	$65	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $70
SAT range	1060 - 1280	1070 - 1300
ACT range	22 - 30	20 - 29
Students submitting SAT score	28.0%	29.0%
Students submitting ACT score	4.0%	5.0%
Total number of applicants	14,965	17,579
Total number of admissions given out	14,435	16,308
Admitted students who chose to enroll	2,317	4,084
Yield rate	16.1%	25.0%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	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	In state: $26,968 Out of state: $48,568	In state: $36,861 Out of state: $58,199
Average net price	$17,146	$19,656
Tuition	In state: $11,640 Out of state: $33,240	In state: $12,094 Out of state: $32,742
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,814 Meal plan: $5,760	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)	99.0% Average amount $11,145	78.0% Average amount $13,623
Students receiving federal student loan	53.0% Average amount $5,177	44.0% Average amount $5,174
Students taking out private loans	14.0% Average amount $14,918	8.0% Average amount $17,903

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	10,115 Men 50.4% Women 49.6%	21,394 Men 36.9% Women 63.1%
Graduate students	2,542 Men 38.3% Women 61.7%	7,200 Men 33.7% Women 66.3%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	43.3%	7.0%
International students	3.8%	3.6%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Small	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	3,838	5,958
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Maine Connecticut New Hampshire New York New Jersey	Virginia Maryland North Carolina New Jersey Pennsylvania

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Engineering Business Health Professions Natural Resources and Conservation	Health Professions Visual & Performing Arts Business Public Administration and Social Service Multidisciplinary Studies
Students to faculty ratio	16:1	18:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	56.8%	67.6%
Dropout rate	15.9%	10.5%
Transferred out	25.4%	19.2%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Chemical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $66,852 Year 2: $72,509 Year 3: $80,767 Electrical Engineering Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $69,464 Year 2: $68,499 Year 3: $76,846 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $65,105 Year 2: $62,775 Year 3: $73,378 Construction Engineering Technologies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,027 Year 2: $55,964 Year 3: $67,384 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,161 Year 2: $61,218 Year 3: $61,127 Civil Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,228 Year 2: $52,464 Year 3: $58,395 Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,901 Year 2: $55,964 Year 3: $58,032 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,267 Year 2: $42,309 Year 3: $51,092 Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,096 Year 2: $41,007 Year 3: $50,566 Social Work (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $41,771 Year 2: $43,798 Year 3: $48,698	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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