Virginia Tech vs University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB)

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) and the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) are two distinct universities with unique offerings. Virginia Tech, located in Blacksburg, Virginia, is a public land-grant research university with an acceptance rate of 69%, while UAB, situated in Birmingham, Alabama, is a public research university with an acceptance rate of 79%. Both universities offer a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs, with Virginia Tech excelling in engineering, computer science, and agriculture, and UAB specializing in health professions, business, and education. While Virginia Tech boasts a larger student body, UAB maintains a smaller class size, fostering a more personalized learning experience. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to discover more about these institutions, including their graduation rates, popular majors, student demographics, and more, to determine which university best aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	University of Alabama at Birmingham	Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Overview
Location	Birmingham, Alabama	Blacksburg, Virginia
Campus setting	City: Midsize	City: Small
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	84.0%	92.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	88.5%	56.5%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $50	Undergraduate: $60 Graduate: $75
SAT range	1173 - 1388	1210 - 1410
ACT range	23 - 30	26 - 32
Students submitting SAT score	7.0%	83.0%
Students submitting ACT score	65.0%	35.0%
Total number of applicants	11,906	42,054
Total number of admissions given out	10,541	23,746
Admitted students who chose to enroll	2,415	6,758
Yield rate	22.9%	28.5%
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)	Not required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $27,630 Out of state: $39,462	In state: $30,104 Out of state: $49,787
Average net price	$16,990	$20,109
Tuition	In state: $8,568 Out of state: $20,400	In state: $11,750 Out of state: $30,829
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,767 Meal plan: $4,540	Room/dormitory: $5,890 Meal plan: $4,736
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan Other alternative tuition plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	93.0% Average amount $10,940	58.0% Average amount $8,018
Students receiving federal student loan	46.0% Average amount $5,208	40.0% Average amount $5,316
Students taking out private loans	5.0% Average amount $14,247	9.0% Average amount $20,728

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	13,547 Men 37.9% Women 62.1%	29,760 Men 57.3% Women 42.7%
Graduate students	8,742 Men 34.1% Women 65.9%	7,519 Men 56.5% Women 43.5%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	16.8%	39.5%
International students	5.0%	9.9%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	3,480	9,471
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Alabama Georgia Tennessee Louisiana Florida	Virginia Maryland New Jersey North Carolina Pennsylvania

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Business Education Biological and Biomedical Sciences Engineering	Engineering Business Family and Consumer Sciences Computer and Information Science Natural Resources and Conservation
Students to faculty ratio	19:1	14:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	62.4%	86.6%
Dropout rate	16.5%	12.3%
Transferred out	17.9%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: $158,993 Year 2: $169,894 Year 3: $175,573 Dentistry (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $100,128 Year 2: $111,769 Year 3: $139,245 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $117,171 Year 2: $130,034 Year 3: $128,873 Systems Science and Theory (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $67,948 Year 2: $122,038 Year 3: $123,089 Optometry (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $91,176 Year 2: $96,457 Year 3: $107,084 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $98,582 Year 2: $99,737 Year 3: $105,689 Health and Medical Administrative Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $89,298 Year 2: $89,564 Year 3: $99,770 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $91,552 Year 2: $95,215 Year 3: $98,530 Management Information Systems and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $78,497 Year 2: $84,653 Year 3: $94,486 Engineering, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $85,743 Year 2: $88,820 Year 3: $90,200	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $105,287 Year 2: $113,246 Year 3: $125,427 Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $97,383 Year 2: $96,691 Year 3: $106,931 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $82,448 Year 2: $88,678 Year 3: $96,747 Veterinary Medicine (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $76,172 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $93,580 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $75,104 Year 2: $78,488 Year 3: $90,164 Public Administration (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $59,370 Year 2: $75,518 Year 3: $87,658 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $81,573 Year 2: $91,211 Year 3: $84,990 Mechanical Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $80,460 Year 2: $73,635 Year 3: $83,712 Chemical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $72,805 Year 2: $73,272 Year 3: $82,738 Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,610 Year 2: $70,680 Year 3: $81,822

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