Fordham vs. Villanova

Colleges and Universities A-Z Villanova University
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<p>You can argue all you want about which is more prestigious. If this thread that has become way longer than it should have proves anything, it is that the schools are close enough that prestige should not be a huge factor in a decision between the schools. Visit the schools, talk to students, professors, whoever you can, and make a decision based on criteria that actually matter to you as the student. If prestige is the main thing on your list, talk to employers and see if they have any preference in schools, but I doubt they will.</p>

<p>I think this thread has run its course…I can’t believe people are still trying to argue about such a small difference based on random numbers they find out there. Obviously there are always two sides to arguments, especially between schools that are so close. Just let it go.</p>

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<p>I agree Joe. I, for one, will sign off now.</p>

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<p>I wish the Moderator would close this thread!</p>

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<p>^arguing about pointless facts sure is tiring for those arguing…although some of the information is valuable to many guests who frequent this site to find which they think is more prestigious (if that is what is a big concern to their college choice) and then make an informed decision. </p>

<p>I personally think that prestige is not the biggest concern and that there is not much difference between fordham, VU, HC, case, etc. However, if many viewers hold slight edge of prestige of large importance than I hope they can look at the various viewpoints on this thread.</p>

<p>In short, although this thread has boiled down to nonsense, some people base their college choice off nonsense and hence I think its valuable to certain people.</p>

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<p>Villanova freshman retention rate 94%
Fordham freshman retention rate 87%</p>

<p>Villanova 4 year graduation rate 85%
Fordham 4 year graduation rate 76%</p>

<p>Villanova 6 year graduation rate 91%
Fordham 6 year graduation rate 80%</p>

<p>More pointless data that demonstrates student body success!</p>

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<p>There have been a lot of numbers tossed around but here are the figures on SAT and ACT scores for the most recent freshmen class (2015). These came from Nova’s common data set and Fordham’s class profile.
They indicate, as many on this thread have said, that the student bodies of these schools are very similar.</p>

<p>Villanova SAT (25% - 75% range) 1800 - 2080, ACT 28 - 31
Fordham SAT (25% - 75% range) 1830 - 2050, ACT 27 - 31</p>

<p>Not much difference. If you assume the SAT scores are pretty evenly distributed, both have an estimated average of 1940.</p>

<p>Villanova may have better retention and graduation rates but Fordham has more Fulbrights, National Merit Scholars and awarded 127 doctoral (not law) degrees last year while Nova awarded just 12.</p>

<p>You could go on forever. Both are fine universities.</p>

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<p>regarding "Villanova may have better retention and graduation rates … "</p>

<p>Isn’t graduation the point of higher education?</p>

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<p>" Isn’t graduation the point of higher education?"
No.</p>

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<p>jfenn999 - </p>

<p>Of all the “numbers tossed around” in your post, the least you could do is pay attention to make sure you are comparing apples and oranges. The Villanova SAT and ACT stats you post are from the CDS and are the stats of the ENROLLED class. So all the very high scorers who applied and were accepted at Villanova but decided to attend elsewhere are omitted.</p>

<p>The SAT and ACT data you list for Fordham are the stats for all ADMITTED students, including those who did not enroll at Fordham. So all the high scorers who applied to Fordham as a safety school are included. The ENROLLED stats for Fordham would therefore be much lower than the admitted stats you posted. Maybe that is why Fordham refuses to make its CDS publicly available.</p>

<p>The only conclusion to be drawn from these numbers is that the average student who is ADMITTED (enrolled and non-enrolled) to Fordham scores slightly below the average student ENROLLED at Villanova.</p>

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<p>@jfenn999- </p>

<p>If you want to compare fordham’s SAT ADMITTED and not ENROLLED rate to VU’s then you will see VU is much higher. </p>

<p>fordham ADMITTED: Fordham SAT (25% - 75% range) 1830 - 2050, ACT 27 - 31
Villanova ADMITTED: Villanova SAT 1340–1440/1600, ACT: 30–33</p>

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<p>Villanova has an undergraduate enrollment of 7111 and Holy Cross has an undergraduate of less than half that at 2900 students yet Holy Cross has 11 Fulbright scholars in 2012 and Villanova only has 5.</p>

<p>[Press</a> Release for June 1, 2012 | Villanova University](<a href=“http://www1.villanova.edu/villanova/media/pressreleases/2012/0601.html]Press”>http://www1.villanova.edu/villanova/media/pressreleases/2012/0601.html)</p>

<p>[Record</a> Number of Holy Cross Graduates Receive Fulbright Grants | College of the Holy Cross](<a href=“http://news.holycross.edu/blog/2012/06/05/record-number-of-holy-cross-graduates-receive-fulbright-grants-2/]Record”>Newsroom | Record Number of Holy Cross Graduates Receive Fulbright Grants)</p>

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<p>If you want to make your college choice on the basis of academic success of the elite of the student body go ahead. The success of less than a dozen students hardly represents the quality of educational experience of thousands of students.</p>

<p>I truly believe that the statistical examination of the entire student bodies shows that Villanova has a demonstrable advantage of academic strength of student body and success while enrolled. Test scores , HS GPA , Student retention , College graduation rates , student faculty ratio , etc should give Villanova an edge for those that have to make a choice between Villanova and Fordham and have not given a clear edge to either based on other personal factors such as, majors, social setting , location , finances.</p>

<p>If you want to go to Fordham great , have a terrific time , it’s a very good school but the student body as a whole at Villanova has a better record of achievement at High School and at College.</p>

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<p>^good post ulysses</p>

<p>@1980collegegrad
Boston college has 21 fulbrights…more than Harvard, Penn, and other top schools. If we look at just fulbright numbers yes HC fairs better than VU. But then BC is better than HC, VU, Harvard, etc…all in all fulbrights clearly are not the most significant factor in academic prestige.</p>

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<p>Boston College has 9100 students enrolled which is over three times the number of students that Holy Cross has at 2900 students. Since BC is over 3 times the size of HC you would logically expect that BC would achieve 3 times the number of Fulbrights that HC achieved. Unfortunately they did not even get twice as many as HC.</p>

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<p>^I was more so comparing BC to Penn, Harvard, Duke,etc…Clearly BC, or HC for that matter, come no where near these three schools in academic performance and prestige. Yet still BC has more fulbrights than they do. In fact BC has more fulbrights than any of the ivys except yale and columbia. Students pop at penn 10,000, cornell 17,000, so BC’s per capita numbers are also incredibly strong. </p>

<p>My original point still holds. I think fulrbight numbers do not seem to necessitate academic prestige as in the case of Boston College which would be considered a mid tier catholic school (on par with HC and VU but below gtown and notre dame) and yet produces more fulbrights than the best colleges in the world (the ivys, JHU, Uchicago, MIT). In fact MIT didn’t make the list at all.</p>

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<p>US News ranks HC #29 and Bucknell #29. From all the people that i know from Pennsylvania where Bucknell and Villanova are located, Bucknell is without question more prestigious than Villanova.</p>

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<p>Wow! I can’t believe this thread is still going! The success of a college is more than just SATs, but you cling to points like it was the ultimate proof of superiority!. You Nova folks are loyal, I will give you that much!</p>

<p>Brave Ulysses wrote: "I truly believe that the statistical examination of the entire student bodies shows that Villanova has a demonstrable advantage of academic strength of student body and success while enrolled. Test scores , HS GPA , Student retention , College graduation rates , student faculty ratio , etc should give Villanova an edge for those that have to make a choice between Villanova and Fordham and have not given a clear edge to either based on other personal factors such as, majors, social setting , location , finances.</p>

<p>If you want to go to Fordham great , have a terrific time , it’s a very good school but the student body as a whole at Villanova has a better record of achievement at High School and at College."</p>

<p>Really? Even if I give you this much, then by this measure the ultimate success of a college (not high school) is the outcome when one graduates, i.e. how many successful graduates come out of a school because you can have a few more points going in, but if you don’t accomplish much when you get out, what was the point?</p>

<p>I challange you to look at the list of (famous) alumni of Villanova vs. those from Fordham (found on the Wiki sites). If you can be honest with yourselves, there are much more listed from the school that admits kids “with less points” than the one with “more points”.</p>

<p>When all is said and done, THAT is the test of how good an education was…what is the outcome, the results if you will, not the points it took to get in, of the school. Cling to your points all you want, the true proof is in the outcomes.</p>

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<p>Ramray: Your argument for enrolling at Fordham vs Villanova is famous alumni ?</p>

<p>C’mon , you can do better than that…</p>

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<p>I will reiterate:</p>

<p>Villanova 4 year graduation rate 85%
Fordham 4 year graduation rate 76%</p>

<p>Villanova 6 year graduation rate 91%
Fordham 6 year graduation rate 80%</p>

<p>This data indicates the success of the student body at college.</p>

<p>Maybe you will become famous when you graduate from Fordham , but you have to earn a degree first.</p>

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<p>Placement statistics of the class of 2011 , have 96 % of graduates Full time employed or Full Time Graduate school. Demonstrates post graduate success. Not bad for this economy.</p>

<p><a href=“http://www1.villanova.edu/content/villanova/vpaa/careers/placement/2011/_jcr_content/pagecontent/download/file.res/Booklet2011.pdf[/url]”>http://www1.villanova.edu/content/villanova/vpaa/careers/placement/2011/_jcr_content/pagecontent/download/file.res/Booklet2011.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;