Quad

Head-to-head

Jackson State
Virginia State

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    Virginia State is more diverse (index 0.30 vs. 0.11)

    Diversity index
  2. 2

    Virginia State's grants cover 36% of its full price on average, vs. 22% at Jackson State

    Aid generosity
  3. 3

    Virginia State costs about $5.6K less per year on average than Jackson State ($20,650 vs. $26,256, all students)

    Average cost, all students
  4. 4

    Virginia State graduates 7 pts more of its students than Jackson State (46% vs. 39%)

    Graduation rate
  5. 5

    Virginia State grads earn $6.5K more ten years out than Jackson State's ($45,543 vs. $39,060)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs
  6. 6

    Virginia State's yield is 5 pts higher than Jackson State's

    Yield rate

The shape of each school

Each axis is a national rank among 4-year colleges; further out = more of it.

SelectivityTest scoresSizePell shareFirst-genDiversity

Who's hardest to get into

Virginia State admits 89%, Jackson State 93%; Virginia State's yield is higher, at 11%.

Acceptance rate
Jackson State93%
Virginia State89%
Quad's selectivity
  • Jackson StateOpen
  • Virginia StateOpen
SAT middle 50%Axis 700–1600
Jackson State
820–1070
Virginia State
840–1070
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • Jackson StateGPA, school record, and prep program required
  • Virginia StateRigor, GPA, and rank very important14%

Who's on each campus

Virginia State is a bit larger than Jackson State (5,074 vs. 4,600 undergrads); both have the same Pell share, 72%.

Undergrads
Jackson State4.6K
Virginia State5.1K
Pell Grant share
Jackson State72%
Virginia State72%

Majors and faculty

Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies leads at Jackson State, and Criminal Justice/Safety Studies at Virginia State.

Students per faculty member
Jackson State14 to 1
Virginia State13 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • Jackson StateMulti-/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other10%
  • Virginia StateCriminal Justice/Safety Studies10%

What each costs

Virginia State costs about $5.6K less a year than Jackson State on average, and its grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
Jackson State$26.3K
Virginia State$20.7K
Aid generosity
Jackson State22%
Virginia State36%

What each pays off

Virginia State's former students earn more, a median $45.5K ten years after enrolling; six-year graduation runs from 46% at Virginia State to 39% at Jackson State.

Median earnings, 10 years
Jackson State$39.1K
Virginia State$45.5K
Graduation rate
Jackson State39%
Virginia State46%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; both got less selective.

Applications, 10-year change
  • Jackson StateGrowing+177%
  • Virginia StateGrowing+99%
All the numbersEvery figure for these colleges in one table, with differences highlighted.
Sources for this comparisonEvery dataset and year behind the numbers in this comparison; tap any ⓘ for one number's source

Sources:IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, most recent release;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey, 2023–24;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard, 2023–24;IPEDS Graduation Rates survey (Pell Grant and subsidized loan recipients), Entered fall 2018;Virginia State University (Fall 2025), Fall 2025;Virginia State University Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2024About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)

Figures are the newest each college has published; years can differ between colleges. Each value's ⓘ shows its source and year. Why