After putting all 15 schools into one table, I looked more closely at a few variables that seemed useful to compare. I focused on ranking and tuition first, and then GPA and class size.
Ranking vs. Tuition
| School | Rank | Nonresident Tuition |
|---|---|---|
| UC Davis | 1 | $50,306 |
| Ohio State | 3 | $87,828 |
| Georgia | 7 | $51,696 |
| Purdue | 11 | $46,000 |
I originally expected schools with higher rankings to generally have higher tuition, but this comparison does not show a clear pattern. Ohio State has the highest nonresident tuition of these four schools, even though UC Davis has the highest ranking. Purdue is ranked #11 but has the lowest nonresident tuition in this smaller comparison.
This means ranking alone is probably not very useful for estimating how expensive a veterinary program will be.
GPA vs. Class Size
| School | Average GPA | Class Size |
|---|---|---|
| Texas A&M | 3.80 | 180 |
| Purdue | 3.78 | 89 |
| Cornell | 3.80 | 128 |
| Minnesota | 3.81 | 105 |
The average GPAs for these four schools are all fairly close, but their class sizes are not. Texas A&M and Cornell both report an average GPA of 3.80, but Texas A&M has about 52 more students in its entering class.
Purdue also has an average GPA close to the other schools but has the smallest class size in this group. Based on this data, a similar average GPA does not mean the schools will have similar class sizes.
Takeaway
Looking at several categories at the same time gives a different picture than looking at rankings alone. A student might care more about tuition or location, while another student might care about class size or international eligibility. The dataset makes those differences easier to compare.