ECPI University vs South University-Columbia

ECPI University and South University-Columbia, both located in Columbia, South Carolina, offer distinct educational experiences. ECPI University boasts a higher acceptance rate of 100%, making it a more accessible option for students. South University-Columbia, on the other hand, has a lower acceptance rate of 88%, indicating a more selective admissions process. In terms of popular majors, ECPI University focuses on career-oriented programs such as Health Science, Business Administration, and Information Systems Security, while South University-Columbia offers a wider range of undergraduate and graduate degrees, including Nursing, Business, and Criminal Justice. ECPI University's student body is predominantly male (63%), while South University-Columbia has a more balanced gender distribution (53% female, 47% male). Additionally, ECPI University has a higher graduation rate (70%) compared to South University-Columbia (58%). Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more key differences and make an informed

	ECPI University	South University-Columbia
Overview
Location	Virginia Beach, Virginia	Columbia, South Carolina
Campus setting	City: Large	Suburb: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (For Profit)	Private (For Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Quarter
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	43.0%	25.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	82.5%	Open Admission
Application fees	Undergraduate: $45 Graduate: $50
SAT range	N/A	N/A
ACT range	N/A	N/A
Students submitting SAT score
Students submitting ACT score
Total number of applicants	4,802
Total number of admissions given out	3,960
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,008
Yield rate	25.5%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	Not required
High school GPA	Not required	N/A
Recommendation letters	Not required	N/A
High school transcript	Not required	N/A
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	N/A

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$30,632	$33,088
Average net price	$22,004	$19,249
Tuition	$17,424	$16,920
Room & board
Available payment plans	Guaranteed tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	67.0% Average amount $5,479	80.0% Average amount $6,127
Students receiving federal student loan	59.0% Average amount $7,432	60.0% Average amount $4,278
Students taking out private loans	5.0% Average amount $8,781	0.0% Average amount $0

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	12,139 Men 38.9% Women 61.1%	486 Men 14.2% Women 85.8%
Graduate students	327 Men 52.9% Women 47.1%	139 Men 26.6% Women 73.4%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	40.2%	N/A
International students	0.0%	0.5%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	N/A	N/A
First year students are required to live on campus?	N/A	N/A
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Virginia North Carolina South Carolina Florida Texas	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Computer and Information Science Business Engineering Technologies Culinary and Personal Services	Health Professions Business Law Enforcement and Firefighting Psychology Public Administration and Social Service
Students to faculty ratio	11:1	12:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	41.7%	13.3%
Dropout rate	56.6%	83.3%
Transferred out	1.0%	N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,355 Year 2: $71,015 Year 3: $73,293 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $65,286 Year 2: $66,821 Year 3: $63,698 Computer Programming (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $43,195 Year 2: $43,054 Year 3: $60,160 Computer Engineering Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $51,089 Year 2: $52,663 Year 3: $58,431 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $59,510 Year 2: $55,430 Year 3: $57,578 Electromechanical Instrumentation and Maintenance Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,855 Year 2: $49,660 Year 3: $55,647 Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $46,142 Year 2: $44,221 Year 3: $49,392 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,437 Year 2: $44,728 Year 3: $48,674 Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $51,063 Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: $48,258 Computer Engineering Technologies/Technicians (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $42,529 Year 2: $40,768 Year 3: $48,051	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: $90,641 Year 2: $98,736 Year 3: $102,466 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $90,832 Year 2: $91,613 Year 3: $98,023 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $65,499 Year 2: $66,883 Year 3: $71,557 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $46,002 Year 2: $42,799 Year 3: $48,444 Information Science/Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,831 Year 2: $44,418 Year 3: $46,834 Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $39,095 Year 2: $43,489 Year 3: $45,357 Health and Medical Administrative Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $43,629 Year 2: $45,207 Year 3: $44,849 Public Administration (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $41,016 Year 2: $41,007 Year 3: $43,418 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,748 Year 2: $39,986 Year 3: $42,014 Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $38,224 Year 2: $36,598 Year 3: $39,039

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