Cal Maritime Academy vs University of South Carolina Aiken (USCA)

California State University Maritime Academy (CSUMA) and University of South Carolina Aiken (USCA) offer distinct educational experiences, catering to different student preferences and career aspirations. CSUMA, located in Vallejo, California, specializes in maritime studies, offering unique programs in Marine Transportation, Marine Engineering Technology, and more. USCA, situated in Aiken, South Carolina, provides a comprehensive liberal arts education with a focus on undergraduate research and community engagement. While CSUMA boasts a higher acceptance rate, USCA offers a more diverse student body. Both institutions share similar graduation rates, ensuring students receive the support they need to succeed. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover the programs, campus life, and opportunities that align best with your academic goals and personal preferences.

	California State University Maritime Academy	University of South Carolina Aiken
Overview
Location	Vallejo, California	Aiken, South Carolina
Campus setting	City: Midsize	Suburb: Large
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	78.0%	59.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	82.1%	83.5%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $70	Undergraduate: $45 Graduate: $45
SAT range	N/A	960 - 1170
ACT range	N/A	16 - 23
Students submitting SAT score		43.0%
Students submitting ACT score		29.0%
Total number of applicants	1,005	1,808
Total number of admissions given out	825	1,510
Admitted students who chose to enroll	195	526
Yield rate	23.6%	34.8%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $31,722 Out of state: $43,602	In state: $24,928 Out of state: $35,386
Average net price	$16,924	$12,514
Tuition	In state: $5,742 Out of state: $17,622	In state: $10,398 Out of state: $20,856
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $6,342 Meal plan: $5,600	Room/dormitory: $5,316 Meal plan: $2,886
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	53.0% Average amount $7,663	95.0% Average amount $7,746
Students receiving federal student loan	49.0% Average amount $5,013	50.0% Average amount $4,789
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $24,179	4.0% Average amount $8,017

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	880 Men 80.7% Women 19.3%	3,101 Men 35.0% Women 65.0%
Graduate students	45 Men 62.2% Women 37.8%	768 Men 33.5% Women 66.5%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	23.2%	8.8%
International students	0.9%	1.9%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	811	986
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	California Washington Hawaii Alaska Oregon	South Carolina Georgia North Carolina Florida Maryland

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Transportation and Logistics Engineering Engineering Technologies Multidisciplinary Studies	Business Health Professions Education Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	12:1	16:1
Institutional accreditation	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	68.2%	42.9%
Dropout rate	26.4%	15.6%
Transferred out	3.6%	38.6%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $112,593 Year 2: $78,971 Year 3: $106,946 Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $95,733 Year 2: $66,171 Year 3: $102,821 Marine Transportation (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $75,128 Year 2: $94,408 Year 3: $90,732 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $83,137 Year 2: $78,971 Year 3: $88,988 International Relations and National Security Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,865 Year 2: $47,394 Year 3: $60,400 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $47,549 Year 2: $52,107 Year 3: N/A	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $61,627 Year 2: $60,689 Year 3: $61,889 Applied Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $50,439 Year 3: $55,200 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $26,411 Year 2: $33,993 Year 3: $42,700 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,701 Year 2: $37,748 Year 3: $41,808 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $32,954 Year 2: $35,559 Year 3: $34,839 Sociology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $29,491 Year 2: $29,995 Year 3: $33,473 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $25,013 Year 2: $26,121 Year 3: $32,520 Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $15,167 Year 2: $17,551 Year 3: $22,590 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $29,827 Year 2: $30,650 Year 3: N/A English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $21,139 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A

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