University of Maryland-College Park (UMD) vs The University of Alabama (UA)

Envision yourself immersed in the vibrant college towns of College Park, Maryland, and Tuscaloosa, Alabama, home to the University of Maryland-College Park (UMD) and The University of Alabama (UA), respectively. While both universities share a commitment to academic excellence, they offer distinct experiences. UMD boasts a higher acceptance rate, attracting a diverse student body from across the nation and the globe. UA, on the other hand, has a lower acceptance rate and a strong in-state student presence. Explore the comparison table below to delve into further details, including popular majors, graduation rates, and additional factors that set these two esteemed institutions apart, helping you make an informed decision about your academic journey.

	The University of Alabama	University of Maryland-College Park
Overview
Location	Tuscaloosa, Alabama	College Park, Maryland
Campus setting	City: Small	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	89.0%	95.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	78.9%	52.0%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $65	Undergraduate: $75 Graduate: $75
SAT range	1070 - 1370	1330 - 1510
ACT range	21 - 31	30 - 34
Students submitting SAT score	17.0%	34.0%
Students submitting ACT score	63.0%	9.0%
Total number of applicants	42,421	50,183
Total number of admissions given out	33,472	26,109
Admitted students who chose to enroll	7,593	6,072
Yield rate	22.7%	23.3%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $31,024 Out of state: $50,494	In state: $30,997 Out of state: $58,678
Average net price	$21,263	$17,146
Tuition	In state: $10,780 Out of state: $30,250	In state: $9,000 Out of state: $36,681
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,900 Meal plan: $4,234	Room/dormitory: $8,072 Meal plan: $5,578
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	76.0% Average amount $16,363	56.0% Average amount $10,645
Students receiving federal student loan	37.0% Average amount $5,221	20.0% Average amount $5,065
Students taking out private loans	9.0% Average amount $23,617	4.0% Average amount $22,924

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	31,685 Men 43.5% Women 56.5%	30,922 Men 50.8% Women 49.2%
Graduate students	6,631 Men 36.9% Women 63.1%	10,350 Men 50.7% Women 49.3%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	62.2%	29.5%
International students	3.0%	10.3%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	9,385	11,846
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Alabama Georgia Illinois Texas Tennessee	Maryland New Jersey New York Pennsylvania Virginia

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Business Engineering Family and Consumer Sciences Education	Engineering Business Education Computer and Information Science Social Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	19:1	18:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	72.2%	87.7%
Dropout rate	7.7%	4.0%
Transferred out	18.8%	7.7%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $104,741 Year 2: $119,061 Year 3: $121,674 Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $84,175 Year 2: $84,653 Year 3: $101,082 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $78,913 Year 2: $80,004 Year 3: $96,574 Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $80,715 Year 2: $91,744 Year 3: $89,742 Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $66,858 Year 2: $71,015 Year 3: $83,044 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $65,725 Year 2: $75,832 Year 3: $82,831 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $75,975 Year 2: $75,921 Year 3: $82,382 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $93,535 Year 2: $90,412 Year 3: $81,427 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $65,760 Year 2: $65,281 Year 3: $76,647 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $62,913 Year 2: $60,771 Year 3: $76,479	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $108,765 Year 2: $106,102 Year 3: $116,295 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $125,155 Year 2: $112,923 Year 3: $112,074 Engineering, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $86,533 Year 2: $94,112 Year 3: $102,555 Business/Commerce, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $93,018 Year 2: $94,408 Year 3: $101,716 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $84,727 Year 2: $84,653 Year 3: $99,501 Physics (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $72,899 Year 3: $92,830 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $88,418 Year 2: $80,466 Year 3: $92,230 Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,675 Year 2: $72,762 Year 3: $83,667 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $74,798 Year 2: $71,761 Year 3: $82,867 Information Science/Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,391 Year 2: $66,485 Year 3: $82,784

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