University of South Carolina Aiken (USCA) vs Occidental College

When it comes to higher education, the University of South Carolina Aiken and Occidental College stand out as two distinct institutions with unique offerings. USC Aiken, a public university in South Carolina, boasts an acceptance rate of 86%, making it a more accessible option for students. Occidental College, a private liberal arts college in California, has a more selective admissions process, with an acceptance rate of 33%. Both universities offer a diverse range of undergraduate programs, with popular majors at USC Aiken including Business Administration, Education, and Nursing, while Occidental College is known for its strengths in the Social Sciences, Humanities, and Natural Sciences. USC Aiken's student body is predominantly made up of in-state students, while Occidental College attracts a more diverse student population from across the country and around the world. With graduation rates of 54% and 83% respectively, both institutions provide students with the opportunity to succeed and achieve their academic goals. To help you make an informed decision about your higher education

	Occidental College	University of South Carolina Aiken
Overview
Location	Los Angeles, California	Aiken, South Carolina
Campus setting	City: Large	Suburb: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	92.0%	59.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	38.2%	83.5%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $60	Undergraduate: $45 Graduate: $45
SAT range	1340 - 1490	960 - 1170
ACT range	30 - 33	16 - 23
Students submitting SAT score	29.0%	43.0%
Students submitting ACT score	22.0%	29.0%
Total number of applicants	6,495	1,808
Total number of admissions given out	2,484	1,510
Admitted students who chose to enroll	535	526
Yield rate	21.5%	34.8%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$77,878	In state: $24,928 Out of state: $35,386
Average net price	$43,047	$12,514
Tuition	$57,830	In state: $10,398 Out of state: $20,856
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $9,512 Meal plan: $8,090	Room/dormitory: $5,316 Meal plan: $2,886
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $29,715	95.0% Average amount $7,746
Students receiving federal student loan	31.0% Average amount $4,603	50.0% Average amount $4,789
Students taking out private loans	17.0% Average amount $6,554	4.0% Average amount $8,017

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,964 Men 42.1% Women 57.9%	3,101 Men 35.0% Women 65.0%
Graduate students	N/A	768 Men 33.5% Women 66.5%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	62.5%	8.8%
International students	6.3%	1.9%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	1,650	986
First year students are required to live on campus?	Yes	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	California Washington New York Illinois Mississippi	South Carolina Georgia North Carolina Florida Maryland

Academics
Popular study areas	Social Sciences Biological and Biomedical Sciences Physical Science Multidisciplinary Studies Visual & Performing Arts	Business Health Professions Education Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	9:1	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	82.9%	42.9%
Dropout rate	4.1%	15.6%
Transferred out	12.6%	38.6%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $46,544 Year 2: $55,078 Year 3: $63,231 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,360 Year 2: $37,779 Year 3: $49,843 International Relations and National Security Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,329 Year 2: $36,132 Year 3: $45,083 Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $29,948 Year 2: $37,208 Year 3: $43,488 Cultural Studies/Critical Theory and Analysis (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: N/A Year 3: $33,877 Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $25,967 Year 3: $31,152 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $25,035 Year 2: $26,933 Year 3: $31,095 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $25,916 Year 2: $30,047 Year 3: $30,729 Area Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $39,369 Year 3: N/A Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $15,793 Year 2: $35,060 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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University of South Carolina Aiken (USCA) vs Occidental College

Occidental College

University of South Carolina Aiken

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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