University of South Carolina Aiken (USCA) vs South Carolina State University

When it comes to higher education in South Carolina, University of South Carolina Aiken (USC Aiken) and South Carolina State University (SC State) stand out as two distinct and reputable institutions. USC Aiken, a public liberal arts university, boasts a higher acceptance rate (75%) compared to SC State's 58%. Both universities offer a diverse range of undergraduate programs, with USC Aiken excelling in fields like business, education, and nursing, while SC State is known for its strong programs in engineering, agriculture, and criminal justice. While USC Aiken's student body is predominantly White (62%), SC State's student population is predominantly Black (76%). In terms of graduation rates, USC Aiken has a slightly higher four-year graduation rate (38%) compared to SC State's 32%. To help you make an informed decision about your academic journey, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison table that delves into these aspects and more. Explore the table to discover

	South Carolina State University	University of South Carolina Aiken
Overview
Location	Orangeburg, South Carolina	Aiken, South Carolina
Campus setting	Town: Distant	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	69.0%	59.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	87.6%	83.5%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $25 Graduate: $25	Undergraduate: $45 Graduate: $45
SAT range	800 - 1050	960 - 1170
ACT range	15 - 19	16 - 23
Students submitting SAT score	6.0%	43.0%
Students submitting ACT score	9.0%	29.0%
Total number of applicants	2,497	1,808
Total number of admissions given out	2,187	1,510
Admitted students who chose to enroll	586	526
Yield rate	26.8%	34.8%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Required	Required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $31,060 Out of state: $41,750	In state: $24,928 Out of state: $35,386
Average net price	$20,901	$12,514
Tuition	In state: $9,528 Out of state: $20,218	In state: $10,398 Out of state: $20,856
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $6,600 Meal plan: $3,290	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)	87.0% Average amount $9,737	95.0% Average amount $7,746
Students receiving federal student loan	63.0% Average amount $5,707	50.0% Average amount $4,789
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $14,500	4.0% Average amount $8,017

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	2,074 Men 44.7% Women 55.3%	3,101 Men 35.0% Women 65.0%
Graduate students	300 Men 24.3% Women 75.7%	768 Men 33.5% Women 66.5%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Low
Out-of-state students	13.2%	8.8%
International students	0.1%	1.9%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	1,369	986
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	South Carolina Georgia Florida North Carolina California	South Carolina Georgia North Carolina Florida Maryland

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Health Professions Biological and Biomedical Sciences Business Family and Consumer Sciences	Business Health Professions Education Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	15:1	16:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	30.4%	42.9%
Dropout rate	35.7%	15.6%
Transferred out	30.0%	38.6%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $74,576 Year 3: $81,719 Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $43,798 Year 2: $52,107 Year 3: $53,072 Student Counseling and Personnel Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $42,160 Year 2: $41,464 Year 3: $45,205 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,987 Year 2: $26,353 Year 3: $40,381 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $35,494 Year 2: $32,213 Year 3: $37,475 Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $32,569 Year 3: $36,398 Social Work (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $26,194 Year 2: $27,403 Year 3: $34,308 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $21,752 Year 2: $24,863 Year 3: $34,167 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $17,125 Year 2: $23,340 Year 3: $31,468 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $29,870 Year 2: $20,444 Year 3: $30,521	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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