USC Upstate vs Coastal Carolina University

When it comes to higher education in South Carolina, University of South Carolina-Upstate (USC Upstate) and Coastal Carolina University (CCU) stand out as two prominent choices. While both offer a diverse range of academic programs and a vibrant campus life, they also have distinct characteristics that set them apart. USC Upstate, located in Spartanburg, boasts a higher acceptance rate and a more diverse student body, while CCU, situated in Conway, offers a wider selection of undergraduate majors and a higher graduation rate. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to delve into the specifics of each university, including acceptance rates, popular majors, student demographics, and graduation outcomes, to help you make an informed decision that aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Coastal Carolina University	University of South Carolina-Upstate
Overview
Location	Conway, South Carolina	Spartanburg, South Carolina
Campus setting	City: Small	Suburb: Midsize
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	72.0%	61.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	79.1%	75.7%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $45 Graduate: $45	Undergraduate: $45 Graduate: $45
SAT range	1030 - 1190	950 - 1150
ACT range	20 - 25	19 - 23
Students submitting SAT score	29.0%	26.0%
Students submitting ACT score	13.0%	19.0%
Total number of applicants	15,481	2,893
Total number of admissions given out	12,251	2,190
Admitted students who chose to enroll	2,519	597
Yield rate	20.6%	27.3%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Not required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $26,318 Out of state: $42,072	In state: $28,648 Out of state: $39,610
Average net price	$14,956	$14,816
Tuition	In state: $11,460 Out of state: $27,214	In state: $11,208 Out of state: $22,170
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,440 Meal plan: $3,928	Room/dormitory: $5,614 Meal plan: $3,714
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	91.0% Average amount $9,834	96.0% Average amount $8,974
Students receiving federal student loan	60.0% Average amount $5,848	62.0% Average amount $5,480
Students taking out private loans	16.0% Average amount $20,291	4.0% Average amount $8,248

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	9,790 Men 44.9% Women 55.1%	4,981 Men 32.7% Women 67.3%
Graduate students	683 Men 30.7% Women 69.3%	457 Men 13.6% Women 86.4%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	60.2%	8.2%
International students	1.2%	1.2%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	Suburb: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	4,728	1,055
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	South Carolina New Jersey New York Pennsylvania Maryland	South Carolina Georgia North Carolina Florida Texas

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Biological and Biomedical Sciences Business Communication and Journalism	Health Professions Education Business Biological and Biomedical Sciences Psychology
Students to faculty ratio	17:1	15:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	51.2%	47.4%
Dropout rate	11.4%	19.2%
Transferred out	36.7%	31.9%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $49,378 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $69,235 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $44,086 Year 2: $48,198 Year 3: $61,332 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $48,114 Year 2: $53,497 Year 3: $60,248 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,888 Year 2: $65,750 Year 3: $59,685 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $29,976 Year 2: $34,704 Year 3: $44,693 Education, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $42,824 Year 2: $42,873 Year 3: $44,446 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,464 Year 2: $37,856 Year 3: $44,425 Marketing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,250 Year 2: $38,168 Year 3: $43,145 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,430 Year 2: $38,597 Year 3: $42,978 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,101 Year 2: $36,423 Year 3: $42,472	Engineering-Related Fields (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,614 Year 2: $59,124 Year 3: $70,562 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $61,719 Year 2: $57,512 Year 3: $60,107 Information Science/Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $43,885 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $52,577 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,033 Year 2: $45,500 Year 3: $50,407 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,902 Year 2: $37,088 Year 3: $43,565 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $28,960 Year 3: $37,957 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,958 Year 2: $32,439 Year 3: $37,264 History (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $21,254 Year 2: $32,284 Year 3: $37,102 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $32,772 Year 3: $35,463 Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,350 Year 2: $23,649 Year 3: $33,671

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