USC Upstate vs University of West Alabama (UWA)

Considering higher education options? Explore the distinct characteristics of the University of South Carolina-Upstate (USC Upstate) and the University of West Alabama (UWA) through our comprehensive side-by-side comparison. With acceptance rates of 84% and 99%, respectively, both universities welcome students from diverse backgrounds. USC Upstate boasts a larger student body, with over 5,000 undergraduates, while UWA offers a more intimate learning environment with approximately 2,000 undergraduates. Discover the differences in popular majors, student demographics, graduation rates, and more in the detailed comparison table below. Whether you're seeking a vibrant campus life or a close-knit community, this comparison will help you find the university that best aligns with your academic and personal goals.

	University of South Carolina-Upstate	University of West Alabama
Overview
Location	Spartanburg, South Carolina	Livingston, Alabama
Campus setting	Suburb: Midsize	Rural: Remote
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	61.0%	63.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	75.7%	74.3%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $45 Graduate: $45	Undergraduate: $30 Graduate: $40
SAT range	950 - 1150	880 - 980
ACT range	19 - 23	17 - 21
Students submitting SAT score	26.0%	2.0%
Students submitting ACT score	19.0%	69.0%
Total number of applicants	2,893	1,539
Total number of admissions given out	2,190	1,144
Admitted students who chose to enroll	597	351
Yield rate	27.3%	30.7%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	Not required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $28,648 Out of state: $39,610	In state: $22,911 Out of state: $32,011
Average net price	$14,816	$15,435
Tuition	In state: $11,208 Out of state: $22,170	In state: $9,100 Out of state: $18,200
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,614 Meal plan: $3,714	Room/dormitory: $4,760 Meal plan: $2,834
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	96.0% Average amount $8,974	89.0% Average amount $7,129
Students receiving federal student loan	62.0% Average amount $5,480	65.0% Average amount $5,418
Students taking out private loans	4.0% Average amount $8,248	3.0% Average amount $8,357

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	4,981 Men 32.7% Women 67.3%	2,322 Men 30.6% Women 69.4%
Graduate students	457 Men 13.6% Women 86.4%	3,272 Men 20.0% Women 80.0%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	8.2%	N/A
International students	1.2%	2.0%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Midsize	Rural: Remote
Dormitory capacity	1,055	1,019
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	South Carolina Georgia North Carolina Florida Texas	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Education Business Biological and Biomedical Sciences Psychology	Education Business Health Professions Multidisciplinary Studies Communication and Journalism
Students to faculty ratio	15:1	14:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	47.4%	39.1%
Dropout rate	19.2%	21.5%
Transferred out	31.9%	36.0%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	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	Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $57,363 Year 2: $61,681 Year 3: $64,667 Student Counseling and Personnel Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $52,130 Year 2: $53,942 Year 3: $55,799 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Associate's Degrees) Year 1: $52,682 Year 2: $52,107 Year 3: $54,452 Special Education and Teaching (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $47,975 Year 2: $48,510 Year 3: $51,622 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $53,470 Year 2: $46,380 Year 3: $48,647 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $47,701 Year 2: $46,261 Year 3: $47,958 Educational/Instructional Media Design (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $48,803 Year 2: $47,260 Year 3: $47,734 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $37,054 Year 3: $35,960 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $32,711 Year 3: N/A Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $26,983 Year 2: $25,194 Year 3: N/A

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USC Upstate vs University of West Alabama (UWA)

University of South Carolina-Upstate

University of West Alabama

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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