Cal Poly vs University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW)

California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly SLO) and University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW) are two distinct universities with unique offerings. Cal Poly SLO, located on California's Central Coast, is known for its strong engineering and agriculture programs, while UNCW, situated in the vibrant coastal city of Wilmington, North Carolina, excels in marine science and business. With different acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates, these universities cater to diverse student populations and academic interests. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to discover which institution aligns best with your aspirations and goals.

	California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo	University of North Carolina Wilmington
Overview
Location	San Luis Obispo, California	Wilmington, North Carolina
Campus setting	Suburb: Small	City: Midsize
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Quarter	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	95.0%	83.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	33.0%	68.0%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $70	Undergraduate: $80 Graduate: $75
SAT range	N/A	1210 - 1330
ACT range	N/A	24 - 28
Students submitting SAT score		8.0%
Students submitting ACT score		19.0%
Total number of applicants	54,570	15,792
Total number of admissions given out	18,008	10,736
Admitted students who chose to enroll	4,884	2,435
Yield rate	27.1%	22.7%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $29,680 Out of state: $47,590	In state: $25,855 Out of state: $39,920
Average net price	$20,708	$18,792
Tuition	In state: $5,742 Out of state: $17,622	In state: $4,443 Out of state: $18,508
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $9,642 Meal plan: $6,138	Room/dormitory: $6,926 Meal plan: $4,420
Available payment plans		Guaranteed tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	55.0% Average amount $5,988	53.0% Average amount $6,253
Students receiving federal student loan	24.0% Average amount $5,023	47.0% Average amount $5,258
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $22,714	9.0% Average amount $15,490

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	21,128 Men 51.2% Women 48.8%	14,488 Men 35.0% Women 65.0%
Graduate students	1,103 Men 50.4% Women 49.6%	3,542 Men 28.2% Women 71.8%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	20.6%	17.4%
International students	2.3%	2.0%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Small	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	8,147	5,562
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	California Washington Colorado Oregon Texas	North Carolina Maryland Pennsylvania Virginia New Jersey

Academics
Popular study areas	Engineering Business Agriculture Architecture Biological and Biomedical Sciences	Health Professions Business Education Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Public Administration and Social Service
Students to faculty ratio	21:1	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	85.4%	71.8%
Dropout rate	12.5%	6.5%
Transferred out	1.2%	20.7%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $88,197 Year 2: $120,462 Year 3: $143,849 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $104,015 Year 2: $101,964 Year 3: $116,606 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $91,493 Year 2: $93,964 Year 3: $106,798 Fire Protection (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $97,071 Year 3: $103,907 Construction Engineering Technologies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $79,656 Year 2: $82,780 Year 3: $96,152 Industrial Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $72,643 Year 2: $73,562 Year 3: $90,242 Engineering, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $74,873 Year 2: $78,971 Year 3: $90,194 Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $74,220 Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $89,378 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $66,920 Year 2: $70,886 Year 3: $87,984 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $79,454 Year 2: $79,647 Year 3: $87,345	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $86,377 Year 2: $92,124 Year 3: $103,988 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $63,601 Year 2: $65,486 Year 3: $79,923 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $68,987 Year 2: $71,015 Year 3: $73,712 Fine and Studio Arts (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $59,073 Year 2: $60,957 Year 3: $73,607 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $54,368 Year 2: $64,493 Year 3: $72,729 Chemistry (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $52,551 Year 2: $55,108 Year 3: $65,524 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,331 Year 2: $59,253 Year 3: $63,301 Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $45,853 Year 2: $46,478 Year 3: $58,788 Business/Managerial Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $55,512 Year 3: $55,086 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,700 Year 2: $43,201 Year 3: $54,656

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