Columbia College vs University of Maryland-College Park (UMD)

Columbia College and University of Maryland-College Park, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Columbia College, a private liberal arts college in New York City, boasts a highly selective admissions process with an acceptance rate of 6.1%, while the University of Maryland-College Park, a large public research university, welcomes a more diverse student body with an acceptance rate of 43.4%. Columbia College's student body is predominantly female (62%), while the University of Maryland-College Park has a more balanced gender ratio (51% female, 49% male). Both institutions excel in various academic disciplines, with Columbia College excelling in the humanities and social sciences, and the University of Maryland-College Park excelling in STEM fields. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to delve into further details and discover which institution aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Columbia College	University of Maryland-College Park
Overview
Location	Columbia, South Carolina	College Park, Maryland
Campus setting	City: Midsize	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	54.0%	95.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Methodism

Admission
Acceptance rate	98.6%	52.0%
Application fees		Undergraduate: $75 Graduate: $75
SAT range	N/A	1330 - 1510
ACT range	N/A	30 - 34
Students submitting SAT score		34.0%
Students submitting ACT score		9.0%
Total number of applicants	1,278	50,183
Total number of admissions given out	1,260	26,109
Admitted students who chose to enroll	210	6,072
Yield rate	16.7%	23.3%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$41,142	In state: $30,997 Out of state: $58,678
Average net price	$20,520	$17,146
Tuition	$20,080	In state: $9,000 Out of state: $36,681
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,120 Meal plan: $4,200	Room/dormitory: $8,072 Meal plan: $5,578
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	98.0% Average amount $13,663	56.0% Average amount $10,645
Students receiving federal student loan	77.0% Average amount $6,081	20.0% Average amount $5,065
Students taking out private loans	3.0% Average amount $10,833	4.0% Average amount $22,924

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,065 Men 15.2% Women 84.8%	30,922 Men 50.8% Women 49.2%
Graduate students	324 Men 12.7% Women 87.3%	10,350 Men 50.7% Women 49.3%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	15.0%	29.5%
International students	0.6%	10.3%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	618	11,846
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 Alabama	Maryland New Jersey New York Pennsylvania Virginia

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Law Enforcement and Firefighting Business Health Professions Liberal Arts	Engineering Business Education Computer and Information Science Social Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	11:1	18:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	54.4%	87.7%
Dropout rate	16.3%	4.0%
Transferred out	29.4%	7.7%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $46,087 Year 3: $51,609 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,941 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $48,181 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $42,123 Year 3: $42,584 Education, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $40,920 Year 2: $40,792 Year 3: $41,966 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,802 Year 2: $33,993 Year 3: $40,157 Social Work (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,014 Year 2: $30,926 Year 3: $35,159 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $28,598 Year 3: $33,769 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,329 Year 2: $30,305 Year 3: $32,187 Behavioral Sciences (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $25,194 Year 3: $31,896 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,946 Year 2: $22,192 Year 3: $27,013	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $108,765 Year 2: $106,102 Year 3: $116,295 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $125,155 Year 2: $112,923 Year 3: $112,074 Engineering, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $86,533 Year 2: $94,112 Year 3: $102,555 Business/Commerce, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $93,018 Year 2: $94,408 Year 3: $101,716 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $84,727 Year 2: $84,653 Year 3: $99,501 Physics (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $72,899 Year 3: $92,830 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $88,418 Year 2: $80,466 Year 3: $92,230 Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,675 Year 2: $72,762 Year 3: $83,667 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $74,798 Year 2: $71,761 Year 3: $82,867 Information Science/Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,391 Year 2: $66,485 Year 3: $82,784

Compare Similar Colleges

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Columbia College

University of California-Berkeley