Columbia College vs University of Virginia-Main Campus (UVA)

Columbia College and University of Virginia-Main Campus, two prestigious institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Columbia College, located in the heart of New York City, boasts a highly selective admissions process with an acceptance rate of 6.1%, while UVA-Main Campus, situated in Charlottesville, Virginia, has a more accessible acceptance rate of 26%. Both universities offer a diverse range of undergraduate programs, with Columbia College excelling in fields like economics, political science, and history, and UVA-Main Campus excelling in engineering, biology, and psychology. The student bodies at these institutions reflect their unique locations, with Columbia College attracting a more international and urban population, while UVA-Main Campus fosters a strong sense of community among its predominantly in-state student body. With graduation rates of 95% and 94% respectively, both universities ensure that their students are well-prepared for successful careers or further academic pursuits. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more about these

	Columbia College	University of Virginia-Main Campus
Overview
Location	Columbia, South Carolina	Charlottesville, Virginia
Campus setting	City: Midsize	Suburb: Small
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%	97.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Methodism

Admission
Acceptance rate	98.6%	20.7%
Application fees		Undergraduate: $75 Graduate: $85
SAT range	N/A	1380 - 1500
ACT range	N/A	32 - 35
Students submitting SAT score		52.0%
Students submitting ACT score		21.0%
Total number of applicants	1,278	47,971
Total number of admissions given out	1,260	9,951
Admitted students who chose to enroll	210	3,889
Yield rate	16.7%	39.1%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Not required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Required
High school transcript	Required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$41,142	In state: $36,314 Out of state: $70,696
Average net price	$20,520	$20,401
Tuition	$20,080	In state: $16,010 Out of state: $49,710
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,120 Meal plan: $4,200	Room/dormitory: $7,110 Meal plan: $5,550
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Guaranteed tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	98.0% Average amount $13,663	46.0% Average amount $19,612
Students receiving federal student loan	77.0% Average amount $6,081	25.0% Average amount $4,845
Students taking out private loans	3.0% Average amount $10,833	6.0% Average amount $11,030

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,065 Men 15.2% Women 84.8%	17,294 Men 43.7% Women 56.3%
Graduate students	324 Men 12.7% Women 87.3%	8,711 Men 46.9% Women 53.1%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	15.0%	35.2%
International students	0.6%	8.8%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	Suburb: Small
Dormitory capacity	618	7,645
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	Virginia New York Maryland Pennsylvania New Jersey

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Law Enforcement and Firefighting Business Health Professions Liberal Arts	Business Health Professions Engineering Social Sciences Education
Students to faculty ratio	11:1	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	54.4%	93.7%
Dropout rate	16.3%	2.3%
Transferred out	29.4%	3.6%
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	Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $185,710 Year 2: $162,255 Year 3: $193,013 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $157,071 Year 2: $155,263 Year 3: $176,237 Computer Software and Media Applications (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $86,350 Year 2: $101,406 Year 3: $125,729 Business/Commerce, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $103,426 Year 2: $107,256 Year 3: $120,362 Systems Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $108,239 Year 2: $95,739 Year 3: $109,956 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $83,639 Year 2: $92,077 Year 3: $108,272 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $84,682 Year 2: $90,146 Year 3: $101,904 Business/Commerce, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $76,602 Year 2: $82,440 Year 3: $95,939 Systems Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $79,487 Year 2: $82,808 Year 3: $94,931 Public Policy Analysis (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $54,807 Year 2: $70,596 Year 3: $84,597

Compare Similar Colleges

The list of suggested college comparisons provided below is generated automatically by our system, utilizing statistics gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and various online sources. If you don't find the colleges you wish to compare, please visit our comparison page. There, you can search for the specific colleges and initiate your comparison.

Columbia College

University of California-Berkeley