Columbia vs United States Naval Academy (USNA)

Columbia University and the United States Naval Academy stand as two distinct beacons of higher education, each offering a unique path to success. Columbia, nestled in the heart of New York City, boasts an acceptance rate of 6.1%, while the Naval Academy, situated in Annapolis, Maryland, maintains a highly selective acceptance rate of 9%. Both institutions excel in academics, with Columbia offering a diverse range of undergraduate programs, including popular majors like Economics, Computer Science, and Political Science. The Naval Academy, on the other hand, focuses on developing future naval officers, with majors such as Systems Engineering, Oceanography, and Marine Engineering taking center stage. While Columbia's student body comprises a diverse mix of backgrounds, the Naval Academy's student body is predominantly male, reflecting its military focus. With graduation rates of 95% and 88% respectively, both institutions ensure that their students are well-equipped for their chosen careers. Delve into the comparison table below to discover more about these esteemed
Columbia University logo

Columbia University

United States Naval Academy logo

United States Naval Academy

Overview

Location New York, New York Annapolis, Maryland
Campus setting City: Large 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
Students retention rate 99.0% 98.0%
Common app member Yes No
Religious affiliation

Admission

Acceptance rate 4.1% 8.4%
Application fees
Undergraduate: $85

Graduate: $120
SAT range 1470 - 1570 1200 - 1420
ACT range 34 - 35 26 - 32
Students submitting SAT score 43.0% 69.0%
Students submitting ACT score 28.0% 48.0%
Total number of applicants 61,110 16,265
Total number of admissions given out 2,524 1,374
Admitted students who chose to enroll 1,641 1,183
Yield rate 65.0% 86.1%
Test scores (SAT/ACT) N/A N/A
High school GPA Not required Required
Recommendation letters Required Required
High school transcript Not required Required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL) Not required Required

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price $90,882
Average net price $12,411
Tuition $60,514
Room & board
Room/dormitory: $9,450

Meal plan: $6,000
Available payment plans
  • Prepaid tuition plan
  • Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

53.0%
Average amount $57,726
Students receiving federal student loan 7.0%
Average amount $5,511
Students taking out private loans 2.0%
Average amount $34,119

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students 8,832
Men 50.6% Women 49.4%
4,528
Men 71.3% Women 28.7%
Graduate students 24,944
Men 44.8% Women 55.2%
N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity
Moderate
Low
Out-of-state students N/A 92.6%
International students 37.0% 1.3%
Campus local/setting City: Large Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity 13,071 4,667
First year students are required to live on campus? No Yes
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from N/A California Texas Maryland Virginia Florida

Academics

Popular study areas
  • Business
  • Health Professions
  • Engineering
  • Computer and Information Science
  • Public Administration and Social Service
  • Engineering
  • Social Sciences
  • Military Technologies
  • Physical Science
  • English Language and Literature
Students to faculty ratio 6:1 8:1
Institutional accreditation Middle States Commission on Higher Education N/A

Outcome

Graduation rate 97.4% 91.3%
Dropout rate 1.7% 8.7%
Transferred out 0.7% N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)
Law (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $193,362
  • Year 2: $180,752
  • Year 3: $230,020
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $162,427
  • Year 2: $170,426
  • Year 3: $179,305
Management Information Systems and Services (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $153,730
  • Year 2: $160,605
  • Year 3: $167,216
Computer Science (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $133,851
  • Year 2: $143,033
  • Year 3: $166,695
Operations Research (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $111,312
  • Year 2: $114,503
  • Year 3: $148,040
Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $108,903
  • Year 2: $103,078
  • Year 3: $135,658
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees)
  • Year 1: $115,222
  • Year 2: $127,993
  • Year 3: $131,926
Construction Management (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $98,322
  • Year 2: $110,878
  • Year 3: $125,926
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $111,569
  • Year 2: $109,659
  • Year 3: $119,899
Computer and Information Sciences, General (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $92,223
  • Year 2: $100,127
  • Year 3: $118,332
N/A

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.