NC State vs The University of Alabama (UA)

North Carolina State University at Raleigh and The University of Alabama, both esteemed public research universities, offer distinct educational experiences. NC State boasts a higher acceptance rate (50%) compared to Alabama's (44%), making it slightly easier to gain admission. While both universities excel in various fields, NC State is renowned for its engineering, computer science, and design programs, while Alabama shines in business, education, and nursing. NC State's student body is more diverse, with international students comprising 12% of the population, while Alabama's international student population stands at 4%. Both universities boast impressive graduation rates, with NC State's at 83% and Alabama's at 79%. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more key differences and make an informed decision about which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	North Carolina State University at Raleigh	The University of Alabama
Overview
Location	Raleigh, North Carolina	Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Campus setting	City: Large	City: Small
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	94.0%	89.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	47.5%	78.9%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $85 Graduate: $75	Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $65
SAT range	1270 - 1440	1070 - 1370
ACT range	27 - 32	21 - 31
Students submitting SAT score	21.0%	17.0%
Students submitting ACT score	34.0%	63.0%
Total number of applicants	32,998	42,421
Total number of admissions given out	15,669	33,472
Admitted students who chose to enroll	5,046	7,593
Yield rate	32.2%	22.7%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $24,986 Out of state: $45,771	In state: $31,024 Out of state: $50,494
Average net price	$14,328	$21,263
Tuition	In state: $6,535 Out of state: $27,320	In state: $10,780 Out of state: $30,250
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $6,768 Meal plan: $4,833	Room/dormitory: $5,900 Meal plan: $4,234
Available payment plans	Guaranteed tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	62.0% Average amount $9,318	76.0% Average amount $16,363
Students receiving federal student loan	40.0% Average amount $5,022	37.0% Average amount $5,221
Students taking out private loans	6.0% Average amount $14,600	9.0% Average amount $23,617

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	26,505 Men 50.9% Women 49.1%	31,685 Men 43.5% Women 56.5%
Graduate students	10,326 Men 49.8% Women 50.2%	6,631 Men 36.9% Women 63.1%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	12.9%	62.2%
International students	9.5%	3.0%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	10,024	9,385
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	North Carolina Virginia New York New Jersey Maryland	Alabama Georgia Illinois Texas Tennessee

Academics
Popular study areas	Engineering Business Biological and Biomedical Sciences Agriculture Computer and Information Science	Health Professions Business Engineering Family and Consumer Sciences Education
Students to faculty ratio	15:1	19:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	84.4%	72.2%
Dropout rate	5.0%	7.7%
Transferred out	9.6%	18.8%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Computer Software and Media Applications (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $99,745 Year 2: $103,078 Year 3: $122,470 Computer Science (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $94,886 Year 2: $97,071 Year 3: $113,307 Mechanical Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $90,892 Year 2: $82,440 Year 3: $92,582 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $90,869 Year 2: $74,200 Year 3: $88,476 Veterinary Medicine (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $73,974 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $88,260 Civil Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $80,860 Year 2: $81,702 Year 3: $86,459 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $73,857 Year 2: $70,710 Year 3: $83,417 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $69,627 Year 2: $70,057 Year 3: $83,342 Chemical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $73,222 Year 2: $69,757 Year 3: $81,552 Industrial Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $66,081 Year 2: $70,253 Year 3: $80,463	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $104,741 Year 2: $119,061 Year 3: $121,674 Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $84,175 Year 2: $84,653 Year 3: $101,082 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $78,913 Year 2: $80,004 Year 3: $96,574 Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $80,715 Year 2: $91,744 Year 3: $89,742 Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $66,858 Year 2: $71,015 Year 3: $83,044 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $65,725 Year 2: $75,832 Year 3: $82,831 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $75,975 Year 2: $75,921 Year 3: $82,382 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $93,535 Year 2: $90,412 Year 3: $81,427 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $65,760 Year 2: $65,281 Year 3: $76,647 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $62,913 Year 2: $60,771 Year 3: $76,479

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NC State vs The University of Alabama (UA)

North Carolina State University at Raleigh

The University of Alabama

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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