St. Mary's College of Maryland vs University of South Carolina Aiken (USCA)

St. Mary's College of Maryland and University of South Carolina Aiken, while both offering quality education, present distinct experiences for prospective students. St. Mary's, a public liberal arts college in Southern Maryland, boasts a tight-knit community with a focus on undergraduate teaching and a low student-to-faculty ratio. In contrast, USC Aiken, a public university in South Carolina, offers a wider range of academic programs, including graduate degrees, and a larger student body. With St. Mary's having a higher acceptance rate and USC Aiken offering more diverse majors, the choice between these institutions hinges on individual preferences for campus size, academic offerings, and location. Explore the detailed comparison table to discern which institution better aligns with your aspirations and goals.

	St. Mary's College of Maryland	University of South Carolina Aiken
Overview
Location	St. Mary's City, Maryland	Aiken, South Carolina
Campus setting	Suburb: Small	Suburb: Large
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	85.0%	59.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	77.3%	83.5%
Application fees	$50	Undergraduate: $45 Graduate: $45
SAT range	1135 - 1340	960 - 1170
ACT range	26 - 32	16 - 23
Students submitting SAT score	24.0%	43.0%
Students submitting ACT score	5.0%	29.0%
Total number of applicants	2,872	1,808
Total number of admissions given out	2,221	1,510
Admitted students who chose to enroll	381	526
Yield rate	17.2%	34.8%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $31,361 Out of state: $47,437	In state: $24,928 Out of state: $35,386
Average net price	$20,213	$12,514
Tuition	In state: $12,116 Out of state: $28,192	In state: $10,398 Out of state: $20,856
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $8,007 Meal plan: $6,340	Room/dormitory: $5,316 Meal plan: $2,886
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	98.0% Average amount $10,828	95.0% Average amount $7,746
Students receiving federal student loan	39.0% Average amount $5,108	50.0% Average amount $4,789
Students taking out private loans	5.0% Average amount $17,506	4.0% Average amount $8,017

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,519 Men 42.3% Women 57.7%	3,101 Men 35.0% Women 65.0%
Graduate students	25 Men 24.0% Women 76.0%	768 Men 33.5% Women 66.5%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	11.3%	8.8%
International students	0.8%	1.9%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Small	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	1,499	986
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Maryland Virginia District of Columbia California Connecticut	South Carolina Georgia North Carolina Florida Maryland

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Natural Resources and Conservation Social Sciences Visual & Performing Arts Foreign Languages and Literatures	Business Health Professions Education Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	10:1	16:1
Institutional accreditation	Middle States Commission on Higher Education	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	72.8%	42.9%
Dropout rate	3.6%	15.6%
Transferred out	23.2%	38.6%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $66,972 Year 2: $59,124 Year 3: $72,028 Public Policy Analysis (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $39,648 Year 3: $54,648 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $43,905 Year 2: $41,565 Year 3: $53,332 Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $31,038 Year 3: $46,779 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $35,826 Year 2: $31,314 Year 3: $46,198 Sociology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,641 Year 2: $31,839 Year 3: $43,570 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $29,544 Year 2: $33,281 Year 3: $43,517 History (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $18,605 Year 2: $21,052 Year 3: $41,146 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,570 Year 2: $26,121 Year 3: $38,497 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,686 Year 2: $29,322 Year 3: $34,144	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $61,627 Year 2: $60,689 Year 3: $61,889 Applied Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $50,439 Year 3: $55,200 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $26,411 Year 2: $33,993 Year 3: $42,700 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,701 Year 2: $37,748 Year 3: $41,808 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $32,954 Year 2: $35,559 Year 3: $34,839 Sociology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $29,491 Year 2: $29,995 Year 3: $33,473 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $25,013 Year 2: $26,121 Year 3: $32,520 Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $15,167 Year 2: $17,551 Year 3: $22,590 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $29,827 Year 2: $30,650 Year 3: N/A English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $21,139 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A

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