UC Santa Cruz vs University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW)

Envision yourself immersed in the vibrant coastal town of Santa Cruz, California, or the charming port city of Wilmington, North Carolina, as you embark on your higher education journey. University of California-Santa Cruz (UCSC) and University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW) offer distinct experiences, each with its own unique strengths. While UCSC boasts a lower acceptance rate and a higher graduation rate, UNCW offers a more diverse student body and a wider range of undergraduate programs. Dive into our comprehensive comparison table to uncover the nuances that set these two institutions apart, helping you make an informed decision that aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	University of California-Santa Cruz	University of North Carolina Wilmington
Overview
Location	Santa Cruz, California	Wilmington, North Carolina
Campus setting	City: Small	City: Midsize
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Quarter	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	89.0%	83.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	58.6%	68.0%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $120	Undergraduate: $80 Graduate: $75
SAT range	N/A	1210 - 1330
ACT range	N/A	24 - 28
Students submitting SAT score		8.0%
Students submitting ACT score		19.0%
Total number of applicants	61,695	15,792
Total number of admissions given out	36,177	10,736
Admitted students who chose to enroll	4,187	2,435
Yield rate	11.6%	22.7%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $36,107 Out of state: $65,861	In state: $25,855 Out of state: $39,920
Average net price	$19,615	$18,792
Tuition	In state: $11,442 Out of state: $41,196	In state: $4,443 Out of state: $18,508
Room & board	$17,429	Room/dormitory: $6,926 Meal plan: $4,420
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Guaranteed tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	57.0% Average amount $19,199	53.0% Average amount $6,253
Students receiving federal student loan	20.0% Average amount $4,717	47.0% Average amount $5,258
Students taking out private loans	9.0% Average amount $3,115	9.0% Average amount $15,490

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	17,864 Men 52.2% Women 47.8%	14,488 Men 35.0% Women 65.0%
Graduate students	1,977 Men 53.4% Women 46.6%	3,542 Men 28.2% Women 71.8%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	5.7%	17.4%
International students	8.0%	2.0%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	9,300	5,562
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	California Washington Colorado Oregon Texas	North Carolina Maryland Pennsylvania Virginia New Jersey

Academics
Popular study areas	Social Sciences Physical Science Engineering Biological and Biomedical Sciences Computer and Information Science	Health Professions Business Education Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Public Administration and Social Service
Students to faculty ratio	24:1	16:1
Institutional accreditation	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	78.1%	71.8%
Dropout rate	15.6%	6.5%
Transferred out	5.1%	20.7%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $75,207 Year 2: $79,150 Year 3: $93,848 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,040 Year 2: $63,530 Year 3: $85,557 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $66,378 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $82,012 Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $54,725 Year 2: $60,185 Year 3: $70,114 Biomedical/Medical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $53,515 Year 2: $48,823 Year 3: $68,276 Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,252 Year 2: $31,941 Year 3: $65,929 Economics (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $61,516 Year 3: $62,051 Business/Managerial Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $46,826 Year 2: $51,607 Year 3: $61,441 Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $53,511 Year 2: $54,894 Year 3: $57,162 Chemistry (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,243 Year 2: $36,938 Year 3: $54,748	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $86,377 Year 2: $92,124 Year 3: $103,988 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $63,601 Year 2: $65,486 Year 3: $79,923 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $68,987 Year 2: $71,015 Year 3: $73,712 Fine and Studio Arts (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $59,073 Year 2: $60,957 Year 3: $73,607 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $54,368 Year 2: $64,493 Year 3: $72,729 Chemistry (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $52,551 Year 2: $55,108 Year 3: $65,524 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,331 Year 2: $59,253 Year 3: $63,301 Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $45,853 Year 2: $46,478 Year 3: $58,788 Business/Managerial Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $55,512 Year 3: $55,086 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,700 Year 2: $43,201 Year 3: $54,656

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