University of South Alabama vs University of Central Arkansas (UCA)

When it comes to choosing the right university, it's essential to compare institutions to find the best fit. University of South Alabama (USA) and University of Central Arkansas (UCA) offer distinct experiences for students. USA, located in Mobile, Alabama, boasts a higher acceptance rate (84%) compared to UCA's 78% in Conway, Arkansas. Both universities offer a diverse range of undergraduate programs, with USA excelling in fields like nursing, business, and engineering, while UCA shines in education, health professions, and business. While USA has a larger student body, UCA maintains a smaller class size, fostering a more personalized learning environment. With graduation rates of 58% and 56% respectively, both universities are committed to student success. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more key differences and make an informed decision about your academic journey.

	University of Central Arkansas	University of South Alabama
Overview
Location	Conway, Arkansas	Mobile, Alabama
Campus setting	City: Small	City: Midsize
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	71.0%	71.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	92.4%	70.8%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $25 Graduate: $45	Undergraduate: $35 Graduate: $35
SAT range	980 - 1160	985 - 1215
ACT range	19 - 26	19 - 26
Students submitting SAT score	3.0%	7.0%
Students submitting ACT score	94.0%	86.0%
Total number of applicants	6,057	11,817
Total number of admissions given out	5,595	8,364
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,854	1,778
Yield rate	33.1%	21.3%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	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: $25,219 Out of state: $32,089	In state: $23,838 Out of state: $32,094
Average net price	$14,042	$14,984
Tuition	In state: $6,870 Out of state: $13,740	In state: $8,256 Out of state: $16,512
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,326 Meal plan: $3,570	Room/dormitory: $4,260 Meal plan: $3,890
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	92.0% Average amount $7,693	92.0% Average amount $7,774
Students receiving federal student loan	51.0% Average amount $5,106	49.0% Average amount $10,354
Students taking out private loans	5.0% Average amount $10,426	4.0% Average amount $12,311

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	8,244 Men 39.0% Women 61.0%	8,833 Men 38.7% Women 61.3%
Graduate students	1,861 Men 26.6% Women 73.4%	5,159 Men 20.2% Women 79.8%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	7.9%	24.3%
International students	3.8%	1.5%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	3,675	3,331
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Arkansas Texas Oklahoma Tennessee Alabama	Alabama Mississippi Florida Illinois Louisiana

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Education Business Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Visual & Performing Arts	Health Professions Education Business Engineering Computer and Information Science
Students to faculty ratio	15:1	17:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	49.4%	47.4%
Dropout rate	19.1%	19.5%
Transferred out	29.7%	29.5%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $92,284 Year 2: $92,358 Year 3: $96,070 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $72,491 Year 2: $70,736 Year 3: $76,640 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $61,696 Year 2: $67,548 Year 3: $65,753 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,174 Year 2: $58,842 Year 3: $59,396 Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $52,787 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $57,030 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $51,827 Year 2: $52,107 Year 3: $55,240 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $45,080 Year 2: $45,305 Year 3: $52,677 Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $48,462 Year 2: $47,729 Year 3: $52,542 Library Science, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $46,140 Year 2: $47,260 Year 3: $49,838 Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $40,755 Year 2: $48,432 Year 3: $49,837	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: $116,286 Year 2: $109,763 Year 3: $117,239 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $110,918 Year 2: $115,711 Year 3: $112,240 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $101,131 Year 2: $102,706 Year 3: $111,122 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $93,584 Year 2: $96,954 Year 3: $102,546 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $60,839 Year 3: $80,009 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $72,655 Year 2: $72,214 Year 3: $79,002 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $61,253 Year 2: $66,240 Year 3: $76,272 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $69,913 Year 2: $68,219 Year 3: $75,983 Chemical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $70,168 Year 2: $61,516 Year 3: $74,579 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $56,562 Year 2: $71,015 Year 3: $72,349

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.