University of South Carolina Aiken (USCA) vs Chapman

When it comes to higher education, University of South Carolina Aiken and Chapman University stand out as two distinct institutions with unique offerings. USC Aiken, a public university located in Aiken, South Carolina, boasts an acceptance rate of 86%, making it a more accessible option for students. Chapman University, on the other hand, is a private university in Orange, California, with a more selective admissions process, reflected in its 55% acceptance rate. Both universities offer a diverse range of undergraduate programs, with USC Aiken excelling in fields like business, education, and nursing, while Chapman University is renowned for its strengths in film and media arts, business, and health sciences. Explore the detailed comparison table below to delve into further distinctions between these two institutions, including student body demographics, graduation rates, and additional factors that may influence your decision in choosing the best fit for your academic and personal aspirations.

	Chapman University	University of South Carolina Aiken
Overview
Location	Orange, California	Aiken, South Carolina
Campus setting	City: Midsize	Suburb: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Public
Calendar system	4-1-4	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	92.0%	59.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation	Protestant

Admission
Acceptance rate	60.4%	83.5%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $60	Undergraduate: $45 Graduate: $45
SAT range	1210 - 1410	960 - 1170
ACT range	26 - 31	16 - 23
Students submitting SAT score	22.0%	43.0%
Students submitting ACT score	13.0%	29.0%
Total number of applicants	15,098	1,808
Total number of admissions given out	9,115	1,510
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,658	526
Yield rate	18.2%	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	$77,782	In state: $24,928 Out of state: $35,386
Average net price	$40,451	$12,514
Tuition	$58,250	In state: $10,398 Out of state: $20,856
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $11,086 Meal plan: $5,456	Room/dormitory: $5,316 Meal plan: $2,886
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	91.0% Average amount $30,614	95.0% Average amount $7,746
Students receiving federal student loan	54.0% Average amount $5,569	50.0% Average amount $4,789
Students taking out private loans	4.0% Average amount $23,668	4.0% Average amount $8,017

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	7,714 Men 39.9% Women 60.1%	3,101 Men 35.0% Women 65.0%
Graduate students	2,277 Men 38.1% Women 61.9%	768 Men 33.5% Women 66.5%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	33.1%	8.8%
International students	4.4%	1.9%
Campus local/setting	City: Midsize	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	3,714	986
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 Hawaii	South Carolina Georgia North Carolina Florida Maryland

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Visual & Performing Arts Business Legal Profession Communication and Journalism	Business Health Professions Education Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	12:1	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	79.9%	42.9%
Dropout rate	20.0%	15.6%
Transferred out	N/A	38.6%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $76,310 Year 2: $80,459 Year 3: $88,247 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $77,350 Year 2: $83,177 Year 3: $85,828 Law (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $69,721 Year 2: $58,479 Year 3: $82,686 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $64,468 Year 2: $68,422 Year 3: $79,211 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $61,856 Year 2: $65,651 Year 3: $74,073 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $83,362 Year 2: $71,854 Year 3: $69,038 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $47,455 Year 2: $50,856 Year 3: $67,344 Design and Applied Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,707 Year 2: $52,107 Year 3: $63,526 Business/Managerial Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $55,212 Year 2: $52,107 Year 3: $63,007 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $52,423 Year 2: $53,358 Year 3: $62,368	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

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.

Chapman

Art Center College of Design