University of South Carolina Aiken (USCA) vs Claflin University

When it comes to higher education in South Carolina, University of South Carolina Aiken and Claflin University stand out as two distinct institutions with unique offerings. USC Aiken, a public university, boasts a higher acceptance rate (78%) compared to Claflin University's (68%), a private historically Black university. While both universities offer a diverse range of undergraduate programs, USC Aiken excels in fields like business, education, and nursing, while Claflin University is renowned for its strong programs in biology, social sciences, and criminal justice. With USC Aiken's larger student body, predominantly comprising White students, and Claflin University's smaller, predominantly Black student body, each institution fosters a distinct campus culture. Additionally, USC Aiken's higher graduation rate (58%) compared to Claflin University's (48%) reflects the institutions' varying academic support systems and resources. Explore the detailed comparison table below to delve deeper into these differences and discover which university aligns best with

	Claflin University	University of South Carolina Aiken
Overview
Location	Orangeburg, South Carolina	Aiken, South Carolina
Campus setting	Town: Distant	Suburb: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	71.0%	59.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation	Methodism

Admission
Acceptance rate	62.5%	83.5%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $30 Graduate: $50	Undergraduate: $45 Graduate: $45
SAT range	N/A	960 - 1170
ACT range	N/A	16 - 23
Students submitting SAT score		43.0%
Students submitting ACT score		29.0%
Total number of applicants	8,467	1,808
Total number of admissions given out	5,289	1,510
Admitted students who chose to enroll	315	526
Yield rate	6.0%	34.8%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$39,446	In state: $24,928 Out of state: $35,386
Average net price	$19,308	$12,514
Tuition	$16,476	In state: $10,398 Out of state: $20,856
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,030 Meal plan: $5,450	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)	97.0% Average amount $13,431	95.0% Average amount $7,746
Students receiving federal student loan	80.0% Average amount $6,294	50.0% Average amount $4,789
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $9,735	4.0% Average amount $8,017

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,779 Men 29.1% Women 70.9%	3,101 Men 35.0% Women 65.0%
Graduate students	87 Men 29.9% Women 70.1%	768 Men 33.5% Women 66.5%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Low
Out-of-state students	22.2%	8.8%
International students	2.3%	1.9%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	1,174	986
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	South Carolina Georgia Florida Michigan Missouri	South Carolina Georgia North Carolina Florida Maryland

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Biological and Biomedical Sciences Health Professions Education Communication and Journalism	Business Health Professions Education Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	13:1	16:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	51.1%	42.9%
Dropout rate	21.6%	15.6%
Transferred out	25.4%	38.6%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Human Resources Management and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,900 Year 2: $30,771 Year 3: $36,943 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $29,141 Year 3: $36,132 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,587 Year 2: $39,648 Year 3: $31,889 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $19,551 Year 2: $27,476 Year 3: $29,572 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,056 Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: $29,453 Sociology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $26,088 Year 2: $24,730 Year 3: $29,283 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $21,063 Year 2: $21,964 Year 3: $28,436 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $19,023 Year 2: $25,194 Year 3: $27,326 Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,882 Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: $26,717 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,628 Year 2: $33,281 Year 3: N/A	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.

Claflin University

Philander Smith College