University of South Carolina Aiken (USCA) vs Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA)

When it comes to higher education, the University of South Carolina Aiken and Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts offer distinct experiences for prospective students. With an acceptance rate of 85%, USC Aiken welcomes a diverse student body, while MCLA's acceptance rate of 75% ensures a more selective admissions process. USC Aiken boasts a larger student population, providing a vibrant campus atmosphere, while MCLA's smaller size fosters a close-knit community. Both institutions offer a range of popular majors, including Business, Education, and Psychology, but USC Aiken also features programs in Engineering and Nursing. While USC Aiken's graduation rate stands at 48%, MCLA's is slightly higher at 55%. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more key differences and make an informed decision about your academic journey.

	Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts	University of South Carolina Aiken
Overview
Location	North Adams, Massachusetts	Aiken, South Carolina
Campus setting	Town: Fringe	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	63.0%	59.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	91.0%	83.5%
Application fees	$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	1,371	1,808
Total number of admissions given out	1,247	1,510
Admitted students who chose to enroll	167	526
Yield rate	13.4%	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)	Not required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $25,928 Out of state: $34,873	In state: $24,928 Out of state: $35,386
Average net price	$14,902	$12,514
Tuition	In state: $1,030 Out of state: $9,975	In state: $10,398 Out of state: $20,856
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,240 Meal plan: $5,044	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)	99.0% Average amount $8,496	95.0% Average amount $7,746
Students receiving federal student loan	97.0% Average amount $3,734	50.0% Average amount $4,789
Students taking out private loans	12.0% Average amount $9,492	4.0% Average amount $8,017

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	870 Men 39.2% Women 60.8%	3,101 Men 35.0% Women 65.0%
Graduate students	124 Men 33.1% Women 66.9%	768 Men 33.5% Women 66.5%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	8.8%
International students	N/A	1.9%
Campus local/setting	Town: Fringe	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	1,020	986
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Mississippi New York Vermont Connecticut Rhode Island	South Carolina Georgia North Carolina Florida Maryland

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Education Computer and Information Science Health Professions Biological and Biomedical Sciences	Business Health Professions Education Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	9:1	16:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	58.4%	42.9%
Dropout rate	41.6%	15.6%
Transferred out	N/A	38.6%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,895 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $73,830 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,172 Year 2: $34,467 Year 3: $40,733 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,359 Year 2: $27,181 Year 3: $40,148 Education, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $32,284 Year 3: $35,408 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $24,617 Year 2: $32,569 Year 3: $34,741 Sociology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,798 Year 2: $31,828 Year 3: $32,817 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,438 Year 2: $28,236 Year 3: $32,425 Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,231 Year 2: $29,374 Year 3: $31,158 Education, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $46,032 Year 2: $43,798 Year 3: N/A Visual and Performing Arts, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $20,169 Year 2: $25,194 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

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University of South Carolina Aiken (USCA) vs Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA)

Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts

University of South Carolina Aiken

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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