University of South Carolina Aiken (USCA) vs Pepperdine

When it comes to higher education, University of South Carolina Aiken and Pepperdine University stand out as two distinct institutions with unique offerings. USC Aiken, a public university in South Carolina, boasts an acceptance rate of 86%, making it a more accessible option for students. Pepperdine, a private university in California, has a more selective admissions process, with an acceptance rate of 34%. Both universities offer a diverse range of undergraduate programs, with popular majors at USC Aiken including Business Administration, Education, and Nursing, while Pepperdine is known for its strengths in Business, Communication, and Psychology. USC Aiken's student body is predominantly made up of in-state students, while Pepperdine attracts a more diverse student population from across the country and around the world. With graduation rates of 58% and 84% respectively, both universities provide students with the support and resources they need to succeed. To help you make an informed decision about your educational journey, we've compiled a

	Pepperdine University	University of South Carolina Aiken
Overview
Location	Malibu, California	Aiken, South Carolina
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	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	93.0%	59.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation	Churches of Christ

Admission
Acceptance rate	52.7%	83.5%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $65 Graduate: $65	Undergraduate: $45 Graduate: $45
SAT range	1260 - 1440	960 - 1170
ACT range	25 - 30	16 - 23
Students submitting SAT score	19.0%	43.0%
Students submitting ACT score	3.0%	29.0%
Total number of applicants	11,855	1,808
Total number of admissions given out	6,249	1,510
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,024	526
Yield rate	16.4%	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)	Required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$80,152	In state: $24,928 Out of state: $35,386
Average net price	$40,945	$12,514
Tuition	$59,450	In state: $10,398 Out of state: $20,856
Room & board	$16,700	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)	96.0% Average amount $36,967	95.0% Average amount $7,746
Students receiving federal student loan	38.0% Average amount $5,171	50.0% Average amount $4,789
Students taking out private loans	9.0% Average amount $12,899	4.0% Average amount $8,017

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	3,708 Men 42.3% Women 57.7%	3,101 Men 35.0% Women 65.0%
Graduate students	6,738 Men 30.2% Women 69.8%	768 Men 33.5% Women 66.5%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	46.9%	8.8%
International students	8.3%	1.9%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	2,579	986
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	California Texas Washington Colorado Arizona	South Carolina Georgia North Carolina Florida Maryland

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Psychology Legal Profession Education Multidisciplinary Studies	Business Health Professions Education Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	13:1	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	83.0%	42.9%
Dropout rate	16.6%	15.6%
Transferred out	N/A	38.6%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $100,699 Year 2: $92,733 Year 3: $106,087 Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $64,518 Year 2: $74,576 Year 3: $93,293 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $97,829 Year 2: $96,691 Year 3: $91,701 Law (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $66,898 Year 2: $71,015 Year 3: $90,146 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,350 Year 2: $62,508 Year 3: $75,589 Public Policy Analysis (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $49,825 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $71,546 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $53,559 Year 2: $57,770 Year 3: $70,082 International Business (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $51,228 Year 2: $58,673 Year 3: $65,821 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $51,799 Year 2: $47,260 Year 3: $58,854 Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $46,780 Year 2: $46,156 Year 3: $56,663	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 Pepperdine

Pepperdine University

University of South Carolina Aiken

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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