University of South Carolina-Columbia (UofSC) vs Iowa State

Envision yourself immersed in the vibrant college towns of Columbia, South Carolina, and Ames, Iowa, home to the esteemed University of South Carolina-Columbia (UofSC) and Iowa State University (ISU), respectively. While both institutions share a commitment to academic excellence, they offer distinct experiences shaped by their unique characteristics. UofSC boasts a higher acceptance rate, welcoming a more diverse student body, while ISU maintains a slightly higher graduation rate. Explore the nuances of each university's popular majors, student demographics, and more in the comprehensive comparison table below, and discover which institution aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Iowa State University	University of South Carolina-Columbia
Overview
Location	Ames, Iowa	Columbia, South Carolina
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	88.0%	87.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	91.1%	61.6%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $40 Graduate: $60	Undergraduate: $65 Graduate: $50
SAT range	1083 - 1330	1150 - 1360
ACT range	21 - 28	26 - 31
Students submitting SAT score	13.0%	38.0%
Students submitting ACT score	63.0%	26.0%
Total number of applicants	20,357	42,045
Total number of admissions given out	18,550	25,884
Admitted students who chose to enroll	5,387	6,174
Yield rate	29.0%	23.9%
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	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $22,152 Out of state: $37,964	In state: $29,398 Out of state: $50,638
Average net price	$15,422	$21,898
Tuition	In state: $8,324 Out of state: $24,136	In state: $12,288 Out of state: $33,528
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $4,590 Meal plan: $4,498	Room/dormitory: $7,010 Meal plan: $3,980
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Other alternative tuition plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	87.0% Average amount $8,833	93.0% Average amount $7,055
Students receiving federal student loan	47.0% Average amount $5,202	48.0% Average amount $5,340
Students taking out private loans	11.0% Average amount $11,630	10.0% Average amount $17,657

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	25,808 Men 56.1% Women 43.9%	26,864 Men 44.9% Women 55.1%
Graduate students	4,900 Men 50.6% Women 49.4%	8,607 Men 37.4% Women 62.6%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	8.2%	4.8%
Campus local/setting	City: Small	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	9,400	9,377
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Engineering Agriculture Education Business Biological and Biomedical Sciences	Business Health Professions Education Engineering Communication and Journalism
Students to faculty ratio	18:1	18:1
Institutional accreditation	Higher Learning Commission	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	76.0%	78.2%
Dropout rate	6.1%	5.3%
Transferred out	16.7%	16.0%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $85,739 Year 2: $94,408 Year 3: $101,292 Mechanical Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $80,956 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $95,081 Industrial Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $99,120 Year 2: $89,059 Year 3: $92,521 Veterinary Medicine (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $77,573 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $85,108 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $74,299 Year 2: $73,321 Year 3: $83,452 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $72,598 Year 2: $73,839 Year 3: $83,292 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $71,184 Year 2: $71,734 Year 3: $81,196 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $83,223 Year 2: $70,680 Year 3: $79,916 Construction Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $71,580 Year 2: $70,083 Year 3: $77,479 Chemical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $70,534 Year 2: $67,156 Year 3: $76,113	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $102,315 Year 2: $132,531 Year 3: $124,225 Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $103,612 Year 2: $114,145 Year 3: $117,580 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $104,414 Year 2: $95,102 Year 3: $107,403 Human Resources Management and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $92,505 Year 2: $91,986 Year 3: $97,806 International Business (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $82,202 Year 2: $90,049 Year 3: $93,323 Chemical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $65,370 Year 2: $70,680 Year 3: $79,846 Public Health (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $77,526 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $71,229 Year 2: $71,854 Year 3: $76,713 International Business (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $66,365 Year 2: $70,776 Year 3: $73,730 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,632 Year 2: $66,670 Year 3: $72,857

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