USC Upstate vs App State

When it comes to higher education, University of South Carolina-Upstate and Appalachian State University stand out as two compelling options for prospective students. Both institutions offer a diverse range of academic programs, vibrant campus life, and opportunities for personal growth. However, there are some key differences between the two universities that may influence your decision. This side-by-side comparison delves into the acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates of USC-Upstate and Appalachian State, providing valuable insights to help you find the best fit for your academic and personal goals.

	Appalachian State University	University of South Carolina-Upstate
Overview
Location	Boone, North Carolina	Spartanburg, South Carolina
Campus setting	Town: Distant	Suburb: 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	86.0%	61.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	84.7%	75.7%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $65 Graduate: $65	Undergraduate: $45 Graduate: $45
SAT range	1130 - 1300	950 - 1150
ACT range	24 - 29	19 - 23
Students submitting SAT score	9.0%	26.0%
Students submitting ACT score	23.0%	19.0%
Total number of applicants	21,120	2,893
Total number of admissions given out	17,886	2,190
Admitted students who chose to enroll	4,099	597
Yield rate	22.9%	27.3%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Not 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: $22,220 Out of state: $37,827	In state: $28,648 Out of state: $39,610
Average net price	$12,735	$14,816
Tuition	In state: $4,242 Out of state: $19,849	In state: $11,208 Out of state: $22,170
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,595 Meal plan: $4,086	Room/dormitory: $5,614 Meal plan: $3,714
Available payment plans	Guaranteed tuition plan Other alternative tuition plan	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	54.0% Average amount $7,652	96.0% Average amount $8,974
Students receiving federal student loan	45.0% Average amount $5,054	62.0% Average amount $5,480
Students taking out private loans	7.0% Average amount $12,285	4.0% Average amount $8,248

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	18,555 Men 43.3% Women 56.7%	4,981 Men 32.7% Women 67.3%
Graduate students	2,086 Men 29.6% Women 70.4%	457 Men 13.6% Women 86.4%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	10.5%	8.2%
International students	0.5%	1.2%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	Suburb: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	5,971	1,055
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	North Carolina South Carolina Virginia Georgia Florida	South Carolina Georgia North Carolina Florida Texas

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Health Professions Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Visual & Performing Arts Public Administration and Social Service	Health Professions Education Business Biological and Biomedical Sciences Psychology
Students to faculty ratio	17:1	15:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	72.7%	47.4%
Dropout rate	7.6%	19.2%
Transferred out	18.3%	31.9%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,824 Year 2: $60,623 Year 3: $79,392 Educational Administration and Supervision (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $61,516 Year 3: $70,638 Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $51,462 Year 2: $54,382 Year 3: $67,337 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $57,036 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $65,634 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $57,587 Year 2: $49,084 Year 3: $63,376 Construction Management (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $56,322 Year 2: $55,693 Year 3: $60,614 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,088 Year 2: $44,989 Year 3: $59,659 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,199 Year 2: $54,296 Year 3: $59,624 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,623 Year 2: $56,415 Year 3: $58,316 Public Administration (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $46,799 Year 2: $54,635 Year 3: $57,400	Engineering-Related Fields (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,614 Year 2: $59,124 Year 3: $70,562 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $61,719 Year 2: $57,512 Year 3: $60,107 Information Science/Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $43,885 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $52,577 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,033 Year 2: $45,500 Year 3: $50,407 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,902 Year 2: $37,088 Year 3: $43,565 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $28,960 Year 3: $37,957 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,958 Year 2: $32,439 Year 3: $37,264 History (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $21,254 Year 2: $32,284 Year 3: $37,102 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $32,772 Year 3: $35,463 Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,350 Year 2: $23,649 Year 3: $33,671

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