USC Upstate vs Eastern Kentucky University (EKU)

When it comes to higher education, University of South Carolina-Upstate and Eastern Kentucky University stand out as two distinct institutions with unique offerings. USC-Upstate boasts a higher acceptance rate, making it a more accessible option for students. In contrast, EKU has a slightly lower acceptance rate, indicating a more selective admissions process. Both universities offer a diverse range of undergraduate programs, with popular majors such as Business, Education, and Nursing being common choices among students. While USC-Upstate has a larger student body, EKU maintains a smaller student-to-faculty ratio, potentially providing students with more personalized attention. To help you make an informed decision about your academic journey, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison table that delves into key aspects of these two universities, including acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates. Explore the table to discover which institution aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Eastern Kentucky University	University of South Carolina-Upstate
Overview
Location	Richmond, Kentucky	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	74.0%	61.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	98.3%	75.7%
Application fees		Undergraduate: $45 Graduate: $45
SAT range	950 - 1180	950 - 1150
ACT range	18 - 24	19 - 23
Students submitting SAT score	4.0%	26.0%
Students submitting ACT score	88.0%	19.0%
Total number of applicants	7,251	2,893
Total number of admissions given out	7,131	2,190
Admitted students who chose to enroll	2,493	597
Yield rate	35.0%	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: $23,762 Out of state: $34,034	In state: $28,648 Out of state: $39,610
Average net price	$14,271	$14,816
Tuition	In state: $9,452 Out of state: $19,724	In state: $11,208 Out of state: $22,170
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,416 Meal plan: $3,994	Room/dormitory: $5,614 Meal plan: $3,714
Available payment plans	Guaranteed tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	98.0% Average amount $9,891	96.0% Average amount $8,974
Students receiving federal student loan	49.0% Average amount $4,950	62.0% Average amount $5,480
Students taking out private loans	5.0% Average amount $10,455	4.0% Average amount $8,248

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	11,684 Men 40.6% Women 59.4%	4,981 Men 32.7% Women 67.3%
Graduate students	2,300 Men 30.0% Women 70.0%	457 Men 13.6% Women 86.4%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Very Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	8.2%
International students	1.1%	1.2%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	Suburb: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	4,479	1,055
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Ohio Illinois Indiana West Virginia	South Carolina Georgia North Carolina Florida Texas

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Education Law Enforcement and Firefighting Liberal Arts Engineering Technologies	Health Professions Education Business Biological and Biomedical Sciences Psychology
Students to faculty ratio	15:1	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	47.8%	47.4%
Dropout rate	48.5%	19.2%
Transferred out	1.6%	31.9%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Graduate/Professional Certificates) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $110,878 Year 3: $113,532 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $94,123 Year 2: $90,291 Year 3: $95,519 Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $67,935 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $78,046 Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting and Related Protective Services, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $73,209 Year 2: $74,105 Year 3: $74,692 Construction Management (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,585 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $71,030 Educational Administration and Supervision (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $54,959 Year 2: $60,523 Year 3: $62,961 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $50,605 Year 2: $49,019 Year 3: $62,600 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $56,959 Year 2: $60,523 Year 3: $61,708 Fire Protection (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $48,702 Year 2: $49,787 Year 3: $58,036 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,745 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $57,935	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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